Recently, I ordered a bunch of different flours, grains ands beans from Bob’s Red Mill in order to expand my horizons and cut some of the white flour out of my diet. Though I am familiar with quinoa and have cooked with the grain, I’d never used the flour.

A few nights ago, I announced to the kids that I was serving waffles for dinner. The news was greeted with cheers and hand clapping. Unfortunately, the excitement came to a sudden halt when Mini Whipped took her first bite. Sadly, my 3-year old has been tonguewashed (like brainwashed but in your mouth) by the addicting, artificial flavor of Eggos.

Luckily, both Mr. Whipped and I enjoyed the quinoa waffles. They are fluffy with nice, crunchy edges and have a nutty flavor. Because the recipe made more than expected, I stored a few in the fridge and a half dozen in the freezer.

This morning, I popped a leftover waffle in the toaster oven. The nutty taste inspired my plan to lather peanut butter into the waffle divots and where I spread peanut butter, I almost always place bananas. Since we were rushing to get out the door to school, the waffle was folded in half and became a sandwich. I was so pleased with my new breakfast, I stopped to snap a quick photo so I could tell you all about it.

Truly, I noticed a positive difference in my energy all morning. It was mostly thanks to the protein-rich quinoa married with peanut butter and bananas but also in part due to my excitement in having discovered a new, favorite breakfast treat.

Quinoa Waffles
from Quinoa, The Everyday Superfood

Makes about eight 8-inch round waffles.

2 1/4 cups quinoa flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp white or cane sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine the quinoa flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs, milk, water, oil and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add the two mixtures together, mixing well. Grease a waffle iron and preheat it. Proceed with waffle cooking.

Waffles will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer in a sealed container for 4 weeks. Reheat in the microwave or toaster oven.

This recipe is not for everyone. But, it is well suited for:

1. Those who like to drink their breakfast.
2. Those who love oatmeal.
3. Those who may have had a bit too much to drink the night before.

I am always a #2. I invented this recipe a few months ago when I was also a #3. Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts and I usually like it in a bowl with varied toppings. This drinkable version was schemed up when (the morning after this wine tasting) I need a little something warm and soothing to sip.

A coffee shop in my neighborhood that has since closed used to feature an oatmeal latte. I never ordered one but I liked the idea. I saw the barista steaming the milk with oatmeal right in the pitcher resulting in a foamy, thick drink. Because we eat a lot of oatmeal for breakfast, I usually have leftover cooked cereal in the fridge. I first blended the cold cereal and milk together, added flavorings and then microwaved it in a mug. What happened when it heated was a surprise.  A thick layer of foam formed on top of the mug. I adorned the oatmeal froth with a bit more cinnamon, grasped the warm mug and sipped away, filling my stomach with comfort.

This may seem obvious but because there is oatmeal inside, though blended, you can expect some chunkier sips. Play around and flavor your oatmeal cappuccino with the same things you stir into your bowl of oatmeal. Try making one for your kids – my toddler loves sipping oatmeal cappuccinos (without espresso, of course!).

If this concoction doesn’t sound good to you now, bookmark this page. There may be a Sunday morning in your future when it will come in handy.

Oatmeal Cappuccino

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal (I usually use cold, leftover oatmeal)
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 shot of espresso (optional)
sprinkle  of cinnamon

Blend all ingredients together in a blender for a minute or so. Pour into a mug but be sure it is not full a the mixture “grows” as it is heated. Warm in the microwave for a minute or until hot. If you are adding espresso, pour in a shot. Top with an extra sprinkling of cinnamon if you like.

This week is my first stint as the preschool “snack mom.” With a $40 budget, I need to bring 28 servings of a peanut-free snack to school each day. Per usual, I never like to take the easy route, so my initial plans involved some very elaborate recipes. I underestimated the amount of work in preparing 28 snacks for five days in a row while managing Mini Whipped, taking care of a kamikaze, danger-seeking 9-month old, and maintaining my normal work duties.

I also have a bit of learning to do about how picky many children are. We have the good fortune of having two good eaters. Baby Whipped recently put her hand straight into my bowl of chili and gobbled up the beans and ground turkey, which signaled the end of me preparing any special meals for her.  When Mini Whipped and I brainstormed snack week ideas together, I had to delicately shoot down her plans for cup of cold black beans or her favorite molasses bran muffins. Not only was I quite sure that many kids would not like her selections but I figured that the teachers wouldn’t appreciate the extra doses of fiber.

Blueberry muffins seemed like a strong start to win over the tough 28 customers. I didn’t have a standby recipe so I turned to my new favorite cookbook, The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. I chose the Blueberry Swirl Muffin recipe as I knew that Mini Whipped would have a grand time serving as my “swirl expert.

The muffins were pretty and though a bit more dense than I anticipated, the crumb was good and the flavor heightened by the swirl. On Monday, I stayed at school until mid morning when the debut snack was served. Many children were thrilled to spy the muffins on the tables exclaiming, “muffins are my favorite!” As I approached the 3-year old table, where Mini Whipped had confidently taken the head seat, reviews were mixed. A few boys had pushed it away and one had exclaimed that he wanted pretzels instead.

The teacher thoughtfully brought out ziplock bags for the kids who couldn’t finish their entire muffin so that they could bring them home. I think they were being respectful of my homemade creation.

As I prepared to leave and gave Mini Whipped a kiss goodbye, she hugged me tight and whispered in my ear, “You made a really good snack mom.”

Melt.

Blueberry Swirl Muffins
Makes 12 muffins.

Lemon-Sugar Topping:
1/3 cup (21/3 ounces) sugar
1½ teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Muffins:
2 cups (about 10 ounces) fresh blueberries, picked over
1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups (12½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (see note)
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.

2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining 11/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.

5. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

You may no longer be able to get your hands on stalks of rhubarb, which would make baking these muffins pretty tough. This video was made over a month ago and it took me too long to get it uploaded and posted. Now, I am afraid it is out of season.

The truth is, it wasn’t just the uploading that delayed me. I have been self conscious about the videos I’ve been making because I see what a major dork I am when I try to “say the right thing” on camera. Making videos isn’t easy!  I have decided that the bloopers actually make me feel the most comfortable. And, laughing at the mistakes and messes feels the  most like me.  Though I have given many presentations and don’t feel uncomfortable in front of 1,000 people in person, the digital eye unnerves me a bit.

Because I love a challenge and feel an itch to conquer things that are hard for me, I will likely keep making videos in the hopes that it will get easier or that I will lose my inhibitions and be more like me throughout the whole video, not just during the bloopers. And whenever necessary, I will bring Mini Whipped on set as she is truly the talent of the family.

Back to the delicious muffins, which inspired the video in the first place. When we first moved into our house a few years ago, our new neighbor surprised us with this warm, rhubarb bread. I later learned that they have an enormous patch of rhubarb growing in their garden. Our second summer, the neighbors gave us some of the perennial plant to grow in our yard. We have enjoyed a few harvests but the plants are not big enough yet to yield more than a cup or so of chopped rhubarb.

This summer, the neighbors tackled a large construction project leaving them without access to their kitchen for months. To keep their plants producing, I was invited to a massive harvest. Twice, I cut, cleaned and chopped dozens of red and green stalks. Some of it went into the freezer and the rest of it was cooked with strawberries, baked under crisp topping or stirred into muffins and breads.

For those who aren’t familiar with rhubarb, it is a vegetable. Only the stalks are edible.  Eaten raw, they are so sour, you would never guess it could become a delectable treat. Baked into muffins like these, the rhubarb becomes slightly tart, moist pockets of deliciousness.

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

Streusel:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 Tbs melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg. Beat in flour and sour cream alternately until blended. Mix in vanilla. Stir in rhubarb chunks. Grease muffin tins and fill with batter.

For topping, mix togehter sugar, cinnamon and oats. Stir in melted butter. Sprinkle atop each muffin.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until center just bounces back when touched.

I have been on the search for the perfect pumpkin bread recipe for awhile. This is very good but it didn’t end my quest for the best of the best. After a recent search online, I wondered how I could have missed this Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread, which has five out of five stars and over 4,700 reviews. Usually, I tinker with recipes based on my intuition but with that much praise, I figured that I better try it just as Laurie Bennett posted it.

My search is over. I am not sure what else one could ask from pumpkin bread. In the future, I may use fresh roasted pumpkin puree. I might play around with reducing the sugar or adding some whole wheat flour if I am on a health kick. Onn occasion stirring in chocolate chips or nuts might feel right. Overall, for a decadent bite with a moist crumb, a good balance of spice and pumpkin flavor, this is it.

Not only did I enjoy the flavor of the bread but I love that the recipe yields 3 loaves. I only had two loaf pans on hands so I made the two loaves and about eight muffins. We devoured the muffins, brought one loaf to my neighbors and the other went into the freezer for later (wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil).

Don’t leave pumpkin in November. This recipe deserves consideration through the winter and early spring.

Other Pumpkin Taste Treats:
Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake
Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Soup
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
from Allrecipes.com

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Some days we choose a letter to focus on and I devise a bunch of projects and fun activities to help Mini Whipped learn about the chosen letter. Before breakfast the other day, we began talking about things that started with the letter E. We toured the house on an “E” word hunt. For some reason, focusing on the eggs in the refrigerator reminded me of an old art project I loved that involved blowing out the egg centers and painting the shells. Mini Whipped took her usual place perched on the counter and stared dumbfounded as I broke the shells gently with a thumb tack at each end and showed her how to blow the whites and yolks out of the shell.

After she took a few turns, we were left with a bowl of eggs with broken yolks and clean shells to paint after breakfast. Usually, the little lady turns her nose up at scrambled eggs but since the yolks were forcibly burst through the small hole in the egg, we had no choice. Mini Whipped loves quesadillas so I decided to try to distract her from the egg’s scrambled form by sandwiching it inside a folded flour tortilla. I am a bit more partial to tacos so my scrambled eggs were paired with corn tortillas. A little cheese, black beans, sour cream and cilantro and we had ourselves a completely unexpected, scrumptious breakfast.

If you are a parent with little kids, you may be interested in the book that first led me to our “letter day” activities. When Baby Whipped (7 months) was born, my extraordinary mom gave us a book called Extraordinary Parents: Choosing Your Child’s Future by Lynn Fielding. The title is a bit of a turn off as it sounds like a calling to be one of those intense mom’s overly focused on every moment of a child’s over programmed life. But, it has interesting information about getting your child started on learning early in order to set them up for success in school and later life. Most of all, I have enjoyed the ideas for educational games, which Mini Whipped (age 3) loves.

Egg Shell Painting

Make a small hole with a pin on the top and bottom of your eggs. The bottom hole will need to be slight bigger to get the egg through. Put your mouth around the top hole and blow. It is pretty hard, you will have to blow a few times and forcefully enough to break the yolk through the bottom shell.  Run water through the egg to thoroughly clean the inside of the shell. You can then paint the shells or decorate them. You can also make ornaments. Use a long needle and some thread or yarn and knot the bottom  (or tie a bead on the the bottom) and push it up through the bottom hole and the top hole.

I know that blogger and blog reader relationships are not traditional friendships. Of course, I have never had a chance to drop off some fresh baked cookies, cook for you, or debate a hot topic over the dinner table. But, we are not exactly strangers either. Today, I treat you like a friend as I am going to ask you for a favor. I would really, really love to go to Portland, Oregon and compete in the Bob’s Red Mill Spar for the Spurtle contest. Why?  Well, I adore Bob’s Red Mill and I would love to meet this wonderful man who gave his multi-million dollar company to his employees. Also, my best pal lives in Portland and she and I could really use a visit with each other right now.

Though votes on this web page don’t guarantee a win, they help. And, since I am blatantly self-promoting today, I will just say that the recipe is pretty yummy. 

How did I come upon the idea for Chocolate Maple Oatmeal Topped with Bacon? I always loved warm, chocolate breakfast cereal. My mom often made oatmeal or Malt O Meal. Occasionally, we were treated to CoCo Wheats. When I heard about the Spar for the Spurtle, I knew the time had come to create a new, updated version of chocolate breakfast cereal. Pure maple syrup is my go-to for breakfast sweetening so it was an obvious choice. As for the bacon? Well, I have to entirely credit my friend Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut-Chocolat for that idea. Her bacon and chocolate creations have revolutionized chocolate as we know it. She has taught me that salty, smokey bacon is a near perfect match for all things chocolate.

Though Mini Whipped requested I leave the bacon off her bowl, she asked for seconds of the Chocolate Maple Oatmeal. Matter-of-fact, she wanted to eat it again for dinner the next night. So, it is seemingly kid-friendly and though it tastes decadent, this recipe is not that bad for you! Steel cut oats are loaded with health benefits as is dark chocolate. You can substitute the milk for water if you eat dairy-free. And, I believe that this recipe is gluten-free too.

Okay, enough plugs… thank you for putting up with all my self-promotion today. I will get back to the kitchen and eat some humble pie.

Chocolate Maple Oatmeal Topped with Bacon
Makes 4 servings

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats
1 Tablespoon butter (or bacon fat)
Pinch of sea salt
3 cups boiling water
1/2 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Valrhona)
4 Tablespoonds pure maple syrup
4 pieces of bacon, cooked until crispy
cream (optional)

Melt butter (or bacon fat) in a sauce pan. Add the oats and toast them for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. You will smell an aroma like popcorn when they are ready. Add the boiling water and reduce heat. Water and oats should be bubbling slightly at the proper temperature. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add a healthy pinch of sea salt and 1/2 cup milk and continue stirring for 5 minutes. The liquid should be mostly absorbed and the oats should be soft. Turn off the heat. Stir in the cocoa powder and syrup.

Spoon the Chocolate Maple Oatmeal into serving bowls. Top with coarsely chopped bacon. Drizzle with cream.

I have an unwritten list of food-related “to dos” in my head. This year, making homemade granola for the first time was one of them. Others include starting a compost pile, canning something for the first time (possibly pickles from cucumbers I grow in my garden) and making homemade phyllo dough in the Whipped kitchen. Though he doesn’t know it (until he reads this), I have a few plans for Mr. Whipped too. I would like him to try grilling fish on a cedar plank and start making homemade sausage again.

Everyone in the Whipped household loves granola sprinkled on yogurt with fresh fruit. It’s as easy as a bowl of cereal but so much more satisfying. Our favorite store-bought brand is Bear Naked Banana Nut granola but it is expensive and when we buy a bag, it goes too fast. Making a weekly bin of granola, like Kickpleat of Everybody Loves Sandwiches and Poppytalk does, seemed like a good practice for our brood. Since Kickpleat inspired me, it made sense to start with her Everyday Granola.

My granola planning began with a trip to the bulk food bins at Wholefoods. I was eagerly anticipating the trip, fondly remembering how I used to love the process of shopping from bins of any kind. Finding the numbers and writing on the twist ties as well as unloading the bulk foods into containers at home appealed to the same part of me that loved playing “office” as a kid. Though I am a cluttered person, the process of organizing and sorting brings me pleasure.

About half way through my granola ingredient buying experience, I realized that my current life circumstances have changed my appreciation for bulk food buying. Always short on time, I found the hunting and searching for the right items, missing pens, buried scoops and broken twist ties stressful and aggravating. I don’t want to be one of those grumps that is always in a stressed rush but running a business, limited babysitter hours and the management of a household and two kids has its challenging realities.

Once home with my thin, overly large, rustling bags of seeds and grains, Mini Whipped and I set about untying twist ties and mixing up our first batch of granola. The preparation is very kid-friendly as it basically requires just mixing everything together. A large bowl, lots of ingredients and a wooden spoon make for a happy toddler with well-directed energy.

When Mini Whipped went to bed, I baked the granola, stirring occasionally as directed. After it cooled, I stored it in a few tupperware containers where it awaited our breakfast routine. The next morning, we filled our bowls with yogurt, topped it with a heap of our homemade granola and adorned our creation with fresh berries. Delicious. Satisfying. Our first batch of granola has lasted more than a week.

Next up? I heard Lottie + Doof’s granola is a standout. Then I might head over to Coconut and Lime for her Almond Cherry Coconut Granola.

Everyday Granola
from Everybody Loves Sandwiches
3 1/2 c organic large-flake rolled oats
1/2 c wheat germ
1/4 c flax seed
3 T ground flax seed
1 1/2 c dried shredded coconut
1 c walnuts, roughly chopped
1 c almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 c sunflower seeds
2 T cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
large pinch each of cardamom and nutmeg
1/2 t of kosher salt
1/4 c canola oil
1/4 c apple sauce
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325ºF. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. In another bowl, stir the oil, applesauce, brown sugar, honey and vanilla together until it emulsifies somewhat. Pour the wet over the dry ingredients and stir well so that everything gets evenly coated.

Spread mixture on a baking sheet or large glass baking pan and toast in a 325 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, checking on it and stirring it occasionally until mixture is dry. When cool, store in a tightly lidded container.

Are we on the downward slope of the bacon trend? Maybe. Afterall, it was over 3 years ago that Katrina of Vosges Haut-Chocolat first took bacon off the breakfast plate and into her famous Bacon Chocolate Bar. These days, nearly all things come in vanilla, chocolate and bacon. From bacon ice cream to bacon pudding, this smokey, salty delight is the “it” food on dessert menus. Bacon is so now, you can find loads of novelty wear expressing your love for the salty pork. You can even dress your wounds with bacon band aids.

Since it is impossible NOT to have bacon on the mind, I find myself cooking with it more than ever. A few days ago, when preparing some cinnamon rolls for house guests, I had the idea to roll a few strips of bacon right up into the swirl rather than serving it alongside with eggs. You know what they say… everything tastes better with bacon.  And most of the time, “they” are right.

The crunchy edge of bacon peeking out from the curves of the spiral was inviting. The smokey, bacon aroma mingled well with the fresh baked dough. And, the salty pork bites were a good complement to the sweet, buttery cinnamon filling.

I must admit that simply taking bites of a crunchy strip of bacon alongside these rolls would have the same delectable result. But if you want to live the bacon craze, impress some guests or serve these outside of a full breakfast presentation, the extra preparation is worth it.

Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
Makes about 15 rolls

1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups bread flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
15 strips of good smoked bacon
Cinnamon Filling (see recipe below)
Frosting (optional)

CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons ground cinnamon

In a large bowl or in the bowl of a 5 quart stand mixer, combine all the ingredients in the order given except the bacon and Cinnamon Filling and the Butter Frosting. Using a dough hook of a stand mixer, mix everything together until a soft dough forms, about 10 minutes. Without a stand mixer, turn dough onto a lightly oiled surface and knead for 10 minutes. Put the dough in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

Butter a 9×13×2-inch baking pan and an 8 inch square pan; set aside. After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15×24-inch rectangle. Brush the 1/2 cup softened butter over the top of the dough with a rubber spatula. Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar well in a separate bowl. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over the butter. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal.

With a knife, lightly mark roll into 1 to 1/2 inch sections. Use a sharp knife (I like to use a serrated knife and saw very gently) to cut sections. Place cut side up in buttered pan. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.

Hot cereal has been a standby breakfast in our house this winter. Often on the weekends, I doctor up the usual with a little something special. This morning’s selection was extraordinarily pleasing. The scent of vanilla, the burst of fresh berries, the crunch of granola and a side of cinnamon toast were all anchored by a mound of creamy, warm cereal seven grain cereal.

Sometimes a good breakfast really can take your day and shove it off in the right direction. That is exactly what the aromas, textures, flavors and warmth from this meal did for me today. Mr. Whipped and Mini Whipped seemed equally enchanted. He bundled up and headed out to shovel the new fallen snow while the little one remained snug in her pink-striped footie jammies quietly playing with puzzles on the living room rug.

With the bright, white snow outside and Sunday morning sun streaming in our living room window, I took a half hour to escape into the travel section of the weekend Wall Street Journal. Over 8 months pregnant, with a toddler playing at my feet, this dreamy perusal of far off places can be tortuous. The cover photos promised a colorful weekend in Austin, Texas, a city they describe as “one, long Sunday afternoon.” *sigh* Spiked beers, honky-tonk dance halls, pork belly sliders, walls of colorful cowboy boots and moseying… lots and lots of moseying.

When Mr. Whipped came in from the cold, I called out, “once the baby is old enough and we have someone who can watch the kids, maybe you can whisk me off to Austin, Texas for a weekend?” He replied enthusiastically, “Yeah, maybe when you are done breast feeding, that would be a great treat.” A quick calculation, in my mind determined that would put as at spring of 2012 and for just a slight moment, I considered putting the satisfaction of my wanderlust ahead of my unborn child.

(thought bubble)
hmmm… maybe I won’t breast feed for a whole year this time. Six months would be fine. That could get us to Austin to buy some new cowboy boots and drink tequila by mid Fall.

The truth is, I know my reality is its own dream in so many ways. A healthy family, wonderful friends, loving parents and jobs to support ourselves. Though I will keep dreaming of escapades to far off places, I am also still finding great satisfaction in a warm bowl of hot cereal.

Hot Cereal with Blueberries and Granola
You can use your favorite hot cereal, just adjust cooking liquid according to package directions.

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 7 Grain Cereal
1 cup milk
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
fresh blueberries
your favorite granola
brown sugar
splash of cream or milk

Put 1 cup milk, 2 cups water and salt in a pan and heat until nearly boiling. Add the cup of cereal and reduce heat and cover. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally until thickened. Stir in the vanilla. Put cereal in bowls and sprinkle with brown sugar, granola, blueberries and an extra splash of cream or milk.

I also made some cinnamon sugar toasts to eat alongside. Butter some good bread and sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Toast in the oven or toaster oven until crunchy.