Confession: I don’t make my kids hot breakfast every morning. When they were young, adorable and adoring—and I worked part-time—I made them a hot meal most every morning in the fall and winter.
Now they’re nasty independent-minded teenagers—and I work full-time. By the time my children roll out of bed I’ve been up and writing for several hours.
While I always remember to ask them if they ate breakfast, brushed their teeth and packed clean gym clothes, most of the time I don’t prepare breakfast.
But sometimes I do.
Proust and porridge
The turn of the season makes me nostalgic. So when the mornings get nippy I venture into the kitchen to whip up a pan of scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese. Or a nice bowl of porridge.
Harvest Whole Grain Hot Cereal uses four different grains: Steel cut oats, barley, wheat and wild rice. I use a 1:4 grain-to-water ratio. The grains need to slow simmer for around 45 minutes unless you’re uber-organized and pre-soak the grains over night.
That’ll knock 15 minutes off cooking time.
Wild rice, top left, then, clockwise, steel-cut oats, barley and wheat berries.
Sweeten Harvest Whole Grain Hot Cereal with a touch of Demerara sugar, honey or maple syrup and a splash of half and half.
I might even sit down and share a bowl with the kids. If I squint my eyes I can almost ignore my daughter’s nose ring and my son’s tapping, size ten feet and pretend they’re little again…
Later in the morning Harvest Whole Grain Hot Cereal also makes a ribsticking “elevenses.” Splash with maple syrup, a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprinkle of toasted pecans.
Now you’re ready to tackle those beastly revisions.
Harvest Whole Grain Hot Cereal Recipe
1/4 cup wild rice
1/4 cup steel cut oats
1/4 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup wheat berries
4 cups water
Pinch of salt
- At least an hour in advance of breakfast, pour the grains into a saucepan and add 4 cups of water and salt.
- Cover pan and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer grains for 45 minutes or until water is absorbed. You may speed cooking time by pre-soaking the grains over night. Sweeten with Demerara sugar, honey or maple syrup and serve with half-and-half or milk.
Serves 4.
