Overnight Crock Pot Steel-Cut Oats

I'm doing this for a contest at the Crock Pot Recipe Exchange blog.  It's simple, but it's sorta difficult to remember to set up breakfast the evening before.

"Real" oatmeal is heaven if you prepare it correctly.  If you're unfamiliar with the different "cuts" of oatmeal, here's a nice primer for you.  My kids are partial to the Quaker instant packets, but to make a real bowl of oats, with real maple syrup and brown sugar...well, it's so good for you!  Being the impatient, hungry family we are, it's tough having the hubby and kids wait 30-40 minutes for a pot of steel cut oats to cook on a Sunday morning.  Especially now that we go to a church that's 30 minutes away, and starts at 9:15am!

If you can remember to do it ahead of time, I recommend using your Crock Pot to cook your steel-cut oats to perfection.  Individual Crock Pots, locations, elevations and brands of oats (I use Bob's Red Mill) will result in variations on the cooking times, but this has worked well enough for me.  When I made it exactly as in the recipe linked below, it dried out...I think it cooked for too long.  You could rehydrate it and salvage most of it, but it wasn't the same as fresh-out-of-the-crock perfection.

Overnight Crock Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal, adapted from Alton Brown's Recipe

1 1/2 c. steel cut oats
5 c. water
1-2 c. dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries, as desired

Cook in your Crock Pot on low for 6 hours.  You can set this right when you go to bed, and it should still be warm by morning.  My own Crock Pot has a "Keep Warm" function that it defaults to after the active cooking time is complete.  At least, that's the case in my house where we get 7-8 hours of sleep.

Enjoy some REAL oatmeal this weekend!