This is a really yummy way to serve oatmeal. Our whole family loves it. You can vary the dried fruits--just use 1 cup total of dried fruit. I've added chopped dried mango with good results. I've also made a variation with 1 cup of dried tart cherries and sprinkled slivered almonds on instead of the other nuts. Then we served it hot with chocolate chips sprinkled on top (which melted and became delightful gooey) and with some whipped cream. Talk about a filling, indulgent breakfast!
1-3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup regular rolled oats
1/3 cup snipped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1/3 cup golden raisins
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar (divided into 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsley chopped walnuts or pecans
In a medium saucepan bring 1-3/4 cups milk and butter to boiling. Slowly stir in oats. Stir in apricots, cherries, raisins, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour into a lightly greased 1-1/2-quart casserole or 8-inch square pan.
Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and nuts. Bake about 5 minutes more or until bubbly. Cool slightly. If desired, serve with additional milk (or ice cream, or whipped cream, or chocolate chips--we also like it just plain).
Makes 4 main-dish servings.
I made this today, and I absolutely loved the crunch of the nuts. The vanilla adds a wonderful sweetness. We used a few golden raisins and lots of dried chopped apples. I recommend that the fruit be chopped fairly small. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Valerie. It will be a great way to use food storage. In fact, I wonder how it would taste with powdered milk?
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