Baked Oatmeal

I am not a big fan of the normal, mushy oatmeal.  The texture just doesn't appeal to me.  However, the health benefits of oatmeal prompted me to keep searching to find an oatmeal recipe that my family really liked.  This is the one.  We have this for breakfast at least once a week.  I found it on allrecipes.com several months ago and the lady said it was an Amish recipe from her grandmother that was at least 100 years old.  It has a stiffer consistency that tastes like soft granola bars.  I used a little bit of apple pie filling as a topping today.  You can make the recipe for sauteed apples or top it with whatever you normally like on oatmeal- syrup, berries, fresh apples, nuts, etc or just eat it plain.  It is so good and gives you a great start in the morning.

 1/2 C. Applesauce
1/2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 T. Baking Powder
3 C. Quick Oats
1/2 C. Raisins (optional)
2 T. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Mix applesauce and sugar together.  Add eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and oatmeal.  Pour into a greased 8x8 pan or similar sized casserole dish.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  You can either make this in the morning and bake it right away or make it the night before and refrigerate it overnight. Serves 6-8.

Sauteed Apples:
1/4 C. Butter
4 Large Tart Apples
2 tsp. Corn Starch
1/2 C. Cold Water
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Saute apples, sugar, and cinnamon in butter until soft.  In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the water then pour into the pan.  Stir until thickened.  You can add a little bit more water if you want to thin the sauce down a little bit.