Fried Apples and Oatmeal

At our house you can tell when fall is in the air by the foods that we cook. All of a sudden apples start appearing in our recipes. While we eat oatmeal year round, there is nothing like hot oatmeal topped with Fried Apples on a crisp fall morning.

                I have loved oatmeal my whole life. When I was in high school a friend of mine said that she knew when she was going to have a bad day by what her mother served her for breakfast. If her mother served her oatmeal—then she knew that it would be a very bad day. I couldn’t understand, for I loved oatmeal. I asked her how she ate it, and after she explained I could understand why she hated it. My friend ate it plain. Oatmeal needs butter, some kind of sweetener (honey or maple syrup), maybe some raisins or fresh fruit, and don’t forget the milk. Mom likes oatmeal in her milk, but Papa and I like milk in our oatmeal.

                My younger sisters were not too fond of oatmeal either, but we found one way that helped them to like oatmeal. When their friends said that they didn’t like oatmeal, my sisters would tell them to top it with Fried Apples. Nothing speaks oatmeal perfection any stronger than hot oatmeal topped with fried apples and cold milk.

                I start my oatmeal the night before. I measure out how much oatmeal that we will eat for breakfast and then I dump it in a large bowl. To that I add one tablespoon of whey, kefir, or yogurt—which ever one I have on hand. Then I add the same amount of hot water (not boiling) as I did oatmeal. The basic recipe for oatmeal is one part oats to two parts water. When you soak oatmeal overnight, you soak it in half the amount of water that you will need to cook it in. Next I stir it up, cover it with a plate, and then place a towel over it to keep it warm.  Soaking your oats the night before helps the starches break down and reduces the natural phytic acid, this helps your body utilize the oats' nutrients better.               

The next morning I pour the other half of the water into a pot with a little bit of salt—then I bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, I add in the soaked oatmeal and stir for about a minute until the oatmeal is the consistency that I like it. Then I cover it with a lid, take it off the burner, and let it sit until I am ready to serve up breakfast.

                The fried apples are really easy, and take about 15 minutes to make. Peel, core, and slice as many apples as you want to eat—if they are small probably about one per person. Place two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and add the apples. Pour a good amount of maple syrup over the top of the apples—you can make it less sweet or sweeter. Sprinkle cinnamon and salt on top. Turn your burner on to medium, and cover the pan with a lid. Once your butter is melted, stir all the ingredients together and let it continue to cook. When your maple syrup is boiling and your apples began to look cooked, take the lid off to help the syrup thicken.              

 Now all you have to do is serve up your oatmeal, and top it with the fried apples—and don’t forget to pour some milk on it.

                Enjoy!