Cream Of Wheat: A Real Treat Or A Kitchen Nightmare

I cooked Cream of Wheat this morning. I really love this breakfast food because it’s filling and inexpensive. Plus, I’ve discovered that a box of the stuff lasts a few months, even when eaten daily. Okay, I admit that I ate it all the time in college and practically lived on the gruel in grad school. It was my version of Raman noodles. Still, it’s a great start to a long day, especially since I began adding in blueberries and cinnamon. Both ingredients really zip up the familiar flavor.

But Cream of Wheat is easy to blunder. When it cooks too long in the microwave, it boils over. I can’t count the number of times I wasn’t watching the time carefully and found my bowl nearly empty, with Cream of Wheat sticking all over the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the microwave like glue. Afterward, I had to give the microwave a good scrubbing. So I began to put a paper plate underneath the bowl to minimize a mess. The real trick, though, is stirring the mixture in the microwave every 30 seconds after the first minute of heating.

Then, after eating, wash the bowl out immediately.  Loosening leftover mix from the bowl later is a real workout. If it gets to that point, soak in hot water and scrub with a Dobie cleaning pad.

What you’ll need for 1 serving:

3 tablespoons Cream of Wheat mix  

¾ cup milk or ¾ cup of water

A fistful of blueberries

A pinch of cinnamon

1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute

Directions:

Mix Cream of Wheat and milk (or water) in a bowl.

Add blueberries.

Microwave for 1 minute. Stir the mixture. Then microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture again. It's best when the blueberries have popped. Depending on your microwave, it may need another 30 seconds. (And maybe another 30 seconds after that. Always stir before and after heating.) 

Stir before eating. It should not be too lumpy.

Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Enjoy!