Steel Cut Oatmeal, Coffee, and Camping

I am very happy to be working with and compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertisers on this post featuring International Delight Simply Pure Coffee Creamer to bring you Steel Cut Oatmeal and a Cup of Joe. All opinions are mine alone. #IDSimplyPure #CollectiveBias

A warm bowl of Steel Cut Oatmeal and a hot Cup of Joe in the great outdoors as the sun peeked up over the horizon – That’s all it took to make me a lifer. A camping lifer. But that wasn’t the case a decade ago. My sister and brother-in-law have been camping enthusiasts for a long time. They would pile the kids into the SUV, hook up the pop-up camper, and head up to any number of beautiful Arizona camping locations. They’d even take my kids with them. They all loved it! But I had ZERO interest. Back then, my idea of a great weekend was a 5 star hotel, a day trip to the spa, and sleeping in a plush pillow top bed with 1500 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets surrounded by a poofy down comforter. (That actually sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?)

Then one weekend my sister begged, pleaded, and cajoled me into going forced me to go. She guilted me into it. Her husband had a work conflict and couldn’t go, and I was the only alternative. I fought it. I fought it so much, in fact, that we compromised. She caved in and agreed to go for only one night. I caved in and agreed to go for one long night. But something magical happened in that 24 hours my sister and I took the kids camping.

We pulled into a wonderful Arizona campground, got everything set up, enjoyed an evening of grilled hot dogs, chips, and cold beer while sitting around the campfire exchanging all kinds of stories with our kids. I had to admit… the whole camping thing was growing on me. When dawn broke, I tiptoed out of the popup, started an early morning fire, made myself a steamy, creamy bowl of steel cut oatmeal and a strong, hot cup of coffee, sat in the not-exactly-comfortable fold out camping chair while the coffee warmed my hands and the steel cut oatmeal warmed my soul, and watched the sun pop up over the edge of the mountains. It was stunning. It was an experience I had never had before. And it was one I hope to duplicate many times over during my time on this planet. I was hooked.

Back then, however, our food left a lot to be desired (hot dogs, stale chips, black coffee that tasted like sludge… you get the point). Fast forward several years – perfecting camping food has been one of my passions and my hobbies. It’s tricky business, though. Space, storage, refrigeration, and weight all play a role in coming up with the perfect camping food and drinks. And if I can make sure to incorporate some of the tastes and comforts we’re all accustomed to from home, even better.

So how lucky was I to find International Delight Simply Pure Coffee Creamers?? It’s something we love having in our everyday lives at home – the simple ingredients (which include real milk, cream, and sugar) transform any regular old cup of coffee it into a delightful experience. It comes in Vanilla, Caramel, and Hazelnut (check out this link to see them), and only requires a splash or two to turn our plain coffee into a special treat… every single day!

It’s also perfect to take camping – we just toss the convenient container into the ice chest, pull it out when we want to turn our cup of sludge into a beverage that tastes like you’re on vacation, snap the lid back on, and back into the ice chest it goes. (I grab it when I’m at Walmart picking up all my other camping stuff). But here’s the best part – Simply Pure Coffee Creamer does “double duty.” (Double duty is critical to camping staples – the fewer things to bring, the easier the trip.) Not only do we use it for our early morning coffee, it is also a key ingredient in my vastly improved Steel Cut Oatmeal. Adding Vanilla Simply Pure Creamer creates a rich, creamy, slightly sweet oatmeal with just a hint of vanilla. Top it off with dried cranberries and some slivered almonds and now we’re talking! No more packaged oatmeal. No more bitter coffee. And while I’m partial to vanilla, I’m sure the caramel and hazelnut are also delicious. But taste for yourself – there will be in-store demos March 3-6. Here’s the link to find a store offering a demo near you.

Can’t you just feel it…? The soft breeze carried through the trees, the fresh scent of the great outdoors, a warm bowl of creamy, hearty steel cut oatmeal in one hand, and a rich, vanilla-y cup of your morning caffeine fix in the other? That’s what I’m talking about. Give it a shot – you may learn that you actually love it like I did!

P.S. The International Delight Simply Pure Coffee creamer is really easy to find in the refrigerated section at Walmart. It looks like this!

Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Spicy Apron possible. I only work with brands that I use and believe in!

 

[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Steel Cut Oatmeal, Coffee, and Camping – Steel Cut Oatmeal with dried cranberries, and a rich and creamy cup of Joe is the perfect way to start a morning when you're camping in the great outdoors! (Well… it's really a perfect way to start any morning!) – Steel Cut Oats, Water, Simply Pure Creamer (Divided (1 Cup and 1/4 Cup)), Olive Oil or Butter, salt, Dried Cranberries (For Topping), Slivered Almonds (For Topping ), , Bring water and 1 cup of the Simply Pure Creamer to a boil in a medium pot. Add oats, olive oil (or butter), and salt. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom. Remove from heat when when most of the liquid has been absorbed and the oatmeal is quite thick. Serve in bowls and drizzle remaining creamer over the top of each serving. Top with dried cranberries and slivered almonds. ; ; – – Breakfast – American – Camping – Camping – Easy – breakfast – camping – camping food – coffee – coffee creamer – oatmeal – steel cut oatmeal[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]