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It was a lovely, lazy Saturday morning this weekend. So lazy, in fact, that neither of us went downstairs to get breakfast. And yet... we both had a hot bowl of delicious, nutty oatmeal while lazing around. Mmm.

Those of you with a slow cooker may want to try this, for those mornings when it's cold outside and you just can't bear the thought of trudging to the kitchen and getting your feet cold while making brekkies. Or, for that matter, any morning you won't have time to make breakfast.

We ended up bringing the slow cooker, two bowls and spoons, and some brown sugar and raisins upstairs last night, and this morning it was perfectly done, and piping hot.

Make sure you use steel cut oats for this, or you'll have baked a little oatmeal puck overnight with the regular kind.

The Best Oatmeal Ever

• 1 cup of steel cut oats (seems like they're pretty easy to find at regular groceries these days)
• 4 cups water or milk (I always go at least halvsies in milk's favor. It's yummier)
• a dollop of vanilla extract
• few shakes cinnamon
• a shake of ground nutmeg, or grate about a half one fresh
  

Put all the above in your slow cooker, and turn on "low" before you go to bed. This recipe is pretty flexible--you can leave it 8 hours, or if you sleep in, it'll still be fine at 11 hours.

In the morning, drop in some raisins and/or other dried fruits, and stir to coat, and let soften while you're fiddling with bowls and such. I've tried putting raisins and dried cranberries in the night before, but the raisins tried to turn back into grapes--completely round and with a tanginess I wasn't sure I liked as well as the sweetness of the dried ones. You're welcome to try either way, of course!

Sprinkle with brown sugar, add a bit of totally optional milk (which I don't really think it needs), and lounge around enjoying the best oatmeal ever.

For a toothier, nuttier version, you can also make this recipe (with the same ingredients and measurements) on the stove. That also is amazingly yummy.