Baked Oatmeal

Transform ho-hum breakfast oatmeal to a regal brunchworthy dish. And bonus, since the the oven does all the work, you can spend more time serving your guests brunch mimosas.

2 cups rolled oats

3⁄4 cup brown sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

3⁄4 cup almonds, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1⁄4 cup butter, melted

2 apples

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the oats, brown sugar, almonds, half the cranberries, the baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl and mix together well.

Break the eggs into a separate bowl and beat them lightly with

a fork, then stir in the milk and vanilla extract. Add this mixture to the oat mixture together with the melted butter.

Peel, core and dice the apples, then arrange them in an even layer in the bottom of a greased, 8- or 9-inch-square baking dish. Pour the oat mixture uniformly over the apples. Scatter with the remaining cranberries, followed by a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Bake 40-45 minutes until golden. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees and cook for another 2-3 minutes to brown the top. Serve with hot chocolate or a glass of warm milk.

Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 427 calories, 19 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 89 mg cholesterol, 318 mg sodium, 56 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber, 31 g sugar, 11 g protein

Adapted from “Breakfast is Served” by Laura Ascari and Elisa Paganelli (Mitchell Beazley)