Alice Mae’s Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Recipe

A hearty filling oatmeal recipe made with sugar, cinnamon, and evaporated milk. Making it the perfect breakfast for cold winter mornings. This oatmeal is sweet, creamy, and hearty. Made with sugar, cinnamon, butter, and evaporated milk. It’s the perfect breakfast for cold winter mornings, filling you and warming you up from head to toe.

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I can’t explain how much I love HOT CEREAL, aka PORRIDGE!!! My Nana would always cook Oatmeal for my cousins and I on weekday mornings before school. It’s a classic American breakfast that my Nana perfected and put a nice soulful spin on.

What to love about this oatmeal recipe:

• A comfort food: It’s hearty and filling. It will fill you up and keep you full for a long because of its fiber content, and it’s hot, making it great for cold winter mornings. It also has a lot of health benefits.
• Easy to make: It’s easy to make, which is a bonus. It’s not a complicated dish at all. Just boil it with some milk and butter until tender, add in your spices, and you’re all done.
• A quick meal: It takes less than 20 minutes to make oatmeal, so it’s a perfect healthy breakfast that will take no time to cook on those mornings when you’re in a rush to work. 

Childhood memories of Nana’s oatmeal

Ok, so this is my Nana’s famous Oatmeal recipe that I’m sharing with you guys, and no words can explain how good this recipe is. My nana’s, Alice Mae Gibbs, recently crossed over to be with the Lord this past March.

Those of you who subscribe to my blog know that my three nanas are all responsible for the cook I am today. When I was about 5, my Nana Alice would cook oatmeal for me, my sister, and my cousins before we left for school.

She’d always cook Oatmeal or Cream Of Wheat for breakfast during cold winter months. And she would make it while we were upstairs getting dressed and preparing for school! Now I loved it and looked forward to eating it…

but my cousins, on the other hand, weren’t too fond of it because they thought it looked like T****-UP!! That was fine by me, tho, because I had no problem eating theirs for them.

Those extra bowls of porridge would always leave me stuffed. Lol! Our school was just a few blocks away, so I’d just walk it off. What made her Oatmeal so good and different from others I’ve tasted was the ingredients she used.

She would use lots of BUTTA… that’s right, BUTTA! Lmbo! That’s how we pronounced it in the hood! She’d also use brown sugar [I prefer white] and Carnation evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is what takes the recipe to another level.

She used Cinnamon, of course, and always added a pinch of salt, believe it or not. She always thought outside the box when it came to cooking, and it’s that thinking outside the box that made her food so good.

Cookware & utensils you’ll need:

• Saucepan: You obviously need a saucepan to cook the oatmeal in. You probably want to go for a medium size one like a 2 quart size because this is a nice amount of oatmeal we’re cooking here.
• Big Spoon: A big spoon is a must! Lol! You have to have one on deck to stir the oatmeal as it cooks and to serve the oatmeal.
• Measuring Cups: If you want to follow this recipe to a T because you’re new to cooking or just want to try my exact recipe, you’re going to need measuring cups to ensure you’re using the right amount of oatmeal, sugar, butter, water, and milk.
• Measuring Spoons: Same with the measuring spoons, you’re going to need these to ensure you’re using the exact amounts of spices. You should always have these in your kitchen for when you want to try, test, or create recipes.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Old-fashioned oatmeal
• Evaporated milk
• Butter
• Salt
• Sugar
• Cinnamon

Old-fashioned vs instant Oatmeal

Now, let me address some things about the Oatmeal itself. My nana used the old-fashioned Quaker Oatmeal that comes in a tall circular box. You can find it in the cereal aisle of your local supermarket. It looks like this….

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When she cooked oatmeal, she would let it simmer for a while because old-fashioned oatmeal takes a while to soften. And the reason I like old-fashioned Oatmeal better than instant Oatmeal is because of the texture.

Old-fashioned Oatmeal has a “bite” to it and isn’t soft and mushy like the instant kind. And I like my Oatmeal with a thick consistency but not cooked to the point where the oats lose their texture.

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The butter

• Butter: Butter adds flavor as well… it just won’t taste the same without it. All the ingredients together are what makes this recipe so good. They’re all so important because, without 1, the recipe isn’t nearly as good.
• Use a good brand: Since we’re only using a few ingredients it’s important we make each ingredient count. Using the wrong kind of butter can completely ruin the dish, so use a good brand like Land of Lakes, which is the standard.
• Country crock a good alternative: My nana always used country crock that came in the greyish brown tub. Now, it’s not butter; it’s a spread made of plant oils and looks like butter, but it tastes good with oatmeal. Don’t knock it til you try it.

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The evaporated milk

I also have a Cream of wheat recipe that was inspired by my nana Alice, which I tweaked and modified. In that post, I spoke about EVAPORATED MILK and how it takes Cream Of Wheat to another level.

I will not, I repeat, “WILL NOT” cook Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat without Evaporated Milk – I just love the flavor it gives hot cereal. It is such a major difference-maker that it’s impossible to explain.

There’s something about that special creamy, rich flavor that makes evaporated milk so delicious, and it’s all my taste buds will accept at this point. Lol! So I have to have it with my oatmeal.

• Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk is pretty much milk… it’s just been heated for a long period of time so that 60% of its water content evaporates; that’s why it’s called evaporated milk. With the water removed, it makes for richer milk.
• Carnation brand: The kind of evaporated milk I use is the Carnation brand. I recommend you do the same for best results and to make the Oatmeal nice and rich. Some brands of evaporated milk aren’t potent at all and taste like regular milk.
• Whole milk a good alternative: Whole milk is probably the best alternative for evaporated milk, although there’s nothing that can replace the taste and flavor of evaporated milk. But I have used whole milk before and the oatmeal still came out pretty good.

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The salt and spices

• Salt: The salt is important because it enhances the flavor. All you need is a little though.
• Sugar: Now, my nana likes to use brown sugar, which is definitely an option if you don’t have any white sugar on hand. The brown sugar will add a little more of a molasses flavor and definitely darken the oatmeal. I prefer white sugar.
• Cinnamon: The cinnamon gives the oatmeal a good aroma and an amazing flavor and adds COLOR!! Cinnamon goes with oatmeal, like peanut butter goes with jelly. You simply can’t make oatmeal without adding cinnamon to it.

Nana hated bland looking oatmeal

More on the cinnamon: Now, one thing my nana didn’t like and would not tolerate was grey, bland looking oatmeal. LMBBO! She’d turn over in her grave if I ever made a pot of light grayish-looking Oatmeal.

Everything she made had color to it, and she believed color equaled flavor, and she’s KINDA, right. You can sort of tell if a pot of oatmeal is good by the color of it. Lol!

Your Oatmeal should be filled with brown pecs of cinnamon and puddles of yellow buttery milk spread throughout. If that’s how your oatmeal looks, you know it’s good!

Add-ins & variations:

Ok, so you’re in the mood for something different because you’ve already made my recipe a thousand times, and it’s so good. Well, here are some add-in options, things you can add to the oatmeal to spice it up.

• Bananas: I combine bananas and oatmeal to make my smoothies, so I know this combo will work. But it’s a no-go for me because I’ve had it like this so many times that my taste buds are tired of it. Lol!
• Strawberries: You can grind and blend strawberries with milk or water and then add them to the oatmeal while it’s cooking. I know it’s good because I used to always eat instant strawberry oatmeal that came in packets of different flavors.
• Blueberries: I would say these 3 are the most common fruits added to oatmeal, but raisins and apples & cinnamon are a popular add-in as well. Just do you, and don’t be afraid to try what your taste buds desire.

Serving suggestions:

• Bacon: I prefer pork bacon because it’s super crispy, fatty, and salty, along with this sweet, buttery hot cereal. Man, you can call that a match made in heaven. Besides, bacon tastes good with errrrythang!
• Maple pork sausage: The amazing flavor from all the spices in a savory pork sausage will go great with a sweet, hearty porridge like this oatmeal dish here. That savory sweet combo never fails!
• Hot sausage: Talking about savory/sweet and salty/sweet combos… nothing tops a sweet&spicy combo. That’s what you’ll get with a nice fried hot sausage and a bowl of sweet buttery oatmeal.
• Scrambled eggs: You can never go wrong with eggs, especially some nice, juicy, well-seasoned scrambled eggs served on the side.
• Omelet: You can even spice it up and serve it with a nice omelet with some onions, peppers, and your favorite meat and cheese. Omelets with the meat are savory, so it’s a nice combo.
• Milk: Now, if you just want it with something light on the side, get yourself a cold cup of milk! That’s all you need, something to flush it down with. A bowl of sweet buttery oatmeal will go great with a nice cold cup of milk on the side. 

Storage and reheating

• How to store oatmeal? Just seal it in a glass Tupperware bowl and place it in the refrigerator.
• How to reheat oatmeal? Unlike cream of wheat or grits, reheating oatmeal is very simple… just microwave it or place it back on the stove over low heat and add a little milk to loosen it up if needed.

It’s not like cream of wheat or grits, where you have to worry about lumps forming when you add milk to it. Just heat it up, and it’ll taste just fine, if not better because you’ve allowed it to sit and all the ingredients marry.

Frequently asked questions

• How long does it last? Oatmeal can remain fresh and good for about four days. 
• How to double the recipe? I would follow the same steps but double the ingredients and stick with the cooking time. However, because you’ll be using more water, it will take longer to come to a boil. You can also just make two separate pots and combine them! Lol! 

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Ok, PBJ’s… I’m not gonna talk your heads off any further. I just want to make sure you know everything you need to know to perfect this dish. Give it a shot… it’s “OFF THE CHAIN,” it’s “THE BIZ-ZA-DEE, BOMB-BOMB,” it’s the “TRUTH”!

Trust me, you’re not gonna find too many Oatmeal recipes as good as this one here! So go ahead and try my nana Alice Mae’s Easy Old-Fashioned Oatmeal and leave a comment below letting us know how you like it.

Also, subscribe to receive notifications via email everytime I post a new delicious recipe and follow me on social media: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to stay updated on everything Philly Jay Cooking!

Enjoy, later!
PBJ~

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Alice Mae’s Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 7 reviews

• Author: PhillyboyJay
• Prep Time: 5 Mins
• Cook Time: 20 Mins
• Total Time: 25 Mins
• Yield: 3
• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: American

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Description

A hearty filling oatmeal recipe made with sugar, cinnamon, and evaporated milk. Making it the perfect breakfast for cold winter mornings.

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Ingredients

• 2 Cups Quaker’s Old-Fashioned Oatmeal
• 3–1/2 Cups Water
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp Salt

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Instructions

1. Fill a pot with cool water, place over high heat, then sprinkle in the salt.
2. After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and stir the Oatmeal in for 1 minute.
3. Let the Oatmeal cook for 10 minutes, and stir periodically.
4. Add in the milk, butter, and spices, then cook for 5 more minutes and stir periodically.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 3