In the Kitchen: Oatmeal Cookie Oatmeal

I woke up this morning wanting oatmeal. Real, honest-to-goodness, takes-forever-to-make oatmeal. I went to the cupboard to get started on it, but alas, I didn't have any dried fruit or brown sugar or maple syrup. About the only oatmeal-appropriate mix-in I had was walnuts, and those alone weren't going to cut it.

So I made it tonight instead.

Oatmeal recipe below. And no photos of the oatmeal, just a gratuitous photo of the Kidlets from today's outing at Grand River Park. This is my new name for them. One can hardly call them Small Children anymore, except for #3, but collectively they're just not that small anymore. So now they're Kidlets. Like Chiclets, but made of kid instead of gum.


Do not let the Kidlets deceive you. They aren't asleep, just resting from a session of horseplay.

Oatmeal Cookie Oatmeal
Adapted from Trader Joe's recipe

1 cup steel cut oats
Water or milk for preparing oatmeal
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 pinch cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
Brown sugar to taste

Prepare the steel cut oats according to package instructions. When the oats are nearly finished cooking (when nearly all the liquid is absorbed), stir in the applesauce, cinnamon, raisins, and almonds. Cook for a few more minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Top with brown sugar to taste. (The more brown sugar you add, the more this will taste like an oatmeal cookie rather than oatmeal.)

Makes 3 to 4 servings.