Apple Pie Steel-Cut Oatmeal

April. Spring ball is winding toward the spring game, which I've scheduled for the last Saturday of the month. These games are strange events — evaluation more than competition, more about seeing who rises in a controlled setting than about the final score. But the kids play for real and I watch for real and information comes from real games that doesn't come from practice.

T.J. Okafor committed to Colorado State this week. I was at his old school for the announcement — I drove an hour to be there. He came out of the gym in his CSU hat and saw me in the crowd and his face did something I won't forget. He walked over and we hugged and I told him I knew he'd get there. "You told me sophomore year," he said. "I believed you." That's the work. That's the specific outcome I measure my career by.

I texted Hector the video of T.J.'s commitment announcement. He replied with a string of celebration emojis followed by "That's YOUR kid." Not biologically. But in every way that a coach can claim a player — yes. He is. I felt Ruben in that moment too. Ruben would have texted me something funny and then followed it up with something real. I know his jokes so well I can hear them in my head. This is a strange and specific comfort.

Made arroz con leche this week — rice pudding, Mexican style, cinnamon and vanilla and whole milk and patience. It takes forty minutes of stirring. I don't mind. The stirring is the point. I brought it to the staff meeting on Friday and the offensive line coach, a big Samoan guy named Tui who doesn't emote much, ate two bowls and said "this is good." From Tui, that's a standing ovation.

Arroz con leche was what I made that week — the real version, Ruben’s family’s version, forty minutes at the stove — but this Apple Pie Steel-Cut Oatmeal carries the same spirit: slow heat, cinnamon, patience you choose to give. When I want to bring something warm to a room full of people who don’t say much but mean a lot, this is the kind of pot I reach for. Tui would eat two bowls of this too.

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup steel-cut oats
3 cups whole milk
1 cup water
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Maple syrup and extra cinnamon, to serve

Instructions

Toast the oats. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the steel-cut oats and stir constantly for 2 minutes until they smell nutty and turn a shade darker.
Add liquid and apples. Pour in the milk and water carefully — it will steam up. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
Simmer and stir. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the oats are tender and the mixture has thickened to a creamy, porridge-like consistency. The stirring is the point.
Finish with vanilla. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let rest 2 minutes — it will thicken slightly as it sits.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with a drizzle of maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Apple Pie Steel-Cut Oatmeal — The Patience Is the Point