{A Load of Crock: Steel cut oats with Corynne}

Hey every body! Meet Corynne :) This isn't Corynne's first visit to the blog! See her blog feature here!

I don't bust out the crock pot very often, but I do have a few favorites I like to make in it come winter time.  Cold, dark mornings are not really my thing, so the following recipe comes in handy during those dreary months when I don't want to get out of bed in the morning.  This is a recipe for steel cut oats.  As you may know, steel cut oats take a long time to cook, so the crock pot is the perfect match for them. Throw a few ingredients in your slow cooker before bed and in the morning, voila, breakfast is ready!  Its a different kind of take on your traditional stove top oatmeal.  This is a little more smooth and creamy.

I took a cue from The Kitchen's "Overnight Oatmeal" over at Apartment Therapy a few years ago and made a few tweaks of my own.  

Head over there to see a picture of the oatmeal and their take on overnight oatmeal...

Here's what you need:

1 cup steel cut oats (Make sure you buy steel cut oats! They will look like little hard round pieces.  They don't look like oats at all...)
1 to 2 Tbl brown sugar (You can always sweeten more when serving if needed)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped dried cherries (or other dried fruit)
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
Any extra fiber you want to add (wheat germ, wheat bran, etc)

Here's what to do:

This tends to stick a little at the bottom so either spray your crock pot with cooking spray, rub with butter, or use a disposable liner.  Add ingredients and stir.  Cover with lid and set your cooker on low.  Cook for 7-8 hours. Serve with milk or cream and sweeten if you like.  Enjoy!