Crockpot Oatmeal

Hurricane Sandy has brought the cold to Michigan this week, so I'm in the mood for a warm and tasty treat for the cold mornings.  This oatmeal recipe is very easy to prepare and makes enough that you can have oatmeal for breakfast for the week.  It's a pared-down version of Alton Brown's "Overnight Oatmeal", but I think it's still yummy!

Ingredients
1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1-3 apples finely chopped (the number used really depends on your liking of apples and their size)
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions
Combine all ingredient in a crockpot and stir.  Place cover on crockpot and cook on low for 8-9 hours.  Stir mixture prior to serving.

Helpful Notes
- This recipe works really well if you start the crockpot before going to bed - then you wake up to a house that smells like cinnamon and a warm, tasty breakfast!

- You can add half-and-half (up to 1/2 cup) to the crockpot before cooking if you like your oatmeal to be a bit more creamy.  I prefer to add skim milk to my bowl in the morning.

- If you put a little brown sugar on the top of the oatmeal when serving, it'll make your whole day better. :)

-  If your oatmeal is a bit runny in the morning, just stir and let the pot sit with the top off for 5-10 minutes before serving.  The water will absorb and the oatmeal with thicken up a bit.