STEEMIT CULINARY CHALLENGE #38 ~ "The Fine Art Of The Mix" ~ Early AM Cereal Combinational's...A Fine Base To A Hearty VEGAN Breakfast ~ Original Photography and Original Culinary Discussion ~

ddschteinn (65)in #steemitculinarychallenge • 7 years ago (edited)

The Fine Art Of The Saturday Morning Mix

The process of cereal mixing is a valuable trait I learned as a small tyke many years ago, and perfected over time through years and years and years of Saturday morning cartoon viewing, and food-prep trial and error regarding the combinations of various types of off-the-shelf dry cereals. I feel a finer culinary art has yet to be perfected on this great earth.

And please note, not just any willy-nilly cereal combination will do. This is higher-order Food Science at work. There are many factors and traits to consider when building a fine, mixed-bowl morning repast of processed grains.

One crucial aspect of this art form, is for the chef to remain constantly aware of the Milk Soak Variability Quotient (MSVQ) inherent in the flake and kernel dynamicies of each type of dry cereal within the mix. Combining the wrong types of grains into the same bowl in the wrong order can lead to a very disappointing Saturday morning experience.

Believe you me, I know. Never fear, however, as errors of this type can be avoided with a bit of fore-thought and cereal purchase planning for your next week's extravaganza, as well as some simple, easy-to-follow steps regarding some very basic counter-top procedures.

A Very Vegan Breakfast

The following breakfast demonstrated below is completely vegan, starting with the various cereal components shown, as well as the organic raisins, leading on through to the Flax Seed milk, then continuing on down through the faux chicken strips, before finally rounding out the meal with hearty orange slices...tossed in as a nice, 'way-beyond-a-fancy, schmancy-garnish', post-breakfast finale.

Shall we get down to it, and "layer a bowl"...

Layer No. 1 ~ Oatmeal - It's All About That Base

The proper order of any creative, morning grain mix is crucial. I always start with the cereal with the highest MSVQ. And in this case, that would be the raw oatmeal flakes. These funky little flakes of delight certainly take their time in breaking down to a proper consumption consistency, so the oatmeal always gets laid down first as the primary 'base layer', at the bottom of the bowl. At least in my house this is a first start, and key to the foundation of a right-proper cereal mix session.

Layer No. 2 ~ Those Crazy, Crunchy Grape-Nuts

I love Grape Nuts. I'm not sure who NAMED these things years back at the Post factory, but since no one has ever asked me about it, I'll just leave that one alone. Whatever odd reason they may have had for naming these crunchy little oat cubes after a squishy fruit, I have to admit they did know what they were doing when it came to creating a good cereal. And one with a mush quotient just a few steps below our hearty oatmeal. So this layer goes down into the bowl next.

Layer No. 3 ~ Uncle Sam...The All-American Grain In A Box

Though one is certainly not required to tune in a version of "Hail To The Chief " on the stereo when tilting this next box of cereal into the mix, you must admit this IS a rather patriotic looking box of grain.

Uncle Sam. Once again, I'm not sure why they named it that, but it IS a hearty little cereal that makes a very crunchy, almost malt-flavored addition to our morning melange. Interestingly, this cereal had Flax seeds in it WAY before it was cool to put Flax seeds in everything. So we're going way back here. To 1908, actually...at least that's what is says on the back of the box. This is one OLD SCHOOL cereal. So pour the Uncle into the bowl, and let's move on to the next step of our dry-grain, mixological journey.

Layer No. 4 ~ Flax Plus 'BigFlakes'

This is a very good cereal, also made from Flax seeds and other good-for-you stuff. But please note, this is where things can 'break down' a bit in this whole creative, cereal-combo process if one is not careful.

This particular cereal has the lowest MSVQ of our present mix. These things pretty much turn to wallpaper paste in no-time flat, if you end up getting distracted once the milk thing occurs. We'll discuss this further when we get to the Milk-On step, but rest assured, putting this batch of big flat flakes on the pile LAST is crucial to a successful morning mix. Stay tuned for more on this dilemma.

Layer No. 5 ~ The Ever-Crucial Organic Raisin Garnish

Ah yes, the wrinkly raisin. No cereal mix is complete, at least in my mind, without the requisite raisins. They add such a fine and scrumptious variability to any mix of cereal grains.

And with this organic, all-natural choice of raisins, you get extra health benefits. They don't powder these little dried fruits with sugar like in a normal box of Raisin Bran...a real plus for those of us watching our mass-sugar consumption.

The Requisite Overflow Bowl

Though the fine art of the cereal mix is a tried and true, precise Science in many households throughout the land, there can be a problem with distribution or 'grain partitioning' when it comes to the final, bowl-full step.

This is particularly true if one is somewhat famished and in a hurry when preparing out the final bowl. Major cereal-mix overflow can be a side effect of this process, and a secondary bowl is required to get the correct partitioning and cereal classification/ratio down to the proper levels of participation.

NOTE: The contents of the overflow bowl may be used for one of two purposes:

Firstly...the extra mix can be added to the final dregs at the bottom-of-the-bowl of milk at the end of the first sitting, once the eat-ee has spooned their way down to the final morsels floating about in the shallow, leftover-lake of milk in the bowl. Simple fix...just add more dry cereal, and keep eating away until all that extra milk is gone.

OR:
The pre-mixed contents of the overflow bowl may be covered, and left for another day, since such hard work and careful parsing of cereal types has been carried out in our mixing process to this point. As mothers all across the land have stated time and again before 10:00 AM on countless mornings throughout breakfast history: "Want not-waste not, children".

This major decision-point as to the future of the contents of the overflow bowl is entirely up to the cereal-ee at this point in time and process. Finish it off today, or wait and save valuable mix-time on another morning later in the week. Such are the tough decisions of the high-tech, culinary lifestyle.

"Layer" No. 6 ~ The Stuff That Holds It All Together - The Milk

And not just any milk. And not from a regular old chubby cow. This is Flax Seed Milk. Pressed from the seed of the flax, and put into a carton to round out our fine morning mix. I call it the truly edible Elmer's glue that binds our breakfast together, and makes this whole thing all worth while. The final milk layer, that 'pearly pour to perfection'.

NOTE: I used a really cool bottle from an old dairy, purely for presentation. That really IS Flax seed milk, not cow's milk in the photo, even though there is a cow stenciled on the side of the bottle. So we're still within the realm of a vegan meal here.

A Spoon Is Not Just A Spoon

By now you may also have noticed the really cool Army Surplus spoon that goes along with this cereal building process. Lets face it...a good spoon is almost as important as the milk, when it comes to proper cereal consumption. Select the largest spoon that will comfortably fit in your mouth. This is important for two reasons:

Firstly, remember, this bowl of cereal has a size-variability quotient > 1.00. There is a real mix of various sized flakes, bits and pieces within the bowl. A larger spoon allows one to take much larger swipes and mouthfuls of cereal while fully engrossed in what is happening on the television.

I can speak from frank experience that a too-small spoon often means the flakes, milk, raisins and other food stuffs end up cascading out of the spoon and onto one's lap, rather than where all these grains and such are supposed to end up.

Paying a bit more attention to the bowl versus the TV screen IS a preferred option at this juncture, though one that is seldom carried out in real-world experience. Particularly during a rousing bout of Coyote/Roadrunner antics, or other such intellectual fare, so often found on the early AM tube.

Secondly, a larger spoon allows for more variability in each mouthful of cereal. Remember, this is a jumble of highly varied size and taste configurations within the bowl. A larger spoon allows for a more pleasurable taste experience. Think of it like eating a Milky Way bar. Tiny, worthless bites versus stuffing the whole thing into your mouth at once, and experiencing a veritable taste explosion. Cereal is no different. Though a bit less sweet and a whole lot better for you for breakfast.

Final Steps

Adding the milk completes our mix process. And this is where future planning REALLY comes into play. Particularly when you have added something like the Flax Flakes to the mix, as discussed earlier. That low MSVQ cereal. The one that turns to paste within 7.3 seconds of milk pour. And this is a crucial point of this process. PLAN AHEAD. If you need to do something else, like make a phone call, or go to the bathroom, or search the TV guide...DO THESE CHORES FIRST!

Pouring the milk onto your fine mix, then running about doing other un-planned, un-necessary things, will completely ruin the complete, cereal-mix experience. By the time you've let the cat back in, or answered the phone, or fetched your fuzzy slippers, you will have a very mushy, very complex mess in your bowl.

'Plan Your Process, Process Your Plan'. This is why I like to have a separate milk bottle to take into the TV room...for that 'last second pour'. A crucial final step to the ultimate cereal-mix event.

The Final Vegan Meal

The breakfast you see here was rounded out with a batch of faux chicken strips, manufactured from seitan and other vegan food articles. And believe it or not, they are quite tasty, a good source of necessary protein...plus they really DO taste like chicken. They add quite a bit of flavor variety to the cereal mix, and a certain touch of panache to our vegan breakfast.

The freshly-peeled orange slices were added as a breakfast dessert, to round out the healthy aspect of our meal.

"MMM-Mmm Good! "

The only bad part about this breakfast? Trying to get the milk and cereal to match up at the end of the meal. Never seems to work in the real world.

This is where the pre-mixed contents of the overflow bowl come in handy. The true art of getting the 'ratio of meal finality' down to a "0" sum game. The goal: ending up with a truly empty glass bowl at the end of the breakfast day. No leftover cereal, no leftover milk. Just an empty bowl, a full stomach, and a very large smile on your face.