Nana,

Remember when you would make oatmeal for me? Oh, you made it the best. It was always thick, creamy, salty and sweet. It always went in the little yellow bowl with a pat of butter on top. You shook sugar onto the mound of cereal and then poured whole milk on it. I used the little spoon, smaller than a teaspoon, to scoop it to my mouth and taste the richness of it.

I tried for years to copy your recipe and methods, to no avail. There were many failed attempts using varying amounts of salt, water, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, rolled oats, quick oats . . . nothing worked. Sure, my oatmeal was satisfying enough. It just wasn't your oatmeal.

And then I found it. Steel-cut oats. Of course! That was it! You used steel-cut oats! I have no idea how I came to buy these oats. I was just in the bulk section of the Fauntleroy Thriftway, looking for something else, when I saw steel-cut oats and recalled that I hadn't ever tried them.

Epiphany! I have found the oatmeal grail!

Nana, there is so much I wish I could tell you, so much about my life, new inventions, your great-grand-children; but for now, I just want to say I figured out the oatmeal.

Now I wish I could find the little yellow bowl.

Love,

Elsa.