Living in a Cereal World

You may recall that I reviewed the banana/blueberry flavor a few months back; now I've finally gotten around to the peach/raspberry. After pouring, my first impulse was to pick out a nice-sized oat bunch to try. It tasted enough like raspberries; the little bits of dried raspberry in the oat bunch were also a nice touch. What won me over, though, were the flakes. Instead of a typical artificial "peach" flavor, Post's food scientists have managed to recreate the taste of actual peaches. Seriously. You need to try this. I will definitely rate this higher than the banana/blueberry. Of course, it helps that I have peaches on the brain. I know I'm getting some local ones later this week, so I've been searching for peach recipes. I'll have to let you know how that goes.

The line I always use when trying to convince someone to try this is "It's like Cinnamon Toast Crunch with extra benefits." I, for one, overdid the Cinnamon Toast Crunch as a kid, to the point where I don't think I could ever eat it again. So I have been pleasantly surprised that I haven't gotten sick of this Fiber One. Truthfully, you can tell the difference between a caramel flavor and a cinnamon flavor. But the taste still puts me in a positive frame of mind. Plus all that fiber. Did I mention the fiber? If I could just get a Fiber One (or Fiber Plus) take on Chex, I'd be set.

I meant to include this waay back in the intro but it was running long, and then other topics cropped up, and so on. Anyway, if you've noticed, this blog's address is myilk andcereal.blogspot.com, not "milkandcereal." Why? First, I didn't want to pick something that might have already been taken, but second, (and mostly) it's the way my mom says "milk." Not all the time, just sometimes. If you're familiar with Southern accents, then you know some things are lengthened--like vowel sounds--and some things are shortened. Or, in this case, both. So "milk" becomes "mee-ilk" becomes "mee-yilk" becomes "myilk." Other examples include "dyood" for dude and "Pwontiac" for Pontiac (okay, that one I really can't explain). Of course, I realized after I typed it out that one could also interpret it as " my ilk and cereal." But as you can see, I stuck with it anyway. *** A quick a

Okay, now let's see if I can get back on schedule. This morning I had the hard-to-find Honey Nut Clusters.  The first thing I noticed was that by the time I sat down, the milk level had dropped considerably. So add a little more than you normally would if you want to avoid eating a bowl of honey nut mush. I love the crispy coated flake--it tastes like wheat, or maybe a wheat bran?--but isn't dry. In these times of multiple cluster based cereals, though, the clusters in this cereal could stand to be a little bit larger and/or crunchier. The novelty of Honey Nut Clusters has worn off, which is probably why it's no longer prominent for General Mills. I can't remember if I mentioned in an earlier post that I tried this cereal for the first time only last year. I don't know why it took me so long. The word "Nut" must have thrown me off. Imagine my surprise when I found out there's no nuts in Honey Nut Clusters; the clusters are actually nut-flavored . It

You may recall that I reviewed the strawberry flavor a few months ago; I thought I'd take a crack at the apple cinnamon. I remember as a kid that I absolutely hated Apple Cinnamon Cheerios--and I'd sworn off that flavor of any cereal since then--but for some reason I was open to trying this. I'd figure, if the idea of it doesn't make me gag, I could try it for this blog. I tasted it dry first. The apple flavor comes on strong, and the cinnamon kicks in behind it. I can live with that ratio. My mom tasted a fallen piece and said, "You know what this reminds me of? Apple Cinnamon Cheerios." Gee, thanks, Mom. So now I can't explain why I liked it. Maybe it's the mixture of grains? By comparison, the Cheerios in question are just straight oats. Come to think of it, I've never been crazy about apple cinnamon oatmeal, either. So anyway, thumbs up for this one. I think I could eat it without mixing, too.

(from 21Feb'12) Another repeat cereal day, so I thought I'd write about fruit butter. I couldn't decide how to group it, though: by brand? All together? One per entry? Well, here's a quick line on the ones I've had so far: McCutcheon's Peach Butter (I think this link goes to the product index but it's pretty obvious to navigate)-- like peach baby food, but I mean that in a good way. Plum Butter (I thought this was also McCutcheon's but it's not on the website, so maybe not) -- had a coffee-like aftertaste, at first, but it got better with time. Ozarkland Sweet Potato Butter -- pie on toast, I'm telling you. Includes a sweet potato pie recipe on the lid, but you won't get around to it. ***now for today's actual updates: after a year of searching, my mother finally found a jar of McCutcheon's Pear Butter for me. The combination of pear and spices is unlike anything I've tasted--not even apple butter; you'd think they m

I probably should've been paying more attention when I was eating this but I'll give it a shot anyway. Okay, Multi-Grain Cheerios. There's five kinds of grains: corn, barley, wheat, oats, and rice. I'm glad they finally put it on the side of the box because I never could figure out that fifth one. Really, when you look at them, maybe it looks like four distinct grains. This is another sweetened cereal that doesn't need any additional sugar although I swear some grains are sweeter than others. Maybe I should suss that out next time. *** Ugh, this is only the break in my crazy fortnight (now there's a word I never get to use). I'm shooting for entries on Tuesday and Sunday, but we'll see. My brain hurts just trying to organize my thoughts.

(from 20Feb12) I made oatmeal today. The regular Quaker kind in the big tub, with raisins and cinnamon. Sometimes I add Craisins. Let's get craaaazy [/sarcasm]. This mild winter has made me dread the end of hot cereal season. I just can't eat it in late spring/summer. March will probably do it for me. ***Update: I was right. Especially after we had that one day in March that was pushing 80. And after last week's 90s and 100s, I'm ready for September to start the hot cereal cycle again.

First, a catch-up entry from 17Feb'12: I wasn't supposed to write an entry today since it was a repeat cereal day, but I wanted to mention Ozarkland Hot Cinnamon Apple Syrup (I couldn't find a link anywhere; you can't buy it on their website) . I was worried it would be too spicy--and the cinnamon part does indeed taste like Red Hots--but the sweetness of the apple balances it out nicely. Can't wait to try this on french toast. **Update: I've tried it on everything since then--pancakes, regular waffles, blueberry waffles. French toast, though, was the ideal combination. There was something about the sweet-hot syrup and the crispy edges of sugary batter that worked out perfectly. Second bit of business: Guess what, I did it again. I picked up another box of Archer Farms cereal thinking it was granola. This time, Pumpkin Spice. So I mixed it with some Cascadian Farm oats & honey granola--which is great for mixing since the flavor isn't overpowering.

You may recall when I reviewed the new raspberry flavor that I mentioned a chemical smell--well, this time I opened the box and was immediately hit with the scent of berries. Recognizable berries. Or "berries", if you will. I imagine a My Little Pony that could smell like this. Actually, it took me back to a time, many years ago, when I was a kid trying out an awesome new cereal: Berry Berry Kix. Now there's a flavor I know I outgrew. Sigh. Some things you just can't get back. But you can move on. When this flavor of Mini-Wheats first debuted, I remember thinking it was a genius move. Instead of flavoring the frosted part (like the Blueberry and Strawberry flavors) stick the fruit in the middle! Why didn't they think of this sooner? Or maybe they did and it was a matter of execution. Anyway, to the cereal itself. It's supposed to be blueberry/strawberry but there's apple and grape in there too, I suppose to achieve just the right flavor. And it works

(Ugh, I hate being a day late but that's what happens when you overschedule your Tuesdays.) So, last weekend: On Saturday I made this zucchini oat bread for Sunday breakfast. This is the only zucchini bread I make; others taste more like a dinner accompaniment. I thought I knew this bread well enough to make it in my sleep but for the first time I forgot the nuts. It wasn't a big deal--all it lost was some crunch--but I shouldn't have overlooked that. Then on Sunday I was roped into making cookies for my sister. I didn't want to do it; I'd already planned on making a pie for the Fourth and oatmeal cookies the next week for travel purposes (I always travel with my own fiber!) but it's hard for me to say no when it comes to baking. I was determined to use ingredients I had on hand, which meant using up the last of the milk chocolate morsels. Chocolate chip cookies it is! I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House bag but at the suggestion of ano