Avena [Cold Oatmeal Drink]

It looks like summer is here to stay!  We've had some really lovely summertime weather these past few days, so with that being said, and the fact that I am somehow, once again, busy enough to only be able to write a short post, I bring you a recipe for avena, a cold oatmeal drink.  It's one of my absolute favorite drinks, and is a treat I always looked forward to in the summer. 

I've been so busy lately these past few days, simply because I've had some of my family from Colombia staying with us since last week.  My aunt, and my cousin, her husband, and their twins (remember this chocolate birthday cupcake post? It's the same twins!) flew down to spend a week with us, and let's just say that I've found myself a bit preoccupied with playing with my super adorable 16-month old cousins.  They're at the stage where they've been walking for only about a month, so they've been busy stumbling around my house and just being overly cute at all hours of the day, so as a result, I've gotten a little sidetracked from my usual posting. Nevertheless, I have not forgotten about the blog, so I have a short and sweet little recipe to share with you that's perfect for these 90-degree days we've been having.  

Avena is a Colombian oatmeal drink.  I know, it might sound a bit strange at first, but I promise you, this is some seriously good stuff.  When served iced cold, it's very refreshing and is the perfect drink to have on a hot summer day.  My mom used to make avena for me and my sister all the time in the summer when we were little, and as much as I loved it, my childhood memories of avena during the summer are a bit bittersweet, mainly due to the fact that my sister would always somehow manage to drink the entire pitcher before I would ever get around to getting a second glass, so I always ended up feeling like I was missing out.  I've remedied the situation though, because now that I have my mom's recipe I can make myself some avena whenever I please!  The measurements in the recipe are approximate, as my mom has always just eye-balled the amounts when she made avena for us, but the recipe below makes a really delicious, cinnamony, sweet, and refreshing drink.  Try it out for yourself, and stay tuned for a real, much more involved post later this week!  You're gonna love it (and this avena, if you make it)!

Avena [Cold Oatmeal Drink]
my mom's recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup quick oats
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar (or more, to taste)

Directions

Combine 1 cup quick cooking oats with 3 cups water, the cloves, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes.  Allow the oatmeal mixture to cool completely (the oatmeal mixture will be thick).  

Once the oats have cooled, remove the cinnamon stick, and add them to a blender, along with the milk and sugar.  Blend the oats until fairly smooth.  Serve the avena in a tall glass filled with crushed ice.  Enjoy!