Making the Most of Fall's Bounty With Sunday Morning Apple Oats

EVERY YEAR, Microsoft employee and Finn Hill resident John Bechtel gets out of the rat race for a few days in September and goes on a solitary fishing trip east of the mountains. Fish Lake has been his standby destination for several years, though ironically, he has caught no fish two years in a row. This year, he and the other guys on the lake commiserated over the fact that the only fish caught that week was by a 12-year-old girl off the dock.

The upside of these largely fishless fishing trips is that it puts him in the best spot for picking up boxes of ripe Eastern Washington peaches, tomatoes and new-crop apples. Since I get to call this man “dad,” I always put in my order before he leaves.

This year, my mom, sister and I decided to can peaches together, putting up a few dozen quarts in addition to some frozen slices and jam. We opted out of tomatoes this time around. But the apples have been amazing. New crop honeycrisp are the very definition of sweet autumn harvest.

The weather has definitely turned the autumnal corner. The lawn is reverting back to green and my patio cushions are soaked through. I never can seem to get those put away before it starts raining for nine months straight.

One of my favorite things to make during the cool weather and apple harvest is a hearty rendition of oatmeal. Put aside thoughts of sugary instant mush; this version takes time, is relatively low in sugar and kicks up the nutrition by using steel cut oats and diced apples.

I call it Sunday Morning Apple Oats because it’s not a dish that I can manage on a busy school morning. But it is a great weekend breakfast that will be sure to have you craving crisp leaves crunching under foot and a trip to the pumpkin patch.

Sunday Morning Apple Oats

• 3 ½ c 2% milk
• 1 c steel cut oats (Irish oats)
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 ½ c peeled, diced apples (Honeycrisp and Pink Lady are great)
• ⅔ c currants or raisins
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a saucepan, heat the milk on medium high until very hot, but not boiling, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add in the oats, maple syrup and apples, stirring the mixture until it reaches a boil.

Remove from heat and add the raisins, salt and cinnamon. Mix well.

Spoon mixture into a 1 ½ qt casserole dish. Cover and bake 25-30 minutes. Place a baking sheet under the dish to catch bubble over drips.

Stir and serve!