Something-Like-Richard's Apple Oatmeal

The other day, my friend Richard was recounting a moment of culinary brilliance he'd experienced when he ran out of bananas to put in his morning oatmeal. Inspired by Julie and Julia, he threw some apples in butter and then mixed them into his oatmeal.

Now, of course, apples in butter is a fairly sizable no for us. But, I cooked up something sufficiently similar this morning:

Something-Like-Richard's Apple Oatmeal

Yields one serving.

I used Publix-brand Old Fashioned oats, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Steel cut is obviously great, but any type of oats will do.

I boiled 1 cup of water, according to the directions on the oatmeal packaging. While it was coming to a boil, I chopped a small Granny Smith apple into half-inch cubes (peel on!) and threw 1 tablespoon of raisins on top of the apples on the cutting board.

Once the water had come to a boil, I added 1/2 cup oats (as per the package instructions) and the apple/raisin mixture. This cooked, covered, for 5 minutes on medium -- stirred occasionally.

Once done, I put it in a bowl, mixed in 1/2 tablespoon of Smart Balance Light (which I use sparingly, on occasion) and sprinkled Apple Pie Spice over it. Cinnamon would be good too.

The verdict: Good. The apples get soft and the raisins plump up and add a nice sweetness to it. A pretty decent Sunday morning breakfast!