A home coffee bar and make ahead Breakfast can save the day! If you’ve got holiday relatives or friends visiting, you’ll need to plan ahead for the crowd at breakfast. Of coarse you’ll provide coffee, tea, milk, water and juice, but to make it really simple, you’ll need a coffee bar! A dedicated spot where your guests can find everything they need for breakfast. Don’t have one? Just set it up on the kitchen table, a large kitchen island, or dining room, or on a small table and cover with a tablecloth. Or, use your serving buffet and make sure your guests can awake anytime they’d like and have what they need hot, chilled or ready to go. A simple make ahead breakfast in a chaffing dish warmed with portable flames is simple to arrange. The store Smart & Final has some inexpensive supplies you can use to set it up. Either way, you’ll find a breakfast buffet with deliciously seasoned oatmeal and fresh fruit will do the trick! Toasting some split English muffins, all at once, under the oven broiler, and providing a kitchen towel lined basket for them and a small variety of jams, is an easy way to expand a simple breakfast buffet to entice your guests.
- 7 C Water
- 1 t Kosher sea salt
- 4 C Old-fashioned oats
- 1 C Raisins
- ½ C Walnuts, coarsely chopped, optional
- 1 t Vanilla extract
- ½ t Freshly ground Nutmeg
- ½ C Dark brown sugar, plus more, to taste
- 2 C Lowfat milk, divided
- 1 t + ½ t ground cinnamon, to garnish
- Garnish with fresh fruit, if desired
- In a Large saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
- Stir in the salt, oats and raisins, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, place nuts, if using, in a dry skillet over a medium-high flame, and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Set aside.
- When the oats are cooked remove pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla, nutmeg and brown sugar.
- Place the oatmeal in serving bowls or keep warm in a chafing dish.
- Pour ¼ cup of milk on top of each bowl, and top with toasted (or untoasted) nuts and a light sprinkle of cinnamon.
Of coarse, if you’d like to save yourself some time during the regular work week, this is great to make in one big batch of eight cups and divide up into plastic containers to defrost during the week as needed.
