Strawberry Oatmeal

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Hello All!
Ugh.  I am SO annoyed!  I wrote this entire entry and then when I clicked the publish post button it erased the entire thing!  So here we go again...

I am playing catch up for sure!  We have been SO busy here in the Porter household!  It is spring for sure, even if Mother Nature doesn't want us to think so!  Daniel started swimming lessons, I have been teaching water aerobics, and we are planning our summer trip to Seattle!  Anyway, this past weekend was my birthday!  I turned 21 (do you believe me?! Yah, the waitress at the restaurant where we had dinner didn't either...she wouldn't even play along!)  Anyway, David got me some AMAZING gifts!  I got a MacBook Pro (which I thought would be my only gift from him) and then he surprised me with a set of Wusthof knives!  I was so excited I nearly cried!  Those are like, the top of the line!
On another note, I bought some strawberries at Sam's Club.  They were so plump and beautiful that I bought two cartons.  This morning I decided to make some strawberry oatmeal to use up some of those lovely strawberries before they turn.  This was SUCH a hit with Daniel!  He asked for more three times!  You can use fresh or frozen strawberries.


Strawberry Oatmeal

• 2 cups pureed strawberries (fresh or frozen- to puree, place strawberries in a food processor and pulse until pureed but still somewhat chunky)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 honey
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (you can use steel cut oats but cooking time will be greater and you may have to add more water)
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• pinch of cinnamon

In a large saucepan, over high heat, heat the strawberries, honey and water to boiling.  Add the oats, vanilla extract, butter, and cinnamon.  Turn heat down to medium and stir frequently until thick and bubbly.  Add the milk and continue stirring another 2-3 minutes until incorporated.  Serve immediately with extra milk and fresh strawberries if desired.

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!