I boiled it.

I was reading my favorite food blog, and she recently posted about oatmeal pancakes. Shauna was totally exuberant because she found gluten-free oats, which means she can eat oatmeal again. Honestly, I was a little grossed out by her desire to eat oatmeal.

I've never liked oatmeal. For me, that's a pretty extreme statement. I was never the picky eater. I've always eaten absolutely anything. But I always hated oatmeal. Part of it, probably, is the connection to one of my worst middle school memories.

It was October of my 7th grade year, and one morning I got up and my mom wasn't there because she was at the hospital delivering my youngest sister. My older sister made us breakfast, and she made hot oatmeal. I'm not sure why I ate it, but I distinctly remember eating at least some of it. Then I went to school.

I started not feeling well in 1st period, and then in 2nd period I threw up in class. The teacher was brand new that year, and he was just horrified, and had no idea what to do with me. So someone took me to the nurse, but no one was home (hospital - new baby) and so I had to stay at school.

Now, many, many years later, I realize that event, and the subsequent teasing, probably had absolutely nothing to do with the oatmeal. I was probably sick anyway. But I've never tried oatmeal again.

Until I read the Gluten-Free Girl's post about oatmeal pancakes.

I love pancakes! I make pancakes almost every Sunday - for lunch or dinner, never for breakfast. Pancakes are a special treat, and I get frozen fruit to put on top, or I have special exotic jams from the farmer's market. Once I even made my own strawberry syrup. And so, I decided to try the oatmeal pancakes.

They were fabulous! A little heavier, more filling than regular pancakes, good texture, good absorption of the frozen berry juices. Yum.

But in the process of making oatmeal pancakes, I had a little extra cooked oatmeal. So I ate it. Waste not, want not. A penny saved, and all of that. I just can't throw food away. Plus, I have grown to like sweet potatoes, which I also hated as a kid.

Oatmeal is gross.