Living in a Cereal World

It's crazy how the temperatures aren't even going to be that low this week but it was still suitable weather for hot cereal this morning.  Special K Nourish  hot cereal is actually multigrains: oats, barley, wheat, and quinoa (which I didn't even notice, taste- or texture-wise). They come in packs of two and someone (ahem) just had to mention: "You know you're paying for the packaging." I couldn't think of a snappy comeback at the time, so I'll just say to you readers: I'm taking one for the team. This way I can say "Don't waste your money," or "Wait 'til it goes on sale." Anyway, what I liked first of all was that the nuts were packaged separately, unlike in  Quaker Real Medleys . Maybe the consumer is allergic to almonds (I believe they were almonds) or, like me, wasn't in the mood for nuts. I also wasn't in the mood to prep according to the "preferred method" so I went with the microwave option. It...

Okay, so this isn't that much different from  Greek Honey Crunch  in terms of components but it did  pass the smell test. Meaning when I opened the box and sniffed it smelled like berries. I know I've already said before how I don't like being overwhelmed by berry scent (and taste) but I still want it to be there. It's in the name so it's kind of important. I did want to point out one flavor quirk that I like: somehow they've managed to keep the berry flavor off the flakes. They just taste like a basic sweetened flake. All the berry flavor? It's in the yogurt clusters where it belongs. I'm still thinking on it but I believe I prefer this variation to the original. Oh, hey, I just read my previous entry that I linked to above. Ask and I shall receive again. Freaky.

Are you ready for some hot cereeeeallll? Because I am. Even though it's still reaching the low- to mid-70s this week, I'm already thinking traditional hot Fall foods, comfort foods. Two new products I'll be trying:  Special K Nourish  (linked to the flavor I just bought) and  Dole Fruit & Oatmeal . Dole will stick fruit just about anywhere, won't they? And soup! Can't wait to get the soup pot out again. I try to rotate recipes, so I know there's some I made two years ago that I didn't get to last year. And there's other new ones, too. Next week, for example... I am getting disproportionately excited about this. Don't forget I'm always incorporating new cereals, too.

After the intense berry-ness of  my last granola , I wanted something a little lighter. I'd already noticed that Target has this new line,  Simply Balanced , and while I still haven't figured out if it's totally replacing Archer Farms, I do appreciate the attempt to go more organic and get rid of some of the processed junk (although you can only do so much; it is  still a packaged food). Anyway, I decided to go with the vanilla bean for my first. A simple flavor; let's see what you've got. The answer is...tricky. My first bite didn't taste much like anything, only the yogurt I had with this. The second bite, though, tasted like a Rice Krispies Treat. Sold! Even if the flavor goes in and out, you can't go wrong with "tastes like something else I shouldn't eat every day.' I guess this means I'll have to try the other flavors, too...

Just take the  original honey roasted  granola and add raspberries. No, I'm kidding. I can get a few more sentences out of this. There's no dried raspberries or anything like that. The quality that strikes me the most is the berry flavor. It's so  berry flavored it's almost too berry flavored. I had this with some strawberry yogurt the other day and flashed back to the time I tried Trix yogurt (waaaaay back when it first came out). So so berry. So, yeah, if you eat it with the right yogurt, it's pretty good. But it's already influenced my next granola purchase: something more mild. You'll see in a few weeks.

Yes, I know, three days in a row, but I need to record these things for posterity. Today's entry: I think I've found my go-to  pound cake . It all started when I misplaced May's issue of Cooking Light (I had a lot going on that month). Then, when I found it, I made a mental note to try the pound cake recipe sometime. One week later, I made the  peach jam , which I believe mentioned pound cake as a serving option. Put two-and-two together: dessert time! If you've ever made a traditional pound cake then you should know: you can't even tell the difference. Honestly. I noted the lighter consistency of the batter while stirring but the finished product is all pound cake. It's sweet, a little crunchy on the outside, and slid out of the Bundt pan perfectly. And it's to die for with the peach jam and a little whipped cream. I can't wait to try it again, either with the strawberry sauce or the marbled variation.

This is Kashi's take on Mini-Wheats' Touch of Fruit in the Middle. I had a little bit of the raspberry flavor left, not enough to make a bowl, so I thought I'd get the Kashi version and compare the two. The most obvious difference is that Berry Fruitful isn't frosted. But you know what? It doesn't even need it. The centers of the (darker, it must be noted) wheat biscuits are so stuffed with berry puree that you don't need any other sweeteners. This is actually kind of genius. I was pleasantly surprised again . I'm not going to stop eating Mini-Wheats but Kashi is now two for two.

...And we're back. I actually had four breakfasts while I was away because my brother convinced me to get breakfast for dinner one night. Since when does Bob Evans serve breakfast all day? Anyway, omelet and toast, no big deal. What we're here for is how the lactose intolerant survive at a hotel breakfast bar for three days. Pretty easily, actually. Of course, cereal was out of the question, but the choices weren't that great anyway: Kashi GoLean, granola (at least they had yogurt), Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes. But to my delight they had the Quaker Oatmeal vat! I don't know what the technical term is but that's what I like to call it. One full scoop is all you need for a serving. For toppers they had raisins, yogurt raisins, Craisins, brown sugar, some kind of nuts, and a sixth thing that I don't remember (sorry!). I had already settled on Craisins and brown sugar, so everything else departed from my mind. I also had a piece--probably halved--of banana brea...

Well. it's time for my annual Midwest sojourn. I'm staying at a different place this time but it's a place I've been to before. If memory serves, it has a better breakfast bar than last year's place so I'm hoping for an interesting breakfast outcome. I'll be sure to recap next Tuesday. See you then!

Well, it's September 1st. The end of peach season is upon us. So I found this recipe for refrigerator peach jam and I simply had to try it. Mostly because it doesn't require canning. Canning is one of those things I don't really want to learn, sorry. But if I had a friend who did it, I would totally be over at their house, hey, you prep the jars, I'll bring the recipes! But anyway. A few notes: yes, add the vanilla (or bourbon), even though it's optional. It won't be over-flavored. Two, my peaches were probably sufficiently broken down in seven minutes; I let it go the full ten. If you don't really want big peach slices in your jam, now's the time to break them up a little; use whatever spoon you had for stirring. Oh, and the jam will thicken as it stands. Thanks, tapioca!   This morning we tried out the jam on these baking powder biscuits from my mom's old (like twenty-five years-ish) Betty Crocker cookbook. They weren't bad, but we both ag...