The weather has turned blustery, shaking the remaining leaves from the trees and sending the chipmunks underground for their long winter’s nap. No frost yet, which is unusual at this time of year for us, but, the bitter winds have begun to blow and we’ve felt the first bite of sleet. The days are sliding, determinedly, into the deep cavern of winter. Dusk comes earlier each day.
This morning, however, the sun came up strong with its rays casting the most interesting of shadows that show themselves in the most dramatic ways this time of year.
It was a Cream of Wheat morning!
Cream of Wheat was often our breakfast growing up. Sometimes, we had it for lunch. It was so warm and good after the cold walk home from school for lunch, and was just the fuel needed to walk back. It was one of the first cereals I introduced Jennifer and Katy to as babies, feeding them with a long, silver baby spoon that had been a gift from my Aunt Christina.
It’s Cream of Wheat Weather, I repeat,
So guard your family with hot cream of wheat!
Cream of Wheat is a porridge; ground wheat, called farina. It is cooked with milk or water and just a little stirring makes the smoothest hot cereal imaginable. It was first introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and was manufactured for many years out of Minneapolis. Such things one learns from Wikipedia!
The Cream of Wheat people employed aggressive advertising campaigns almost from the start with cups and bowls and all sorts of things advertising their cereal. They also had such wonderful, now nostalgic, posters. The one above was done by N. C. Wyeth. The mailbox says Cream of Wheat on it.
I think I’ll just go get another bowl of Cream of Wheat.
Lifeonthecutoff's Blog 
Not that cold here where we are, but Cream of Wheat still sounds better than the cardboardy ‘adult cereal’ that we had this morning. A lot better! Gotta be cooked in milk though!
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I’m with you on the milk, Sallie. I always cook it with milk. It tasted so good in this morning’s chill.
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Here in sunny Southern California we’re actually having a Cream of Wheat day, too. Cold and rainy! I LOVE Cream of Wheat, and also was raised on it. It’s funny, too, that I don’t like milk and never add it to oatmeal, but I love Cream of Wheat cooked in it! I’m surprised that I don’t remember any of the advertising. I would not have forgotten the beautiful Wyeth poster, I’m quite sure. Thank you for introducing a bit of art and advertising history– completely new to me. And truth be told, I like Cream of Wheat for dinner every once in a while…and if I’m not watching calories too closely, a pat of butter melted on top is decadent! 🙂 Debra
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I cook oatmeal in water, the steel cut oatmeal, and add just a bit of milk along the edge, but, Cream of Wheat is always cooked in milk, like you do, Debra. A pat of butter would be grand. Melted? Bliss! I put just a bit of brown sugar on top. I do eggs and waffles for dinner, but, not Cream of Wheat. Another option. Yea! I’ll remember that, especially on the occasional evening I’m alone. Thank you.
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The Wyeth poster is so evocative, and I love that name ‘Cream of Wheat’. We didn’t have it here in New Zealand, but we did have ‘Creamota’ and also ordinary oatmeal porridge, which my dad made every morning. We would sprinkle raw sugar over it and pour a little milk on the top, and fill our bellies ready for the winter walk to school. Food carries such memories, doesn’t it?
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I looked up Creamota, Juliet. It sounds very tasty to me. I’ll use brown sugar on oatmeal, but, I imagine it is even better with raw sugar. Must try that.
Food does, Juliet, especially the simple, everyday food that brings family and home to minds.
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Ahhhh, Cream of Wheat, Quaker Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal — this evokes memories of all the warm breakfasts of childhood. I have an occasional bowl of oatmeal now, but cannot recall the last time I had Cream of Wheat.
We’ve had our first snow already–about 3″ accumulated from Thursday evening overnight into Friday. Of course, the ground isn’t cold enough yet to hold onto it, so it was gone by today, but the thermometer’s downhill pace has begun, and thoughts of warm breakfasts begin to hold some appeal. Maybe I’ll look for Cream of Wheat next trip to the supermarket.
I love old advertising in nearly any form; and the old artwork (hand-drawn and the like) is, in my mind at least, preferable to much of the computer-generated artwork of today’s ads. Of all the ads I’ve seen for this cereal, I don’t recall this one. It is lovely.
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I hope you have by now had a warm bowl of cereal, Karen. I don’t know why I don’t make this more as it is so easy and good. I also hope your snow has melted. Everything is looking pretty sad here, but, we still haven’t had a hard frost. Strange.
I do too. I actually found this one a few weeks ago and saved it, thinking I could use it in a post. Yesterday, it was a Cream of Wheat day and a poster just waiting for me. It was on an art site, and I can’t remember which one, but, if you google Cream of Wheat posters images all sorts of wonderful images pop up.
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Oh, yes! I heartily agree with all you “milk-with-Cream of Wheat” cookers! For me, brown sugar goes on oatmeal, white sugar goes on cream of wheat. SO comforting. Anybody like the lumps, or the slightly congealed skin if you leave it a bit?
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Growing up, we always had white sugar on Cream of Wheat, or no sweetner, Mike. Somewhere in time, I switched to brown, but white blends in so much better, doesn’t it? I don’t mind the lumps at all, and, from the looks of other comments, they like their lumps as well.
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Ha-As soon as I saw the title for your blog, I started singing the old Cream of Wheat song that I remember so well from my childhood. I love Cream of wheat! It is great with a little butter, a touch of salt and some milk. I didn’t know that people put sugar on any kind of cereal when I was a little girl until I went to Church camp and saw the other kids using it. Consequently, no sugar on my cream of wheat and raisins only to sweeten my oatmeal. I agree with spindriftmaine, I like the lumps.
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I’m the only one who doesn’t do a tab of butter. Hmmm. I should try that. I like raisins on my oatmeal as well, and even some nuts and berries. More of a purist with Cream of Wheat. Ah, the things learned in Church camp. I like my lumps as well, Janet.
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Penny you sure know how to make things cozy, cold wind, sleet – and you with your Cream of Wheat! I love it with brown sugar, butter and a tiny bit of milk!
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Ha! Thanks, Janet. I think I like to think I have some control over the weather. I don’t know why I don’t make Cream of Wheat more. Do you make the steel cut oatmeal? McCann’s? I guess what I’m asking is what do you eat when you are at your cottage in Ireland?
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The most Irish thing I eat in the cottage is brown soda bread I get fresh baked from The Pantry in Kilkee, along with their homemade raspberry jam. I have the jam and butter on the bread and always a cup of tea with it. As far as oatmeal goes, I rarely make any kind, Quaker Oats, steel cut or otherwise. And every once in awhile I get a taste for Cream of Wheat (like after reading this post) or – my REAL passion, Cocoa Wheats! – but rarely have it in the house. (I can turn Cocoa Wheats into a desert with the amount of butter and brown sugar I use!)
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Your Irish breakfast sounds heavenly, Janet. I know you’ve mentioned the brown bread before. Ha. I would need to stay away from the Cocoa Wheats for sure with the butter and brown sugar. Thanks for the response.
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Dear Penny, what an evocative poster. It so reminds me of the art of my childhood. Mom once served us Cream of Wheat for breakfast. But the texture of it in my mouth wasn’t pleasing and so I begged her to go back to our porridge with milk and nuts and raisins in it. I had it every day for breakfast until I was 18.
When I went away to college that year, Mom served porridge to my brother–who was still in high school. He looked up at her with those blue Irish eyes of his and said, “Mom, she’s gone now. Do we still have to eat this stuff?”
It was the first time she realized that he’d never like it. Now isn’t that a wonderful story about a wonderful brother? And he’s still the same. One of the gifts from the Universe to the world.
Peace
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I thought the same thing, Dee. I think things like oatmeal, porridge, Cream of Wheat, etc. become favorites when we are quite young and first introduced to them. What a sweet story of your brother; willing to put up with what was your favorite as long as you were at home. A wonderful brother, and a gift, indeed.
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We had advertisers like that here too, Penny: Horlicks, Oxo and so on. I remember seeing advertising posters from years before still stuck to the walls of the London Underground stations. Magical.
And now I just have to taste Cream of Wheat…
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One can still see remnants of advertising on the sides of brick walls, especially in the City of Chicago. Their faded appearance makes them al the more attractive – yes, magical. Hope you can find some Cream of Wheat to taste, Kate.
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Wow, looks like you’ve gotten a huge conversation going here (as always)! Thanks to you, I also grew up eating Cream of Wheat and I love it. I just had some the other day and almost called you to tell you I was eating it. I cooked it in water, which is still good, but I agree that it’s better with milk. I remember we always added brown sugar to it, but I’ve been trying honey lately and it’s also good, but lacks the same texture and the fun of mixing in the brown color. I’m glad so many others enjoy it too.
Maybe I can get a bowl of that delicious oatmeal when we’re home? (I’m still never to proud to ask my mommy to make me something good to eat 🙂 )
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Food and nostalgia (or is it nostalgia and food) brings on a good conversation. Add N.C. Wyeth and you have a blissful time, Kate. It is fine cooked in water, and less calories. I’ve not tried it with honey and will have to do that. I’m glad you are making it for yourself.
I think that can be arranged when you are home. I just opened up a can of McCann’s steel cut oats and your mommy would be happy to make you some.
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Yes, it does save calories, but also a bit of the flavor. I just had some again this morning after craving it all night after I read this 🙂
Mmmm, outmeal sounds good; I’ll look forward to it!
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