It’s fancy enough for weekend guests or holidays, warm, sustaining, and yummy, drizzled with pure maple syrup. My DIL made it for our big family this past summer at our family reunion and youngest to oldest couldn’t get enough.<\/div>\n
Oats 101:<\/h3>\n
Some of you may not realize there are different kinds of oats.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\n\n\n<\/td>\n | Steel Cut Oats<\/b><\/p>\n If you cut groats into two or three pieces with a sharp metal blade, you get steel cut oats. They cook quicker than oat groats, because water can more easily penetrate the smaller pieces. Steel cut oats are also sometimes called Irish oatmeal.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n<\/td>\n | Scottish Oatmeal<\/b><\/p>\n Instead of cutting oats with a steel blade, the Scots traditionally stone-grind them, creating broken bits of varying sizes, which some say results in a creamier porridge than steel-cutting.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n<\/td>\n | Rolled Oats \u2013 regular (old fashioned) \n<\/b>Rolled oats (sometimes called old fashioned oats) are created when oat groats are steamed and then rolled into flakes. This process stabilizes the healthy oils in the oats, so they stay fresh longer, and helps the oats cook faster, by creating a greater surface area.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n<\/td>\n | Rolled Oats \u2013 quick or instant<\/b><\/p>\n If you roll the oat flakes thinner, and\/or steam them longer, you create quick oats and ultimately instant oats. The nutrition stays the same (these are all whole grains) but the texture changes \u2013 a plus for some people and a drawback for others. The good thing about having so many choices is that everyone can get exactly the taste they like best!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n<\/td>\n | Oat Flour<\/b><\/p>\n Oat flour is a whole grain flour that can be used in baking, or for thickening soups and stews.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Be sure to use steel-cut oats, as no other type will stand up to long cooking, and the texture is better. I always make a double batch because it reheats in the microwave. Everyone likes it that much too.<\/div>\n \n Here’s all you need to do<\/strong><\/em>. In a 3-1\/2 or 4-quart slow cooker combine water, steel-cut oatmeal, apple juice, cranberries, raisins, apricots, the \u00bc cup maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1\/2 hours. I like to serve the oatmeal with brown sugar or additional maple syrup, chopped nuts and milk or a dollop of Greek yogurt.<\/p>\n | |