I have to pass this one on. I hope some can use it. Mix some Cream of Wheat in with Peach Oatmeal and make sure you use enough water to keep it from getting too thick. Nuke it for about a minute and a half. make sure it doesn't boil over by stopping it when it is coming to the top of the bowl,and stir. When it is to the right consistency, take it out and put some Ensure in it. I bet you will like the taste and enjoy it. Like that old cook says on TV. Ummmmmmmmmmmm good.

Sounds good, Jim. So, the instant Cream of Wheat?

John, you are right...for people who can eat those things. For some here, it's a little more complicated. I believe Jim was sharing something he came up with that tasted good. Since food choices are grossly limited, many of us are always on the look-out for new things to try.

It gets to be quite a challenge preparing meals for oral cancer patients who are not on a PEG. Foods and juices with even a mild acid content can be painful and irritating, bread can cause a choking hazard because of reduced salivation, chemotherapy and radiation can cause nasty changes in taste perception, and temperature can cause discomfort to sensitive tissues and structures. My husband won't go near ice cream, shakes, or protein drinks anymore--he had more than his fill of those things. Thankfully, he is back to eating normally now and,we hope, forever.

I see you are involved in catering! Maybe you can come up with some innovative things to prepare for oral cancer patients and share your ideas on the OCF forum! I, for one, sure would appreciate your help!!! Hummm...it might be a really good "Top Chef"-type challenge for one of the cooking shows that are so popular! Anyway...welcome to OCF.

Sandy

Sandy, yep the instant kind. Add some seedless red raspberries too. I forgot that and I add them to everythind and if I find very ripe strawberries, I USE THEM TOO.

Hi Jim, I love both Cream of Wheat and oatmeal. So, it sounds really good. I have boysenberries in my backyard. I can add them. That would be tasty!

Yikes! I think I scared one away! John (above) has disappeared and so did his post! I feel bad. I didn't realize I went a little overboard. That's me...if a little is good, a whole lot is better! Wrong.

Glad to see you on here. You know I miss you. I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!

Sandy:

What in the world are you doing up at 2:37 a.m. discussing breakfast.

julieann

I'd like to say I'm one to plan ahead...but, actually, I've got a bad case of insomnia.

Me, too Sandy! There should be a special club for us insomniacs.

Hi Anne-Marie! Yep! Seems like there are quite a few of us out there.

Hi Sandy
it wasn't you that frightened John off, he broke the rules and was removed by the moderators. I think he was promoting his catering business.

By the way what the devil is Cream of Wheat??? I think the thing you call oatmeal maybe what we call porridge or rolled oats but damned if I can figure out if Cream of Wheat even exists in Oz.

Karen

Hi Karen! Cream of Wheat is a hot cereal, kind of thick, with a fine granular texture, and is off-white in color. It's kind of like grits which is made of corn. But, it's made of...well...wheat. I'm not sure if grits is/are grits and Cream of Wheat is farina or if grits is/are farina. (Is there such thing as a grit? Is grits a plural of grit or is it just grits?--someone from The South in the US could answer that one.) I do know Farina was a character in "Lil' Rascals". Sorry, I've not slept...

I'm so glad John was booted...well, not glad. But, it's nice to know I didn't scare him away.

Born and raised in the Capital of the Confederacy. Grits and that's not plural for grit, it's just Grits, are made from ground up corn and boiled with water and salt. Not too runny, not too thick and usually served with breakfast topped with butter but my Mom used to let us put sugar on top which, then to me, they tasted more like Oat Meal with a slight crunch. A true Southern restaurant will serve you Grits with breakfast without you ordering it and you immediately bond with the owner as if you are related. Well maybe you are?

Karen - Cream of Wheat also comes in chocolate (at least during my "cream of wheat days"). Really good with a little sugar. As for grits, and as a transplanted southernized yankee, I'm not too keen on the taste. Some people here put sugar on it and others put butter and swirl it around with eggs from what I've observed.
When we first moved here, (having heard about "grits"), my then husband and I went to a restaurant for breakfast. When the waitress came, he said "I'll have one grit". (his wry sense of humor) Needless to say, he did not bond with the waitress - So you really cannot order just one. Sorry.

Thanks David for stating it is "grits are..." and not "grits is..." It was kinda bugging me.

Hmmm ... sounds kind of interesting. Seems it is not just the language that has its idiosyncracies. Your butter is white, and your cheese is orange, and now you tell me you mush corn with milk and butter to make goo!!! What colour are your eggs? Although I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed a "biscuit" even though it wasn't sweet, and certainly would not have gone well had I dunked it in my coffee. And the bacon ... how do you eat that stuff with a fork? Everytime I tried, it broke into little bits or shot off my plate to be pounced on by the neighbourhood cat, clearly used to tourists struggling to work it out. Strange folk, you Americans... Of course the only people in the Universe who would spread heavily salted yeast extract on their toast and call it food are the Australians...

Our butter is usually yellow and we have cheese that is white and we eat bacon with our fingers. The mashed corn, Grits, are mixed with some water and salt and then boiled to the correct consistency. Then we put a little butter on top to melt or we add some sugar to make it a sweeter side dish. Our traditional biscuits are served hot and we add butter and sometimes we pour a milk gravy on them. Our eggs are usually white with a yellow yoke. I think we are very much alike.

i myself like Grits with a pc of Am Cheese melted in and mixed around. Hmmm I think I may have some here at work, but no cheese. How bout Maypo? Anybody try that? got a box in the cupboard Ron's mom brought for him, but he never has eaten it of course...

@Karen: lol! Loved the part about the bacon! Green eggs...and ham. But, only if you are a Dr. Suess fan. Maybe someone from across the pond can explain haggis.

Sometimes I think regional favorites are regional for a reason!

@ Suez: Yes! Maypo! and Malt-o-Meal. What is in that stuff, anyway?!? Maple and farina? Malt and mystery grain? Grits with cheese...that would be good. But then, everything tastes better covered with cheese. IMO.

@ David: Yep! Biscuits and milk gravy, especially after cooking sausage for breakfast or chicken-fried steak (with mashed potatoes and fried okra.) I guess my Southern roots are showing! You're okay in my book!

My mother, always the stickler for table manners, taught me that a fork should be held in the left hand if you are using it to stab your food, and in the right if you are using it to scoop. She also had a rule that the only thing you could pick up with your fingers was food that had flown. So I suppose if you can pick up bacon with your fingers then pigs might fly...

I don't like grits but do cream of wheat and even coco wheats. Both make good add toos. Being raised with 7 siblings, fingers were the main way to get a bite of food. I'm glad I was 2nd oldest and had longer arms. LOL Our fingers were clean tho because we had to lick them before we sat down on the floor. LOL

hahaha!

Klo, we used our forks to satb fingers that reached for our food. LOL Were they actually used to pick up food???LOL You have me laughing.