Ever sense I created my first crock pot overnight oatmeal recipe about 5 years ago, my husband has been having oatmeal for breakfast and making it in the crock pot the night before.  It's like magic.  Just add steel cut oats, the proper amount of liquid to your crock pot (make sure to grease it) and turn it to warm.  In the mourning you have perfectly cooked warm healthy breakfast that will make you excited to wake up.

A few years ago I created an over night crock pot apple pie oatmeal recipe that was truly life changing for my husband and I.  Simply put steel cut oats in a crockpot on warm the night before you go to bed and you will wake up to perfectly cooked healthy oatmeal.  This is great if you don't have time to make breakfast in the mourning, or need to cook breakfast for a lot of people (simply double or triple the recipe).  My husband has made oatmeal in a crock pot the night before for breakfast since I first wrote this post.  This has also been one of our most popular recipes, so when Columbia Empire Farms sent me a sample of their pumpkin butter of course I had to make a pumpkin pie version with it!  

Why did I never think to make apple cider before?  I use to use those individual packages for cider until I thought about what was in it.... 

I'd rather make the real deal.  It's so easy, just juice it (or buy organic apple juice) you just put a few spices and the juice in the crock pot and there you go.  I've made this for Thanksgiving for a few years and it's been a hit. This is also great for a Halloween or Christmas party or just a treat for a cold snowy day.

MN is known for their crockpot or slow cooker recipes.  I'm so Minnesotan cause I love crockpot recipes because they're so easy.  In these days when making a home cooked meal is so important and time is so limited in most peoples lives, crockpots are awesome.  The only drawback to using crockpot recipes is they can be boring after awhile.   I have a few recipes that are completely different for the crockpot that are so good...and not your typical crockpot recipe.  This is one of them!