Creamy Apple Oatmeal

If you're one of those people who are starting to believe that oatmeal grows in tiny brown packages with it's own private sprinkling of powdered flavoring, I'm here to tempt you back to oatmeal's roots. When we were first married, my husband resisted oatmeal for breakfast. He'd been force-fed so much oatmeal as a child that he'd had his fill for life.

That is...until my lovely sister gave me a great cookbook from the Moosewood restaurant. One of the first recipes that I tried is called "Oven Apple Oats". We were all instantly hooked--even my oatmeal-fearing husband.

Just a word of warning: this recipe is not for that first school morning where everyone is rushing out the door. If you're like me (and hopefully you're way better than me!), breakfast is usually not a preplanned event. A couple of slices of bread in the toaster, maybe some yogurt or cereal (but always coffee for us tired adults) is what everyone in my house gets. This is a weekend recipe, maybe even a "we had company spend the night" weekend recipe. It takes time, but is soooo worth it!

Creamy Apple Oatmeal (modified from "Oven Apple Oats", Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups of milk (I use non-fat, but the creamier, the better)
1 cup of Irish (steel-cut) oats---don't use rolled oats!!
2 tsp maple syrup
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced apples
2/3 cup currants or raisins
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a saucepan, heat the milk over MH heat until very hot, but not boiling; stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Stir in the oats, maple syrup, and apples until mixture returns to a boil.

Remove from the heat and add raisins, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.

Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes. Don't forget to put a pan under the dish to catch drips.

Stir oats before serving. MMMmmmm.... You really want to make this!

apple image from tracywall.wordpress.com