Crockpot Apple Oatmeal

Apple Oatmeal (crockpot version, adapted from Fix It and Forget IT)
2 cups milk
2 tbsp honey (or brown sugar to your taste, or agave nectar, or maple syrup or ....)
1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup old fashioned oats (don't use the quick cooking oats -- they get mushy
1 diced apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit; a tropical mix with mango is interesting)
chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, but they really add a lot in texture)

Spray slowcooker with pam(That's very important!)
.Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker. Don't worry about getting everything evenly distributed; you'll stir it up in the morning.Cover. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

You do not need to get up at 1 a.m. to turn this on. Go buy one of those little gadgets that can be used to turn a lamp on and off while you're on vacation (they're popular for turning holiday lights on and off too -- they should be plentiful this time of year and they're only $5 or so). Turn on your crockpot and plug it into the gadget. You'll wake up to a lovely fragrance!

You can do this with steel cut oats too. http://busycooks.about.com/od/meatle.../cpoatmeal.htm (Notice this uses a bit more liquid) Somewhere I have a recipe that uses dried apples. And you make a mix of the dry ingredients and just add milk. Sooooo easy.