Strawberry Pretzel Overnight Oatmeal

:D

Yes! Pretzels!

Strawberry pretzel bars are a bake sale, potluck, and picnic favorite. They are a lovely blend of sweet and salty. They begin with a bottom "crust" of crushed pretzels. Above that is a thick layer of cream cheese. Finally, the top layer is jello-fied strawberries.

Blackberry Lime Cheesecake Oatmeal

There are two aspects of this recipe that I'm proud of:

1) It includes blackberries. The last time I had blackberries, I thought I didn't actually like them that much.
2) It includes nondairy cream cheese. The last time I had nondairy cream cheese, I thought I didn't actually like it that much. ;)

As it turns out, blackberries are delicious. Before, I found them annoyingly seedy. I didn't have that problem at all this time! There were only a couple seeds, and they were smaller and less obtrusive. As for the nondairy cream cheese, I thought it tasted almost exactly like dairy cream cheese--which simply tells you how long it's been since I've had dairy haha.

Berry Cream Cheese Baked Oatmeal

My roommate Allison pulled a tub of strawberries out of the fridge. It was the robin's-egg-blue-colored, recyclable cardboard crate that they give out at farmer's markets.

"Will you make me strawberry cheesecake oatmeal in the morning?" she asked. "My mom bought me these strawberries and I need to use them up."

I hesitated. My mind recalled all my failed attempts at that very recipe from earlier this year. Maybe it just needs a little lemon juice. Less lemon juice. Maybe some apple cider vinegar will help. More cream cheese. More yogurt. Less yogurt. I eventually came to the conclusion it was an impossible feat, yet she was requesting me to attempt it once more. This time, however, I wouldn't have to jump the hurdle of making everything nondairy, and that could be cure. Sorry, but Tofutti sucks.

I knew from the moment I set the ramekin in the oatmeal that I had failed to replicate an actual cheesecake, but I remained hopeful that I was providing a suitable alternative. I presented the baked creation to Allison, who was sitting eagerly on the couch in her pajamas. "Berry Cream Cheese Baked Oatmeal," I titled it.

"Ohhhhhhhh my GOD!" Allison exclaimed after her first bite. I don't know if I'll ever have success at making a cheesecake oatmeal, but for the time being, I know I can make a hell of a cream cheese baked oatmeal. :)

Cream Cheese Oatmeal with Dried Fruit

This past weekend, I found myself in the unfortunate situation of being out of fresh fruit. I imagine this is a pretty common problem for some people, so I try to make sure I have a wide variety of oatmeal recipes that can appease the most vacant of pantries!

My mom recently sent me a box full of "fancy" dried fruits. By "fancy," I mean that they are not raisins and bananas. They are the pricier stuff that I can never afford:  pineapple, cherries, and blueberries.

Using what I had, I threw together this recipe. I thought it sounded unimpressive in my head, but I was shocked at how tasty it was! I had to share it.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

I finally did it! I gave carrot cake oatmeal a second chance.

I tried it once. Long, long ago. I believe it was one of the very first recipes I tried as I was learning to make my own oatmeal (as opposed to the Quaker instant packets). It didn't sit right with me. I'm not sure if I made it incorrectly, or if I was still just learning to like the texture of this new stovetop porridge.