Help! I need to use up a TON of oatmeal!

[Barb3000]

If you turned them into granola wouldn't they last longer? just a thought.

[Ohjustlovely]

Perhaps contact a local soup kitchen or organization that hands out food to low income persons?

Also. How about making cookie mixes in jars as holiday presents?

I have been curious to find out alternatives to soy milk (since I don't drink milk). Have you tried oat milk?

(Recipes are on the internet for both cookie mix and oat milk.)

[kckgirl]

If you turned them into granola wouldn't they last longer? just a thought.

I was also going to suggest granola. After you bake it, you can store it in the refrigerator in containers.

[Silversurfer]

At the risk of sounding rather uncouth:

Put a cup of oats in an old  clean sock (like a sports sock) and use it as an exfoliant/scrubber in the bath. It is really good!

[Bright]

At the risk of sounding rather uncouth:

Put a cup of oats in an old  clean sock (like a sports sock) and use it as an exfoliant/scrubber in the bath. It is really good!

You can also use oatmeal in face masks, and make oatmeal baths with it.  I'm sure a quick search on the internet will also pull up a variety of other home-made beauty treatments that use oats.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/oatmeal-uses-skin-460809 - Seems to have some other ideas as well as saying oats don't really go bad.

[blarg314]

Granola!

Mix with shelled pumpkins seeds and almond flakes, and season with finely chopped orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, powdered ginger, and some molasses for holiday spice granola. 

[Mix 3 cups oats, 1-2 cups seeds/nuts, 2 t cinnamon, 2 t ginger, 1/2 t clove, peel of half an orange, white part scraped off, julienned finely and chopped into 1 cm lengths. Microwave 1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil, 1/2 cup honey, 2 T molasses, 1 t vanilla until warm. Mix into the dry ingredients until well coated, spread in a layer on a baking tray, and bake at medium low heat. ]

[Danika]

I'm a big oat lover and I've kept them past their expiration date (by about 18 months) on more than one occasion with no problems.

I love apple crisp. You can do it without apples. I've made peach crisp using oats. Or blueberries. Or mixed berries. Yum. Now I think I need to make some.

Another recipe I like with oats is pancakes. I once had an acquaintance who was a real health nut. She taught me to put oats in a frying pan and add egg white (like from the Real Eggs brand) and make them into pancakes. They're yummy but a little chewy.

[nrb80]

Granola bars!

[VorFemme]

Cowboy Cookies - oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chip.

The combination of flavors (brown sugar, oatmeal, & butterscotch chips) is almost addictive - based on how fast a batch has been known to evaporate around this household's members. 

[Black Delphinium]

Cowboy Cookies - oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chip.

The combination of flavors (brown sugar, oatmeal, & butterscotch chips) is almost addictive - based on how fast a batch has been known to evaporate around this household's members.

We've always called those Oatmeal Scotchies.

[CakeBeret]

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions!

I can't believe I didn't think of making granola. I lovelovelove granola. Duh.

Oat milk is an interesting idea. I also like the idea of using it to thicken soups in the crock pot.

The oats were repackaged into foodsaver type bags so I don't think a food pantry/soup kitchen would be able to accept them, otherwise I would donate them.

Crisp sounds yummy as well. Unfortunately fruit is out of season and thus SO pricey here right now. Maybe I'll take my chances on one of the bags staying good for awhile.

[doodlemor]

Here is one of my husband's favorite desserts, which would also make a good breakfast.  It is called Scotch Pudding, and I originally found it in a paperback edition of the Toll House Cookbook by Ruth Wakefield.  [She is the originator of toll house cookies.]

http://www.foodily.com/r/EkJrTc4L1

The original Wakefield recipe calls for 4 large apples, only 1/2 C sugar, and no nuts.  It also calls for only a total of 2 T of butter, one T for each layer of apples and oatmeal mixture.  It also calls for baking this 45 minutes covered, and then 15 minutes uncovered.

I think that you should put it into a deeper dish than the writer suggests - you don't want it to boil over.  I usually use a corning ware dish so that I have a lid to put on after it is cold.

[blarg314]

Unless the oats are being stored somewhere humid*, I suspect they'll be good for a while.  If I remember correctly, with the exception of meat and dairy expiration dates are decided by the manufacturer, and tend to be underestimates, often by a good margin (like expiry dates on salt, for example). If they smell and taste fine, keep using them.

*I live in a humid climate without indoor heating, so dried goods frequently go moldy well before the stated expiry date. But it's generally blindingly obvious they've gone off.
 

[magicdomino]

Grain and nut pancakes:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grain-and-nut-whole-wheat-pancakes/detail.aspx  I use two eggs, rather than one, and have substituted pecans for the walnuts.  Or you can skip them completely.  I freeze them two at a time wrapped in wax paper, then thaw a couple in the toaster oven when I want pancakes.

[sweetonsno]

I'm trying to think of an idea that nobody else has had and not having too much luck.

Do you enjoy peanut butter balls? They're a great no-bake treat, and kids usually love to make (and eat) them. I'm sure they'd work well with other nut butters or liquid sweeteners if there's an allergy.

1 c. uncooked oats (instant or rolled work here)
1 c. powdered milk
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. peanut butter

Mix together in a large bowl. You'll need to use your hands. Roll into balls. That's it. You eat 'em just like that.