Make the best bowl of Cream of Wheat you have ever had by following this suggested recipe. The recipe came about one morning when I remembered a “rule” of cooking my mother shared with me. “Always put garlic or vanilla in everything you make, but never together,” is what she had told me. My mother was taught to cook by my father after they married. She perfected her cooking over the course of several years as she raised and cared for the eight children they produced. As we grew up, we found our place in the kitchen, helping out and preparing meals to feed our large family.
Cream of Wheat was something that my mom made for me on occasion. She liked to serve it steaming hot, with a bit of sugar and creamy half and half. There is something very satisfying about it’s texture and the creamy smoothness. On a cold, rainy day, it warms you from the inside out. Wonderful to grab a good book at this point and enjoy them both immensely.
My take on this classic, comes from the directions on the box, with a bit of enhancement. I bring 1/2 water, 1/2 milk to a simmer. I add a dash of vanilla extract, and a pinch of ground nutmeg. The trick to a creamy finished cereal is to whisk the dry cereal vigorously into the simmering liquid. This will prevent lumps and bumps in its texture.
Cream of Wheat cooks quickly, and you can expect to have it ready inside of 5 minutes, start to finish. I like to finish mine with a generous spoonful of brown sugar and some cold milk. Adding the sugar to the hot cereal melts it rapidly, and the cold milk stirred into the cereal cools it slightly to an edible temperature. It’s raining outside…I think that makes for a perfect day to have a hot bowl of comfort.
