Living in a Cereal World

So it's the time of year to experiment with pasta salad. Up now:  Soba Noodle Salad . Some firsts for me--I've never had soba noodles before, so the cooking method and texture were new experiences. I also don't really eat raw red pepper strips--cooked, sure, all the time--so I wasn't sure if I would like it. I should also mention here that it can be tricky to measure half a cup of julienned red bell pepper and snow peas; you'd be better off just cutting up the amount that you prefer. I, for one, could've used more. Overall it had a good flavor and did what I intended, which was to complement our  teriyaki pineapple turkey burgers . Now I'll be looking for other uses for soba noodles.

Yep, I finally opened it. I had a moment's hesitation before breakfast the other day--what if it's original dry Cheerios (my least-liked Cheerios)? But no, it has the typical slick coating of a Honey Nut Cheerios. In fact, it tastes just like it. So why not just add protein to Honey Nut Cheerios? Or all  Cheerios, for that matter. But anyway, back to this one. It looks to be two different grains in the Os but the ingredients list says it's just oats. Maybe only some are coated? I'll have to look more closely next time. And I didn't get many granola clusters in my first bowl but I'm assuming they're in there. This brings me back to my question, though, because now you have this, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch all encroaching on each other's flavor territory. I hope the Cinnamon Almond flavor brings something new to the table (so to speak).

I'm a big fan of Betty Crocker; I used to read various cookbooks for fun when I was a kid. Even though I didn't understand anything about cooking I'd still pick out dishes and put them together as meals. So I don't eschew Betty Crocker now in favor of more "upscale" recipe sources--if I see something I want to try, I'll do it. Such was the case with  Mozzarella Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts . I'm always looking for new ways to cook chicken, and who doesn't like stuffing foods inside other foods? It's pretty straightforward: butterfly the chicken breasts, spread with pesto, line with mozzarella, seal tight with toothpicks. I did not anticipate the finished product having mozzarella oozing out of both ends but it was  visually appealing. The only thing you might want to consider is adding more flavor to the bread crumbs--Italian seasoning, maybe? Play with it, you'll figure it out. ********* I did something new yesterday: I put blueberri

So I mentioned  recently  that my dad and I both spoiled Father's Day breakfast by having pancakes the week before--today we made up for it. The  Blueberry Blossom Pancake  was worth the wait. They're thinner than the buttermilk pancakes I usually make but there's so much to the recipe that you don't really need a thicker pancake (and you don't have to worry about raw batter in the middle). First, don't skip the streusel. It is sweet, buttery and an important component. Second, don't skip the blueberry syrup, either. It doesn't take any real amount of time to toss some maple syrup and blueberries in a blender. I will confess, though, that you almost don't need syrup. The pancakes practically melt in your mouth, and the blueberries provide their own juices. There's nothing like poking a hot berry and watching the juice run everywhere. But don't spear it so hard it bursts on your clothes. Ugh, blueberry stains. Oh, and follow the direction

Ugh, this morning. I don't want to get into details, but let's just say it involved multiple spiders. So after adding that to my pre-breakfast chore list I thought, screw it, I'm opening the Berry Blossoms. I've been looking for them for months and found them by chance last weekend. I was supposed to be buying  Fiber One frosted shredded wheat  (this was  the last place in town still selling it) but alas, it looks like I'll be sending this one to the Cereal Graveyard. They must have had to make room for the Fiber One/Cheerios protein cereals. As I walked past the Kashi section I just happened to notice Berry Blossoms were on sale, so that was a no-brainer. As for the cereal itself, it's the same grain mixture and shape as  Honey Sunshine  but with a vague berry flavor that you can't really pin down. It reminded me of a more subtle Berry Berry Kix. I think I may actually like it more  than Honey Sunshine.

...this time with the addition of chickpeas. I came across this  Orzo with Chickpeas  recipe in my collection--I guess I missed it the first time around--and jumped at the chance to use orzo again. I was worried about the dish not being filling but I'm not sure why; chickpeas should fill you up easily. The only issue I had was accidentally picking up Mediterranean Herb feta instead of the regular kind but it just added more flavor. And as usual, herb adjustments will be necessary next time.

(Yes, I am just now getting around to opening the box. I've been away!) First things first, it's always a good idea to look at the front of a box before deciding to try a cereal. I know this sounds obvious but I was really caught off guard. I thought this cereal was chocolatey  almond, meaning chocolatey chunks mixed with almonds (not unlike  Chocolatey Strawberry ). But no, they meant chocolate, which in this case is cocoa-dusted multigrain flakes. I guess that counts. Also, that's not really my chocolate speed. Don't get me wrong, it tastes good, but I'm not always in the mood for that much chocolate flavor. It even turned my milk chocolate-flavored! It's like Cocoa Krispies for grown-ups (although I'm sure some would argue Cocoa Krispies already fits that bill. You know what I mean). So I'll just keep mixing this little by little until I finish it. Hopefully with some Cheerios Protein soon.

I made my annual  Midwest sojourn early this year--that's why I haven't updated in a week-- and stayed in the same place as last year so there isn't much to report in the breakfast department. I did  remember to bring my own granola down with me so I could eat yogurt the first day. The second day we went out for breakfast. I had blueberry pancakes, which I had been planning to make from scratch for Father's Day, so I think I'll push those back a week (my dad also had pancakes, so I don't feel too bad about it). The third morning I had oatmeal from the vat with the usual toppings but I seriously considered having coconut and almonds instead. Maybe next time. ****** Still looking for Cheerios Protein. I've seen it advertised but not yet in stores.

(I warned you I can't stay away from the lame puns.) I put Mother's Day meals off for a week so my sister could partake and it was a good thing I did because otherwise I don't know what we would've done with all the extra brioche. Why did I have brioche? To make  Strawberry French Toast , of course. I had intended to make this recipe with regular unsliced white bread (that would've looked like the picture) but I couldn't find any, so I went with the brioche instead. Actually, you know what? It might have been challah. It was definitely a braided egg bread and perfect for French toast (and labeled that way--"egg bread for French toast"). At any rate, the shape made it a little tricky to cut pockets but I managed to stuff about four strawberry slices per half. And the egg and milk mixture was delicious with the (say it with me) cinnamon . I'm seriously thinking about making my regular French toast that way. The most important thing was that my