Crock Pot Oatmeal

Fellow oatmeal lovers, rejoice!  (Sorry Jesse.)  Put this in before going to bed and wake up to yummy breakfast ready to eat.  It makes the house smell great too. The waterbath is the key ingredient to making this work without making a burnt mess.  (Thanks to Jenny for typing these recipes up for me while she was visiting.)

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal

2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2" pieces (2 1/2-3 cups chopped)

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp butter, cut into 5-6 pieces

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 tsp salt

Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk or butter

 Place a 2 quart oven-safe bowl inside the crockpot. Combine all ingredients inside the bowl. Pour water around the bowl to create a waterbath; add only enough water to reach the level of the oatmeal mixture. Cook on low for 7 hours (we do it overnight!). Spoon oatmeal into bowls and serve with milk and additional ingredients if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Cherry Almond Variation

 3/4 cup dried tart cherries

1 apple, peeled and gratee (approximately 1 cup grated) or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce)

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp butter, cut into 5-6 pieces

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

Follow directions as for Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal.