Perfect for breakfast (or lunch or dinner 😉 ), this Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal is full of pumpkin and spices, and is sweetened with pure maple syrup.

*thump* *thump* *WHUMP* *thump*

Happy Thursday!  *thump*  Don’t pay any attention to the noises.  The resident squirrels are just throwing hickory nuts at our roof again.  (They do this every morning between 7:30 and 9 when the nuts are in season).  *hickory nut bounces off deck just outside Katherine’s window*  Sometimes the noise can be a little startling, but I’m getting used to it. *thump*

Jump to Recipe!

“Ok, seriously?!  Cut it out!”

Speaking of animals…  Yesterday I had a pile of yard work that needed to be done, so I spent a few hours outside burning and hauling brush.  It was somewhat tiring, but my hard work was rewarded when I found a beautiful Banana Spider hanging out between two of our azalea bushes.  I had never found a Banana Spider before, but had read about them and wanted to see one.  The span of its legs from tip to tip was the size of my palm (about 4 inches).  That’s a decently large spider!  I may share my pictures and some facts about Banana Spiders on my Photo of the Week post next Sunday.  If you hate spiders, don’t come read my blog that day.  (See?  I gave an advance warning for people who dislike spiders.  I’m a pretty great person.)

Here’s one more random fact about spiders and then we’ll move on to the Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal:  Did you know that the largest spider in the world is called the Goliath birdeater and can reach up to 12 inches in size (includes leg span)?  Now THAT is a big spider.  It doesn’t actually eat birds (well, rarely anyway), but has been known to eat frogs, lizards, and even snakes.  Crazy.

I do apologize if you hate spiders; I got a little carried away.  They are so creepily fascinating.  (This is why I have a “Jump to Recipe” button in my blog posts, folks.)  😀

Anyway…let’s move on.

One of the kitchen experiments I’ve been wanting to try for awhile is a pumpkin pie version of baked oatmeal.  I made a couple of attempts over the past month, and last Saturday I think I nailed it.

This recipe contains almost 2 cups of pumpkin, and I used maple syrup as the sweetener.  Instead of milk, I decided to try buttermilk in my baked oatmeal, which added a whole new level of delicious flavor.

This recipe makes a 13×9 pan of oatmeal, so it’s enough to feed the whole family or (if it’s just one or two of you) have some leftovers!

~K in the Kitchen