Oven + Internet + Frigid Toilet Seat = Recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal

This past week has had their share of triumphs and failures. Let's start with the positive, shall we?

We now have Internet (yahoo!) thanks to Verizon HomeFusion, a service that taps into the 4G network instead of a satellite like other providers. It's a whole lot different from good ol' Time Warner or Fios -- no more unlimited data that we've taken for granted the past 15 years. Our plan includes 10 GB/month - at least that's what we're starting with. This means no Netflix, no Hulu, no YouTube, or any major downloading. But the service is fast and it is a darn relief not to have to go to Tim Hortons every time I need to do a little work.

The other good news is we now have our oven up and running thanks to a propane conversion kit. We are still using a BBQ-style tank to run it, but this girl is happy to be able to bake, bake, and bake some more (of course this leads to more dirty dishes which sit until we can take them to my Dad's house in an effort to avoid washing dishes in the freezing mudroom). The inaugural dish was Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal (recipe below), which was perfect for our recent cold and rainy weather).

Speaking of rainy weather...it needs to STOP. Ya hear me sky? No more dropping water pellets for at least another few weeks. Because that H2O has led to the big failure of last week. Where shall I start?

Septic tank hole dug. Check.

36 tons of gravel delivered for the bed of the hole. Check.

Septic tank delivered. Check.

Septic tank installed.

{PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE}

And why is there no photo? Because the installation guy drove about 10 feet onto our lawn to head around the house where the hole is and the truck nearly got stuck. He barely made it off the driveway. And unless our lawn magically dries up in the next week, it looks like our best option is to rent a bulldozer to tow him in and out, allowing him to drop the tank in the hole and us to move forward to my dream of a room temperature flushable toilet.

But let's go back to the positive stuff like working ovens! This Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal was so yummy that I had to share it. I based it off of Cooking Light's Baked Oatmeal, which is one of my all-time favorite cold weather breakfasts, and then jazzed it up with fall flavors.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/4-1/2 cup packed brown sugar (the original recipe calls for 1/2 but we usually use less)
1/2 cup (give or take) of dried fruit, nuts, seeds (we used raisins, pepitas, sunflower seeds and walnuts)
1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups milk (can use any kind from skim to whole)
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

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Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Melt butter in a different bowl using the microwave or over a pot of boiling water, whisk in the egg and stir in the milk and pumpkin. Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well. Pour oat mixture into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Eat in front of your cozy wood stove with no beverage in an effort to reduce the amount you sit on a freezing toilet seat.