Overnight Apple Pie Oatmeal

OK, I'm on a major crockpot kick lately. Deal with it. Last night I tested a recipe that would enable us to awaken to the delicious smells of a home-cooked breakfast, READY TO EAT. Yeah, bay-bee! I awoke briefly during the night, smelled the deliciousness, drifted back to sleep and DREAMED about eating it. How weird am I?

3 cups old fashioned oats (uncooked)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
21-oz. can apple pie filling
6 cups water

I spritzed some non-stick cooking spray into the crockpot, then I mixed the first four ingredients (dry stuff). Dumped it all into the crock, then poured in the water and pie filling. Stirred it all up, and popped the lid on. Set the cooker to LOW and let it go overnight, about 8 hours.

In the morning there was some separation, so we stirred it all together before serving. Double delish! This served the four of us amply, with some to spare.

I'm going to try again with all kinds of variations on the pie filling and spices. Peach, berry, cherry ... you name it. Let me know how yours turned out if you try this!

Photo courtesy of my son's Etsy shop. (Thanks, Brent!)

Wordless Wednesday

The Best Gift

How do you show love to those near to you? Words of love and affirmation may do the job adequately, but actions also communicate volumes. Do you quietly make sacrifices on behalf of friends and family? Do you send thoughtful notes or give gifts you know will be cherished? Do you perform acts of service such as doing an unpleasant chore to show you care? Are you affectionate physically? Are you liberal with sincere praise?

We learned early on that our children had distinct preferences in how they wanted to have love communicated to them. Our older child was always making and buying gifts for the family and took great delight in receiving presents. The younger always wanted to give hugs, snuggle, and hold hands; clearly, physical affection meant a great deal to her. Although all the different ways to communicate love are good, I think most people have a primary method to say "I care." For me, the gift of time and a listening ear are priceless. Our hurried society often leaves little time for visiting friends, and I'm as guilty as anyone of being very busy. But a simple phone call to find out how I'm doing or an occasional one-on-one lunch date speak words of love to me. I don't need hours and hours, but a kind ear to hear me sort things out and share what's on my heart is a priceless gift and a rare treat!

What speaks "LOVE" to you? How do you show you care, and how do you like others to demonstrate their love to you?

Hot Diggety!

I've been blogged about! And in a very nice way. :)

http://christopherandtia.blogspot.com/2009/09/lemon-pound-cake-yumm.html