Looks Can Be Deceiving

This may look scrumptious. Even the name sounds tasty: Almond Joy Oatmeal. But, I'm here to tell you... NOT! This was not good. I made it this morning. The Captain ate it (bless his heart). Katie liked it... but then again she still watches Spongebob Squarepants at 19 years of age, so something akin to baby food would be likely to appeal to her. Jon just kept on looking at me like, "really?" I think he ate 1/4 of his bowl. Luckily, I made some chocolate muffins with chocolate chips. (Yeah, I'm a sly one. I didn't know how this whole oatmeal thing would go down, so I stacked the deck in my favor... just in case.

Now, I'm not ready to entirely give up on this recipe... or rather the idea of add-ins to oatmeal that would make it tastier. But the original version of this recipe calls for banana. I guess the creator thought it would give more binding or substance to the oatmeal. Well... I think it can do without the bananas. They make it seem mushy. I like oatmeal with a little crunch. That's why I thought the almonds would be good.

So, I'll give you the original recipe. I'll put my suggestions in parenthesis. Feel free to make whatever changes you'd like to it.

Almond Joy Oatmeal (Note: this recipe is for one serving. Multiply it however many times you need to)
Ingredients
1/2 cup (40g) rolled oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
1/2 medium banana, sliced into thin pieces (I would omit this step)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp Splenda (feel free to use regular sugar)
7 g almond butter (Didn't have any of this so didn't use it)
7g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
7g coconut flakes, sweetened
4g almond slivers, toasted

Directions
In a medium size pan, heat the oats, milk, water, and salt over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to simmer, approximately 5-6 minutes, stir in the sliced banana. Continue to stir, almost whipping, until the banana breaks down and the mixture thickens and becomes creamy, about another 3-4 minutes. I really like adding the banana because it adds so much volume to the oats.
Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and Splenda, and stir until incorporated. Pour into a serving bowl and top with the almond butter, chocolate chips, coconut shavings, and slivered almonds.


Now... my attempts in the kitchen don't always meet with disappointment. What follows was a BIG HIT!



Eclair Torte
1 cup water
½ cup butter
¼ tsp salt
1 C all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 carton Cool-Whip
Chocolate syrup

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Beat until smooth. Spread into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, pudding mix, and milk until smooth. (Now if you're not careful doing this you can end up with chunks of cream cheese in the pudding mixture. I beat the cream cheese first. Then add the first cup of milk to it a little at a time. Then add the rest and pudding mix) Spread over puff; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Spread with whipped topping; refrigerate. Drizzle with chocolate syrup just before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. 12 servings.

Sorry about the nostril view. But, proof that at least one of the recipes in the post was eaten with gusto: