I’ve always thought of oatmeal as barely edible. The sort of thing you eat when you can’t afford anything better. But I have recently started eating it much more often. Why? For Health? For Frugality? No. Because I’ve discovered that you can substitute milk for the water in the recipe, and voila – a wonderful hot breakfast! Adding fresh fruit (nectarines, today, frozen blueberries, if we don’t have anything else) ramps up the taste factor even more. Now I love oatmeal. Not so good as toasted bagels with cream cheese, perhaps, but significantly better than slightly stale honey nut cheerios. (not that we ever have any of those…*ahem*)
I suppose, if you want to quibble, that using milk rather than water ramps up the calories and decreases the heart-healthy benefits significantly, but I said I wasn’t doing it for health, didn’t I?
How you define healthy all depends on who you read. All that fat is bad for you business has been discredited, but the medical/science establishment hasn’t made a big too-do about backtracking. Milk instead of water is MORE healthy: more protein, healthy fat, more nutrition.
So there. Now you can do it for health too — the only thing is that milk is more expensive than water, so you can’t do it for frugality. 
There you go.
Yes, milk being more expensive than water bothers me much more than it having extra calories, honestly. 
But like I said, don’t do it for frugality. 
You can go half and half with milk and water. You’ll still get a nice creamy taste and will be at least half the price… It’s definitely better with milk! Try adding roasted salted almonds, roughly chopped. Yum!
Yay for Mystie’s comment!
http://www.pinkpeppers.com/2009/11/06/got-milk/
It makes a perfect protein – the grain and the milk.
Here's our old favorite from Karen L…we are having it for brunch todayBaked Oatmeal1c oil, 2 c sugar (white or brown), 4 eggs, 5c reg oats, 2 tea salt, 4 tea baking powder, 2 tea cinnamon, 2 c milk. Mix it all together and bake it in a 9×13 at 40 min. It comes out crunchy on top, soft underneath..and yummy. This recipe handles adjustments really well. I have added 2 more eggs for a more custardy texture, used 1/2 oil and applesauce, decreased the sugar, added fruit-cherries, peaches, apples, blueberries, served it with yogurt on top, baked it in a larger pan for a crunchier texture.
I think oatmeal is a great comfort food. With cream and brown sugar. (I didn't say I was doing it for my health either, right?)
I discovered the same thing when I started to cook oatmeal for Owen. I only knew oatmeal with milk and since I used to hate hot milk when I was a kid, I was not interested. Owen eats it with water and apple sauce. I should try different fruit now.
I love oatmeal! But Mercy, I'm afraid, doesn't share my feelings. Unless, of course, it comes in the form of homemade granola…
Oatmeal is great anytime!
Homemade granola is wonderful.. my mother in law makes it with peanut-butter.. mmmmmmm.