A Sentiment

God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Cold Morning....Hot Cereal and a Memory


It's a cold morning ...and what do you eat on a cold day? When I was a little girl, and when I would stay overnight at my Grandma's, we would have Wheatena. It was a hot cereal that tasted of wheat. It was kind of soupy, and Grandma would sprinkle sugar on top that would lay there in a watery puddle. I didn't want my cereal disturbed by stirring. She would pour the milk on it and the milk would be around the edges. I would dip my spoon in the middle and scoop up that sugary goodness. Then I ate, without stirring, the cereal and savored the little grainy nubs in my mouth. It was heaven to me. That and a piece of toasted wheat bread and a glass of juice was all I wanted. We only had white bread at my house, so a treat of wheat bread was delightful. I don't think that I ever told my Grandma how much I enjoyed this breakfast, but I think she knew, because it was what I asked for every time I was there.

We had cold cereal at my house. I remembered Shredded Wheat, Grapenuts, and Puffed Wheat. These were my Mom's favorites. I can't remember her ever asking what kind of cereal I wanted, when we went shopping. Today the kids beg their Mom's and Dad's for the newest kind. "Please, please, oh please," can be heard from the cereal aisle. I'm not complaining about my Mom, but she wasn't a morning person and I think that breakfast just wasn't something she thought of very much. I am, however, a morning person and my kids always had a good breakfast (well maybe not always...instant breakfast and pop tarts come to mind) At one time, I had 17 varieties of cereal at my house. A friend commented on the choices my kids had once, and now that I think about it, that must have come from my childhood, when I was never asked.

This morning I am going to have oatmeal. As I read on Judy's food blog http://southernlady64.wordpress.com/ January is National Oatmeal Month. By the way, if you haven't visited her blog...you might enjoy a visit. She posts the most delicious recipes and also tips about healthy eating and all kinds of interesting posts about our countries food supply. She doesn't just have healthy recipes though...her Southern roots show in many of her recipes ingredients. Every recipe of hers I have tried... is a keeper.
I have been seeing ads for McDonald's oatmeal almost everyday. It looks so delicious on TV. I haven't had it yet, so I can't tell you how it tastes, but how could they mess up oatmeal? A nice container of oatmeal topped with fruit. I think apples, dried cranberries and maybe oranges. The ads make me want to go to the nearest McDonald's and buy some. Well, back to my breakfast...I love oatmeal with brown sugar, walnuts, raisins and milk. Joe likes his raisins cooked with the cereal and I like mine added to the cooked cereal. So, I cook some with and add some later...we are both happy. He mixes his cereal all up with the added milk and I still like mine undisturbed...so the milk is around the edges and the sugar in the middle. Different strokes..you know. All this writing about oatmeal at 9 o'clock in the morning makes me want to get going. So bye for now, have a happy day.
Balisha

7 comments:

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Oatmeal! We even had a very special pan for our oatmeal. Or used to. That was in my first marriage. Second marriage, Frank liked the kind that went into the micro wave and comes in little packets. I tried it...and it ..was NOT good. Kind of slimy.
Howard is a cold cereal man..but since he has tried my yogurt..well..we now buy it by the case.
So..now you have me missing my oatmeal. I love the raisens cooked right in it..and brown sugar added in the middle. I also like the milk around the edges..and I also start at the center where all that sugar is! Yep..you have the right idea!
As far as not being able to mess up oatmeal...Balisha, have you ever tried to eat it from the micro wave with NO salt added?
Yep. I think they could screw it up. But...I am curious. If you'll go try it, I will! :)
Hugs.
Mona

Lona said...

I do not remember breakfasts too much as a child. We always had plenty of eggs around it seems. I do remember staying over night with a neighborhood friend once and we had cinnamon toast and hot chocolate to dip it in for breakfast. I thought that was such a treat from eggs so it did stay in my mind. Have a good breakfast.

Anonymous said...

Hi Balisha, Thanks for the shout out! I love oatmeal and had it a lot as a child but we also had a big breakfast most of the time. When I was a small child I remember having fried chicken or fried rabbit along with eggs, biscuits, gravy and sliced tomatoes for breakfast. My mother was a stay at home mom and cooked 3 meals a day! We did have leftovers a lot because she did not know how to cook a small amount of anything. We always gathered around the table for meals and that is the only place we were allowed to eat. Milk or sugary sweet tea was the choice in drinks. Sugary sweet lemonade was a real treat. We never had sodas. Somebody asked me on my site yesterday if I knew you could make buttermilk? lol. She meant to add some vinegar to regular milk for a substitute in a recipe. My mother used to make real buttermilk when we had a cow to milk. I have written a book and am totally off the subject of oatmeal! Oh well, have a great weekend. I have Tater Tot this weekend. He will be here in a bit. I am looking forward to it.

marlu said...

Thanks for the hint about adding the milk at the last! You are right; it did not look appetizing!
And according to my spouse, the potatoes weren't cut small enough!

Love your blog.

Anonymous said...

McDonalds oatmeal is very good!

Diana LaMarre said...

I like a tiny bit of brown sugar, a pat of butter smack dab in the middle of the bowl and about a quarter cup of milk around the edges of my oatmeal.

YUM!

If I put raisins in, I like them cooked with the oatmeal. I rarely do that, though.

Now I want a bowl of oatmeal! Maybe I will have one this weekend.

Balisha said...

I guess that I did my part for Nat'l Oatmeal Month :)
Balisha