It has been the strangest few days around here. Friday’s storm showed up with almost no warning and it was so severe that we had huge trees down and lost power for over 14 hours. And we were the lucky ones! Our next-door neighbor’s truck was totaled when a huge tree fell on it and some of our friends – quite a few, actually – still don’t have power and it’s three days later. I’m so grateful that we didn’t have any major damage! I was knee-deep in recipe development this weekend and there’s just no way I could have finished without a working kitchen, so I was especially lucky. Creating and testing recipes in a hotel kitchen doesn’t sound very appealing.

Speaking of recipe development, today I’m finally unveiling a recipe I created for Driscoll’s berries. I wanted to create something for them that was healthy and quick, could be served to adults but would be fun and appealing for kids, too. I think this recipe covers all of those things plus it’s delicious! I pureed some fresh strawberries and baked it right into the oatmeal then topped it with even more berries. It’s sooo good and I know you’ll love it!

I love to serve this whenever I have company since it’s so easy to make and everyone can just serve themselves. I make it often on the weekends for just us, too, and although we usually have leftovers, they reheat so nicely that it’s never a problem. And the girls are always requesting specific shapes, like this one:

That’s right…this oatmeal is thick enough for cutouts! It’s best to let it cool for 5-10 minutes so it thickens up a bit (and cools down so you don’t burn your fingers). I’ve made all sorts of shapes for my girls. There’s the smiley face, above, and there are the numbers that show their age…

…and there are the letters to spell their names:

But sometimes I’m feeling lazy and just want to make one, big face:

Isn’t it fun?!! To get the recipe, head on over to Driscoll’s and check out my feature while you’re at it! And please send some positive thoughts to those who are still suffering through this terrible heat without power. Thanks!!