February 2006
Dear Friends,

It’s the middle of winter and, even here in north Florida, we’ve had some very frosty mornings. My husband really enjoys oatmeal and other cooked whole-grain cereals. A few years ago, we discovered Irish Steel-Cut Oats. We love the nutty texture, but watching them closely as they simmered on the stove for 30 minutes wasn’t always possible. Oats are heart-healthy, but there are so many types. What’s the difference between groats, rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, quick oats, instant, steel-cut oats…?

This month I’m going to answer some of those questions, give you an easy way to cook steel-cut oats in the microwave, plus a quick and easy oat muffin recipe with cherries that makes a perfect, healthy Valentine snack. Then I’ll share a few more entries from my Grandma’s 1928 diary.

Next month I’ll take the muffin recipe a step further. Moms often ask me what lessons they should teach their children in the kitchen. It’s wonderful to cook with your children; use this time to teach them many other skills as well. Next month I’ll share some of the lessons you can teach from just this one recipe. First, let’s learn some things about oats.

Oats are a type of grain that grows well in moist, cool climates. South and North Dakota are the top oat growing states in the US. Only 5% of oats grown in the US go for human consumption; the rest is fed to animals, especially horses. It sounds like they eat more nutritiously than many people!

Each oat stalk contains many oat kernels. Each kernel is surrounded by a husk, or hull that is inedible. The husk is removed and we’re left with the whole oat kernel called a “groat.” Unlike wheat processing, the bran and the germ are not removed from the oats.

The oat groats are cut with steel blades yielding “steel-cut oats” sometimes called “Irish Oats.” They have a nuttier texture than rolled oats and take longer to cook. McCanns is one popular brand of Irish Oatmeal that can be found in health food stores and some grocery stores. You can also buy steel-cut oats inexpensively from bulk bins
in many whole food stores.

Old-Fashioned oats or rolled oats are groats that have been cut, steamed and then rolled to flatten them into the more familiar flakes. They still contain all the whole grain goodness of steel-cut oats; they are just flattened into flakes to shorten the time we need to cook them at home.

Quick oats are also whole grain and made just like the old-fashioned oats, but the groats have been cut into smaller pieces and rolled a little thinner so they cook faster.

Instant oats are rolled even finer than quick oats and may have flavoring, sweeteners and other ingredients added.

According to Quaker Oats, you can use either quick or old-fashioned oats in most baking recipes. If you want a more noticeable, whole grain, chewy texture in your baked goods, use old-fashioned oats. For a finer texture with the oats less noticeable, use quick oats. However, they do not recommend using instant oats in baking because they contain other ingredients. All forms of Quaker oats are whole grains containing the bran, endosperm and germ.

Oats are complex carbohydrates and also contain protein, fiber, B vitamins, Vitamin E and minerals. One cup of plain cooked oatmeal contains 4 grams of dietary fiber, 6 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrates, and 145 calories. The fiber is equally divided between soluble and insoluble fiber (more about that next month). Always add more fiber to your diet gradually to avoid intestinal discomfort.

I must confess that I never cared much for hot oatmeal; I think that was due to the rather gummy texture of rolled oats. But that changed when I discovered steel-cut oats a couple of years ago. They cook into a more dense, nutty texture that both my husband and I enjoy. Currently at about 89 cents/pound, they provide a nutritious, inexpensive breakfast.

To cook steel-cut oats, bring 3 Cups of water to a boil in a microwave-safe pan. Stir in 1 Cup of oats. Carefully transfer the pan to the microwave. Cook for 30 minutes, uncovered, at 30% power. Serve with milk, honey, cinnamon, maple syrup, fruit, or whatever you like to stir in. You can also simmer the oats on the stovetop, but you will need to stir occasionally and be sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Microwave cooking eliminates the need for constant tending.

Adding oatmeal to baked goods really helps boost the nutritional value. For my Valentine treat, I took an old recipe I had for oat muffins and substituted maraschino cherries for the raisins called for in the original recipe. What a hit these muffins are at our house! You can either chop the cherries and add them to the batter, or hide one whole cherry in the middle of each muffin. That’s a surprise the children will especially enjoy! Seems like children always go for the cherries first in fruit cocktail! Well, now they can enjoy them in these oat muffins. You can double this recipe. I made one batch with molasses and a second batch with honey instead – both delicious!

Laurie’s Cherry Oat Muffins
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Cup rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt, optional
6 oz. jar maraschino cherries, well drained
1 egg
¾ Cup milk
3 Tablespoons canola oil
¼ Cup molasses or honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a regular size muffin tin with Baker’s Joy, or line muffin tin with paper liners.

Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, and oil well. Add molasses or honey and stir well. If you want the cherries throughout the batter, chop them and stir into the flour mixture (the flour coats them and helps to keep them from clumping together).

Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until well mixed. Spoon batter into muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full.

If you want a whole cherry surprise inside each muffin, fill each muffin cup half full of batter. Set one whole cherry in the center and cover with a little more batter.

Bake 15 – 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: About 8 muffins.

Tip: Measure the oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to measure the molasses or honey. The oil will keep the sticky ingredient from sticking to the measuring spoon and make clean-up much easier!

NEXT MONTH: What is the difference between baking powder and baking soda? How do I test to see if it’s fresh? Why is there only such a small amount of baking soda in this recipe? What is leaven and what does the Bible have to say about it? What are the differences between quick breads and yeast breads? Where does molasses come from? Does it matter if I preheat the oven or not? Can I beat the batter with the mixer instead? Can I just dump all the ingredients in the same bowl at once? Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose? What is gluten? Can I add nuts, raisins? What is the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber? Why are these important to my health?

If you have any other questions about this recipe, please e-mail me and I’ll do my best to answer them as we go into the kitchen for a little food science and much more! Save these lessons to use to teach your FCH group, or your own children. You may print them for the personal use of your own family or FCH group.

Now let me share another excerpt from my Grandma’s 1928 diary:

Wednesday, February 1, 1928: “Virginia and I went to the city. Visited the Mirror Shop, Fire Sale, Library, Supply House, Dime Store, Drug Store and Franks. Never had a more pleasant shopping trip. Found liquid soap containers to cost $3.50; too much for my purse! Got 75 cents worth of glycerin and rose water. Put holes in a cork in a small catsup bottle, hence a wonderful hand lotion: one third glycerin and two thirds rose water.”

Thursday, February 2, 1928: “Fair and warmer. Don’t believe it froze all day. Went to the city and got some valentines, paid the gas bill, and bought mending cotton. Paul (her husband) had to clean out the stovepipe for the first time this winter. He smoked up the whole house and got soot all over upstairs and down. Such a mess to clean up!”

Monday, February 6, 1928: “Fair and cold. Washed and dried a few things outside for the first time in I don’t know when. Two of Paul’s wool socks got left in his underwear in the boiler. The results were awful!” (Cotton clothes were often boiled in a large “boiler” on top of the stove or in a gas-fired boiler outside.)

Thursday, February 16, 1928: “Finished the ironing then Mrs. Stapleton came over with her pillowcases and pajamas and we made them before dinner. I finally got the kids’ underwear mended. I do hope now they will hold out until warm enough to change into thinner ones.”

Monday, February 20, 1928: “Washed, but didn’t have a very big one so washed Paul’s jacket, two rugs, and Kermit’s (her son) bedspread. Went out to Virginia’s to arrange a birthday dinner for Wednesday but she called to tell us she felt her family couldn’t get their dinner without her there to do it for them. That’s a scream! I wonder if her girls will ever be able to stand alone?” (Apparently girls weren’t always well trained in home ec. in 1928 either!)

Until next time ~

 

Copyright, 2006, Laurie Latour.  www.FutureChristianHomemakers.com

You may make one printed copy for your own personal, private use.  FCH leaders may make one printed copy for each person in their group.  Copyright line above must be included in all copies.  Permission for any other use must be requested in writing. 
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