Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with a Pumpkin Spice Latte

PUMPKIN!  I prepped breakfast the day before...

I stumbled upon Pinterest about a month ago - after I was flattered to discover photos from my first blog, "Living My Dream" at monkeyandmutt.blogspot.com, had been pinned.  I had heard of Pinterest, but did not really understand what it was all about.  I knew it had photos that sometimes inundated my Facebook home page, but that was about it.  Had someone explained it was a site where you could bookmark your favorite articles, recipes and photos - organizing them on "boards" (in folders) however you liked, I would have been hooked sooner!  The bookmark section on my laptop's browser had been insane before the poor thing died on me.  Thanks to Pinterest, I have not done the same to my hubby's PC.

Anyway... earlier this week it began to feel like fall.  That meant one thing.  Pumpkin.  I absolutely LOVE pumpkin.  So, I searched for pumpkin on Pinterest and began a Pumpkin board.  YUM.

I thank this search for helping me find The Oatmeal Artist.  If you are fond of homemade oatmeal, you seriously need to check out Lauren's website.  (Although, you are probably so much cooler than I am that you already knew this site existed with all of its delicious recipes!)

Monday morning I tried the Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal.  I substituted rice milk for the milk and used the 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice suggested.  I only had frozen blueberries on hand, so I added them with the banana.  It was really, really good - not to mention filling!


In my freezer, I had one last cup of homemade pumpkin puree from last fall.  So, I put it in the refrigerator on Monday night to thaw.  Yesterday became a marathon cooking day.  I made tomato soup, The Daring Cooks September Challenge (you'll have to wait to hear about that one!), gluten-free beef broth from Gluten-Free Quick and Easy by Carol Fenster, cooked a roast on the Traeger, and I used my cup of pumpkin puree to make 4 different recipes!

The pumpkin dishes were all prepped to make for breakfast this morning.  My hubby enjoyed a home cooked meal rather than his usual bowl of cereal!

In one Corningware French White 16-ounce dish (I love these, as they are microwave, oven and freezer safe and they have lids), I combined the liquid ingredients for The Oatmeal Artist's Basic Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal.  In a second dish, I combined the liquid ingredients for the Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal recipe.  In two separate containers, I combined the oats and seasonings.  This morning, I combined the wet and dry ingredients and baked them.  (In the future, I will mix all of the ingredients together.  I don't think it will hurt for the oats to absorb some of the moisture overnight.)

Click here for the Basic Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Recipe

and 

Click here for variations of this recipe - including Pumpkin Spice Latte Baked Oatmeal

Oh - if math is not your strong point and you are making a single batch of the Pumpkin Spice Latte Baked Oatmeal, you would use 8 teaspoons (or 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) of milk and the same amount of coffee.  (There are 48 teaspoons in one cup, so 16 teaspoons in 1/3 cup.  Half of that is 8 teaspoons, and there are 3 teaspoons in a Tablespoon - so 8 teaspoons = 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons.)

Pumpkin Milk for Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe found at averiecooks.com

Thanks to Pinterest, I also stumbled upon a recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Latte at averiecooks.com.  I made the Pumpkin Milk yesterday (using rice milk to keep it dairy-free) and made these for my hubby and I this morning.  I did not have pumpkin pie spice (GASP!  As a pumpkin lover, this must be some sort of crime), so I used Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus I had on hand (it added cinnamon and orange flavors to the traditional pumpkin pie spice - if I remember correctly.) 

Click here for Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe.

It turned out to be a bit too much cinnamon for my hubby, but he drank the whole cup!  I'll have to try it again with pumpkin pie spice and add a touch more maple syrup at my hubby's request.  He also pointed out that the spices do not all blend and/or dissolve.  Some settle in the bottom of the cup.  I read the recipe, so it was no surprise to me.  He still drank the whole cup!  I made a half cup for myself (as I am limiting my coffee consumption) and was too full from my oatmeal to finish my latte.  So, I poured the remains into an ice cube tray and froze them.  Later, I plan to blend them with more rice milk for a homemade Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino.  It sounds delicious!  This would probably be incredible with a nice wallop of homemade whipped cream, but with amazing dairy-free recipes like these, giving up dairy is quite a bit easier.  (I'll try whipped coconut milk once I can add coconut back into my diet.)

Overnight Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal from The Oatmeal Artist

Each of these recipes required 1/4-cup of pumpkin puree.  So, I used the last of my puree to make Overnight Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal using another Oatmeal Artist recipe.  This was my FAVORITE recipe!  Don't get me wrong, the baked pumpkin oatmeal was amazing and the baked pumpkin spice latte recipe was great, but this recipe tasted like dessert!  Again, I made it with rice milk to keep it dairy-free.  I also made the mistake of sampling this last night.  It did not survive long enough to be my breakfast tomorrow morning.  As my eldest (nicknamed Monkey) pointed out, it's a good thing it is almost pumpkin season!  (I have plans for the Cinderella Pumpkin growing in my yard!)

Click here for Overnight Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal recipe

Now, I have tried mixing overnight recipes in half-pint mason jars and they just never fit.  So, I mixed this one in a pint-sized jar.  It looks a bit large for the job, but it worked out perfectly.

Let me just say, my youngest (nicknamed Mutt at his request), only likes instant oatmeal.  He has snubbed every homemade oatmeal I have made.  Until now.  He said he would eat this if I heated it up a bit.  (That being said, he has not yet sampled the baked oatmeal recipes I made this morning, but I saved a bit of each for he and his brother to sample.)  I'll make a comment later to let you know their opinions.

I am so thankful for the Internet and for creative cooks that are willing to share their creations!