By Greg Turner, November 2008
I love November’s crisp mornings; the first brisk breath of air, biking Gainesville’s tree-lined streets, waving to neighbors out with their dogs. And what could be more perfect on a November morning than warm, wonderful oatmeal? And what could be more perfect than Starbucks’ new Perfect Oatmeal?
Wait. What?
Yes, Starbucks has updated its breakfast menu, eschewing marshmallow crispy treats in favor of healthier fair, such as oatmeal. The oatmeal is “finished with your choice of dried fruit, nut medley or brown sugar.” And it costs $2.45.
Why anyone would need Starbucks to furnish their oatmeal is beyond me, especially when oatmeal that’s equally perfect can be had for pennies. And before you go off saying you can’t read directions on the box or that your oatmeal always ends up too runny or cements itself into a gelatinous clump, I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can achieve perfect oatmeal by sticking to a 1: 2 ratio, oatmeal to water.

Ingredients for one giant serving:

3/4 cups old fashioned oatmeal - do not use quick cooking oatmeal as the finely ground oats are more like paste than food
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped dates
1 tablespoon raisins (You can substitute other dried fruits, just know that each will bring its own flavors to the mix.  Dried blueberries work great, especially if you go with syrup as your sweetener.)
Sweetener to taste  (I’m fond of maple syrup, about a tablespoon, but I could also go for a tablespoon of honey or 2 level teaspoons of light brown sugar.  Keep in mind that some fruits will give you enough sweetness on their own, so there won’t be any need to add sweetener.)
A couple pinches of salt  (You don’t want enough to make the oatmeal salty, just enough to liven the flavors of all the ingredients and get them playing together.)
1.5 cups hot water, if you’re at home

Here’s my routine:
1. I begin by browning the walnuts with butter in a pan over medium-high heat.  Toss the butter in, wait for it to melt, then toss in the walnuts and let them sit a moment.

*****
The heat excites the oils and the caramelization
gives the walnuts a deep, rich, slightly smoky flavor.
The walnuts can be browned in larger batches, and
then stored in the fridge.
*****

2. While the walnuts brown, I chop the dates.
3. When I have all my ingredients ready, I put the oatmeal, dates, raisins, walnuts, salt and syrup in a travel bowl and head off to work (with my own coffee). Once at work, I use the coffee machine’s hot water to top off my oatmeal, a little at a time. I don’t measure, I just eyeball it. If my oatmeal’s a little clumpy, I’ll add some more water. By the time I’m at my desk and the computer’s finished booting up, I have a hot, delicious bowl of oatmeal that’s truly perfect, and I didn’t have to choose between fruit, nuts or brown sugar.
4. If you’re doing this at home, boil water on the stove and stir it into the oatmeal. Wait 5 minutes and stir again.  If you need some more water, add a little more water. It really is that simple.
5. It’s oatmeal, people.  Making it at home provides with you more choices and better ingredients, and you can make it in about the same amount of time you’d spend in line at Starbucks yapping away on your cell phone. You don’t need some earth-toned, modern-day yuppie bar to give you good food. And you certainly don’t need them charging you $2.45 for it. Put down the phone, shut the laptop and grab a knife. You’ve got dried fruit to dice.