First Fall Recipe of the Season

This is only a slight exaggeration.  Seriously.

Okay, so after my post last week about how it doesn't really turn to autumn in Texas until the end of October, we had a cold front move in the next day bringing fall-like weather for a few days, followed by a whole week of temps in the 80's and 90's with more in the forecast next week. (This is the other thing Texas weather does.  It tricks you into and then changes and laughs in your face.)

Regardless, maybe this little taste of "fall" softened me a little bit to whipping up something more autumn-like, plus I found apples at the farmer's market yesterday.  Hence, this morning for breakfast I decided to add a twist to our Baked Oatmeal recipe and create Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal.  The words out of my husband's mouth? "You've outdone yourself this time."  Why thank you very much.  (By the way, even my non-oatmeal-eating kiddos LOVE this recipe.)

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

1 1/2 C Rolled Oats
1/2 C Honey
1/2 C Milk
1/4 C Olive Oil
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 C chopped Pecans
1 Small or Medium Apple, chopped

1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl. 
(Tip: Use a glass measuring cup to measure the olive oil first, then the honey.  The coating from the olive oil will help the honey pour out easily without sticking.)

2. Spread evenly in a greased 13 X 9 X 2 inch baking pan.

3. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. (You can vary the cooking time according to your preference.  Shorter cooking time 20-30 minutes will result in softer oatmeal, while 30-35 minutes will yield a chewier consistency, more cookie-like.)

Next time I think I might add the chopped apple to the top after baking to give it a fresh crisp taste.  However, this version was quite yummy as is.  Happy Fall!