Hot Breakfasts!

It's that stupid cold part of year in this neck of the woods.  Makes for great lazy days at home, but it's always nice to send the littles off to school with something warm in their bellies.

Lately, I've been making oatmeal in the crockpot, with great success.  I'll often serve it with grated apple or pear, or sometimes applesauce.  In mine, I particularly like an organic breakfast mix of nuts/seeds/berries that I bought through a fundraiser that one of my fave non-profit groups ran, with a drizzle of real maple syrup.  Yum! You could toss in dried fruit when making this, but my family doesn't go for it.  Putting out topping options like a "breakfast bar" is a big hit here, and I find my kids use way less sugar if I let them add their own, go figure.

I use steel cut oats in this.  I've discovered that they are the only oats that stand up to the "overnight in the crockpot test" without going mushy or burning.  They can be pricey at the store, but they are super well priced at Costco. I do a double batch of this, it fills my medium sized crockpot, and makes enough for a couple of days of breakfasts.

4 cups water
3/4 cup milk (or use powdered milk, mixed with water)
1 cup steel cut oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 (give or take) brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp vanilla

Mix and cook on low for 8 hours.  I turn it on as I'm going to bed, and we wake up to hot oatmeal.  Just don't forget to turn it on....trust me, it's disappointing.

What are your favorite quick hot breakfasts for cold mornings?