Mrs. Seifferlein's Baked Oatmeal {Deliciousness}

A couple of months ago, my kind husband told me that Sunday brunch is his favorite meal of the week. Naturally, I took his compliment as a reason to full-on panic.

MUST. MAKE. EVERY. BRUNCH. BETTER. THAN. THE. WEEK. BEFORE.

Of course, what he actually meant was, "I love Sunday brunch because it's the one mid-day meal of the week where I'm not answering 42 phone calls and text messages and having to shovel food in to rush back to the dairy."

But in my people-pleasing panic, I kind of missed that part.

Sunday brunch challenge: accepted.

It took me a couple of weeks of making sweet rolls and frying bacon while giving the baby a bottle and appeasing the toddler with Goldfish before I finally said, "Ok, I give. We have two little kids. I can't make a gourmet brunch and get them fed before 2 in the afternoon."

And in his usual calm way, he said, "Ok."

He's good like that.

So now, instead of trying to make cheesy grits with scallions and spinach/mushroom/ricotta omelets, I'm aiming for two goals: (1) getting lunch on the table quickly so my children don't act like they're about to starve and (2) making it tasty so that it's special for my husband.

That usually works out to scrambled eggs in tortillas (with peppers and sausage and taco sauce and cheese for toppings) or coffee cake and fruit and granola parfaits or 11 pieces of Great Harvest bread delivered from Minnesota to Missouri thanks to my parents.

But this week, we hit the jackpot with my friend Erin's baked oatmeal.

Except she's not your friend. She's my friend. So she's still Mrs. Seifferlein to you.

This met criteria #1 -- I made it the night before and baked it while making the rest of brunch and getting the kids changed out of church clothes -- and #2 because Chris ate three servings.

#winning

Now that we can add another healthy and quick staple to our Sunday brunch, I'm looking for your help.  What are your go-to brunch meals? Bonus points if they make your taste buds happy and your kids don't have to stare longingly out the window wondering where their next meal is.

Baked Oatmeal

2 c. oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. raisins (I omitted these because I don’t like raisins. What did grapes ever do to you, people?!)
1 T. chopped walnuts (I also omit because if I wanted to eat tree bark, I'd go gnaw on my maple in the front yard.)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. applesauce
2 T. melted butter
1 egg, beaten 

(I added a splash of vanilla and some cinnamon as well.)

Preheat oven to 375. Combine ingredients. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray. Pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with milk -- because hello! -- and fruit.