Just a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

It is an unbelievably gorgeous day here in suburbia and I intend to do what I can to enjoy it. Took my vitamins this morning for some pep in my step but I woke up too late to make a smoothie. Part of enjoying a day like today is keeping my insides happy so I have the energy to run around in the sunshine after Little Miss T. I made do with a semi-natural protein bar. I would love to find a good recipe for a homemade alternative.

I did make sure Miss T had a good breakfast, Cream of Wheat with wheat germ, milk and homemade chunky applesauce. It reminded me of my own childhood. If I think of my mother and my childhood in the same thought it invariably brings up the image of her at the stove stirring up cream-of-something for breakfast before school. She was a big believer in a hot breakfast before school. My sis and I were never allowed cold cereal before school. Cornflakes were actually a weekend treat in our house, and those colored loop cereals were a mysterious food other kids ate until I got to college. I tried them and realized I hadn't missed much. Eggs, pancakes, and such were the weekly big, Sunday breakfast fare. Monday through Friday it was cream-of-something - farina, rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, or (of course) wheat.

By ninth grade I grew a bit whiny about it and so was told I could fix my own breakfast, and boy did that teach me a lesson. It was then I realized what a time saver it had been to have mom making breakfast while I puttered around getting dressed in the morning. I also learned it took work to stand at the stove stirring up a pot and often ended up eating that awful microwaved stuff they say is oatmeal but is really nothing like the real thing. Sometime during college I finally learned how to make it like Mom and I have passed on this family tradition to the children I have nannied. Parents are usually amazed that I get their kids to eat such "health food." In reality our recipe is a little like eating veges in the French manner. They know it takes care, flavor, and a wee bit of fat to make something healthy into something delectable.

Cream of Something

Follow package instructions for proportions of liquid to cereal. For example, on the back of my box of Cream of Wheat for one person I would use 1 1/4 cup liquid to 3 T cereal.

Rather than using water use whole milk or for a richer flavor evaporated milk reconstituted with an equal amount of water.

To this add a pinch of salt and 1 to 1 1/2 t. sugar for each serving. I use sea salt in a salt grinder and add a few twists worth. Salt rounds out and enhances sweet flavors but a little goes a long way.

Also add a splash of real vanilla extract and a cinnamon stick to the pot, if you have it. Cinnamon sticks are available relatively inexpensively in the Hispanic foods section of many grocery stores. If your stick is longer than 2-3 inches break it in half and use half a stick for a pot of up to 4 servings.

Warm just until hot to the touch to meld and release the flavors, also taste test before adding the cereal. How your milk tastes will be a good indication of how your cereal will taste. It is easier to tweak and taste test before cereal is added because once the cereal is in you have to wait until it is fully cooked and by then it will be too late for it to absorb the full flavor of your enhancements.

Add cereal. One tablespoon wheat germ per serving may also be added. It adds vitamins, fiber, and even adds really nice flavor to the cereal. I love it!

It is best to stir constantly over medium to medium low heat for a creamy, smooth texture until it is thickened. For many cereals this is only about 5 minutes but for some, like oatmeal, it could be 10 to 15 minutes. Oatmeal benefits from cooking even longer over low heat until very creamy and thickened. While you stir you can think about how much you love who you are making it for, pray for them, and add the benefits of all those blessings.

Once thickened serve immediately onto a wide flat dish. It will spread out into a pretty circle over the dish and looks lovely with a sprinkling of cinnamon over the top. Besides looking nice, serving onto a plate also helps it to cool, whereas hot cereal can stay molten lava hot for a while in a bowl. Kids can also draw a picture in it while they eat :D

Fun Videos

Great retro videos have been springing up all over the net, notably at Homeliving Helper and Charming the Birds from the Trees. Its been a nice way to lighten up my mood and inspire me to feminine pursuits.

One of my favorite feminine pursuits is home cooking. I love to care for others through my cooking. I could never honestly claim to be the world's best cook but I can make a variety of homey things. Stews, roasts, potatoes with gravies, and such lightened up with succulent salads are my mainstays. I am a soup lover but my love, K., is not so soup has been relegated to a side dish or must be accompanied with something freshly baked. This week's days are rather long but tonight I think we will need a warm curry to ward off the chill!