During the summer, I’ll start my day with yogurt, berries and granola for breakfast. On cold winter mornings, I enjoy a bowl of hot oatmeal with a sprinkle of cinnamon and dash of vanilla. I’ve often wondered if my fondness for oatmeal is in my genes since oats have been a staple of the Scottish diet since medieval times. 
My great-grandfather Dinwoodie immigrated to the United States from Dalbeattie, Scotland to work in the quarries of Southern Rhode Island. The granite workers tended to live in neighborhoods with fellow countrymen. Here in my town, the area the Scots settled in was known as Oatmeal Alley.
The month of January is National Oatmeal Month – the perfect time to share this moist muffin recipe.
Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup applesauce
Mix dry ingredients well with a fork.
In a different bowl beat egg, then add oil and milk. Stir in applesauce and mix.
Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only until moistened.
Spoon into greased muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
My notes:
1. I line the muffin cups with papers instead of greasing them – much easier clean up.
2. I tossed in a handful of raisins.
3. This recipe makes 1 dozen regular size muffins. (Not the super-size muffins the doughnut shops carry.)
Anita K Greene 