While a slice of cold, leftover pie is a great cure for a post-holiday party morning, it’s not really the best way to start your day. Particularly if you are like so many of your fellow season’s eaters and want to watch your weight. Here’s a way to have pumpkin pie for breakfast and not feel guilty by lunch. Or January. Whichever comes first.
Simply stir a few tablespoonfuls of pumpkin butter and a dash of pumpkin pie spice (ginger, cinnamon and cloves) into oatmeal, made according to your usual method. I never recommend instant oatmeal, since it has the consistency of primary school paste. Incidentally, if you are familiar with neither instant oatmeal nor primary school paste, I suggest you avoid them both like the plague. As pumpkin butter is sweetened, you will probably not need to add any sugar, but topping the bowl off with a sprinkle or cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup is never a bad move. I should note that pumpkin butter is not the same as pumpkin puree. It is a cooked, sweetened, much creamier version of pumpkin puree. You can make it or buy it. It is a delicious product, excellent as a dip for pretzles and fruit or used as a spread for toast.
So there it is: pumpkin pie oatmeal. It is wintry, spicy and absolutely the perfect breakfast for cold weather.[Photo by Nicole Weston]










