*Baked Muesli Oatmeal

Every now and then I have mornings that I have company and can make things I don't normally get to make. Since man meat does not like oatmeal or raisins, and Riley is allergic to walnuts, this was a treat I pretty much had to save for company. This make ahead, set it and forget it type oatmeal was a concept that required some trial and error. The original recipe I tried was one I'd seen on Good Eats. Alton brown made overnight oatmeal with steel cut oats and I really really was looking forward to it, however it burned so badly in my crock pot that it was not only inedible but horrific smelling and extremely difficult to clean up. (I even added more half and half like one of the reviews suggested) I pretty much adore Alton Brown so I was fairly let down and mildly depressed to say the least. I've been  trying to make steel cut oats edible for years but its like rubbery card board flavored doom nuggets. Anyway that recipe was a real flop.

The good news is that ultimately I was able to make this  yummy treat, baking it was somewhat of a strange idea to me at first however really it made sense to have a breakfast I can set in the oven instead of something I'd have to tend to. Since the whole "overnight" concept really flopped I needed something I could make in a reasonable amount of time that cured my craving for oat-y, raisiny goodness. Normally to me oatmeal is something thats nuked in the microwave for 2 minutes, gloppy, gluey and fairly bland. (since I only usually eat oatmeal when I'm meticulously counting calories and without sugar, butter or milk oatmeal is just not the same) So I wanted something that was actually enjoyable for once. I looked through my cupboard and found my muesli thats been long forgotten, mixed in some love and baked it to perfection. It was a somewhat surprising outcome. Top with cream, milk or even yogurt and you have yourself a really amazing way to start the day. I'll absolutely be making this again, probably with a health/allergy conscious twist but its absolutely fantastic! It actually reminded me of an oatmeal cookie, almost like a cookie bar for breakfast... how awesome is that!!??