Hot cereal was part of the breakfast plan when I was growing up. The most common hot cereal at our home was coarse ground wheat. Mom would prepare it in a double boiler so that it was warm and soft without having to be tended, but it could also be made in a saucepan. Water was added to the grain with a bit of salt and the cereal cooked. On occasion we also had oatmeal, cream of wheat, Malt O Meal, and other cereals. We called the wheat cereal “Salisbury Cereal.” Salisbury was my mother’s sister’s married name. Their farm produced hard red winter wheat and we got wheat from the farm. My mother had a mill to grind flour that also could be set to grind the cereal. The wheat from the farm was free to our family and we used to haul it home in 30-gallon garbage cans.

The rule in our house was that hot cereal was for the school year. We got to have cold cereal in the summer. Occasionally cold cereal was available as a special treat. For example, we always got small, individual serving boxes of cold cereal in our stockings at Christmas.

Breakfast was a big meal in our home. We weren’t limited to the cereal. There were always eggs and toast available and some days there was bacon or sausage. Pancakes and French toast were often on the breakfast menu.

I still love a big breakfast, but if I ate eggs and bacon with fried potatoes for breakfast every day I’d have to skip lunch and cut back on dinner to keep from gaining weight. Prudence and a bit of experience has taught me to cut back except on special occasions. When I have cereal I don’t go on to have other things for breakfast. I still enjoy cooking breakfast when we have guests and I save the breakfast meats and waffles for times when we have company.

I’m sure that people have been eating cold oatmeal for years, but I just discovered it within the last year. It is simple to make. There are a lot of recipes available for overnight oats. My favorite starts with a small amount of yogurt, an equal amount of skim milk. I add a bit of chia seeds, vanilla, cinnamon, and just a drizzle of honey. Then I stir in a half cup of oatmeal (regular, not the instant kind). In the morning I top with whatever berries we have on hand. Lately we have had plenty of fresh strawberries, raspberries and cherries and the blackberries will be abundant soon. We preserve berries by freezing, so when fresh fruit isn’t available, I use frozen berries.

I was a bit skeptical about cold oatmeal, but I really like it. The oats soften up overnight, the chia seeds and honey make the treat sweet, and the fruit flavors make it a treat. I still make regular oatmeal on occasion, but lately my go to breakfast has been overnight oats.

I think I’m following a popular trend. When I googled overnight oats, I found that there are companies that sell packets of ingredients to which you add milk or yogurt or both. Making the treat from ingredients in the pantry is so simple that I haven’t been tempted to try the “Instant” variety.

Camping, however, is a different story. When we go camping, I always make a hot breakfast. When the grandchildren are with us I make pancakes. They can eat pancakes for several days in a row without complaint. I try to have a few blueberries to add to the pancakes when the grandchildren are around. I try not to eat too many, but camping usually involves more hiking, walking, water play and other physical activities which consume calories, so I can indulge in a bit of over eating.

Now that we have our camper, I have a complete kitchen for cooking. We even have an oven to make muffins and coffee cakes. And having a refrigerator is a real luxury for camping. For years we got by with a cooler when we were car camping and did without refrigeration (other than a cold stream) when we were back packing. Having a refrigerator means that we have more options when it comes to food. Our grandchildren think orange juice is a camping staple, but it wasn’t something that we associated with camping when I was younger.

I still enjoy fixing breakfast outdoors. Sometimes for special occasions or when the mood strikes me, I cook on the barbecue. I have several recipes for egg casserole that bake up nicely in Dutch ovens. I can fry bacon and eggs on a griddle on the camp stove that I use for barbecuing. For our anniversary party, I served bacon and eggs from the outdoor grill. Cooking outdoors made extra space for people to gather inside and kept the cooking odors away from the crowd. I could easily carry bowls of scrambled eggs and dishes of bacon in to serve at the table.

We are planning a little camping adventure with our three oldest grandchildren next week. We are going to a spot in the National Forest that is fairly close to home - just a couple of hours’ drive for three days and two nights. The kids are excited to go and I’m also excited. I’ve been thinking about the menus and what food to take to stock the camper. We’ll probably plan some meals that we cook over the campfire. Hot dogs is always a hit. And, of course, we have to toast marshmallows to make s’mores. But there isn’t any question in my mind about what to make for breakfast. I’ll probably take a box of Bisquick to make pancake preparation easy. Sometimes, I make my own homemade mix of flour, baking powder, salt and butter, but most of the time I buy a box of the prepared mix from the store. Although berry season is winding down, there should be enough fresh blueberries to add to the pancakes. The kids will want pancakes both mornings.


There won’t be any overnight oats. Those can wait until I get home. But they have become part of my breakfast routine. And I don’t mind eating cold cereal in the winter or hot cereal in the summer. Now I can eat hot cereal served cold.