Strange and Wonderful (sweet potato oatmeal)

Over the past nine months, I have revealed much of my gastronomic soul here. You know that I love squash and quinoa and family dinners. But it's time to come clean about something of my foodie past. The roots of my culinary exploration, if you will. The original combination.

I'm talking about SpaghettiOs and cottage cheese.

This one dates back to Lindsey's highchair days. The Eriksen sisters love(d) it. If there were green beans on the plate, those usually were mixed in (to make them more palatable, perhaps). Later we expanded the cottage cheese pairing menu to include baked beans and potato chips and everything else. In a loving family unit, cottage cheese is the glue that binds.

I still love cottage cheese and, although I can't recall the last time I ate SpaghettiOs, I think I could go for a can right now. But I'm getting side-tracked, as food memories tend to do. It's been a long time since those days when Linds regularly fell asleep at the dinner table, and today my (more) mature(?) foodie palate comes up with and appreciates (more) mature(?) weirdo combinations. Here is one of my favorites lately: sweet potato oatmeal.

Other combinations worth mentioning: coffee from a mug covered in Shakespearean love lines, Oswald Chambers and Bon Iver, peanut butter and banana.

As with the SpaghettiOs/cottage cheese combo, don't knock it 'til you try it. Peel a small sweet potato, thinly slice and boil covered for 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain excess water (lazy method: remove lid and cook until the water evaporates) and mash potatoes with a fork. Mix in a bit of milk and/or butter, a spoonful of brown sugar (or honey or maple syrup) and plenty of cinnamon. Cook old fashioned oats using your preferred method, then combine with the sweetened potatoes.

This is a delicious breakfast and a great cheat if you gave up sweets for Lent.

On that segue, I've given up meat for the next 40 days. This does not include fish, but it does include my cuticles, which I have bitten in excess for 15 years. I don't eat meat as often as I chew on my fingers (which is why meat rarely shows up on this blog) but I do enjoy the buffalo chicken and prosciutto/pesto/mozzarella sandwiches at Rybread on occasion.

One of these sacrifices will no doubt be easier to uphold than the other, but thankfully I have a live-in accountability partner who's been known to covertly video tape absentminded cheek chewing. When I catch myself, I will say a prayer. And if I must, I will take to wearing my night guard 24 hours a day. That's what I call penitence. Regardless, I am sure to remain mindful this season. At least SpaghettiOs and cottage cheese are still fair game. Godspeed with your Lenten ambitions too.



With love.