aeraen

Home made Hot Brown Rice Cereal and Cinnabun on a Spoon

I hope its ok to post my "make it yourself" recipe here, since I don't really have it posted anywhere else to link it to, but I've always wanted to share it. It's for hot, brown rice cereal with the look and texture of oatmeal. For those who miss hot oatmeal on a cold morning, this will make you forget all about the old Quaker guy.

I often make several pounds of this at one time, as I have to clean out my coffee grinder to do it, and since that's a pain, I don't like to have to do it too often. I use a Kitchen Aid Coffee grinder that I've seen on sale for about $50 or so. It must be a burr grinder, the blade grinders will just pop your rice grains around like popcorn. I know $50 is pretty pricey for some, but when you compare the cost of commercial rice cereal with a lifetime of making your own, the savings are tremendous. They charge a lot for those small boxes of rice cereal, and they all have a bit of a chemically taste to me, anyway.

Buy your favorite brand of brown rice. Stay away from anything precooked or "enriched". You just want plain old, raw brown rice.

Spread it, one grain deep, on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 F until it toasts up nicely. About 7 to 10 minutes in the oven. You will get a nice nutty, grassy smell when it is ready. (Don't worry, the cereal tastes nothing like grass )

Once toasted, cool the rice in a bowl. I do this process multiple times until I have about four pounds of rice, but you can make as much or as little as you like.

Once cooled, place rice in a clean, burr-style coffee grinder. Set your grinder to a very coarse setting. I use the coarsest setting on my Kitchenaid. Then grind your rice into rice cereal.

That's it. Put your cereal in a airtight container, and it will last for months.

Now, to cook it. I found that one part rice cereal to 5 parts water makes the texture I like best. So, for me, one quarter cup of ground rice cereal to 1 and 1/4 cup of water. I first made it in my microwave, for 12 minutes at half power. This kept the cereal from boiling up out of my bowl and forcing a microwave clean-up. However, I didn't like the energy waste of using the nuker for 12 minutes every morning (I'm a tree hugger, too!) So, I hauled out my small 30-year old rice maker. If you don't have one, you can buy one for about $10 to $15 on sale at any Target, Walmart, Kmart, etc.

Same proportions, one part cereal to five parts water. Takes about the same amount of time, ok, maybe a couple of minutes more, in the rice maker than it does in the microwave. But, you don't have to watch it and can be showering and getting dressed while it is cooking.

After that, you can put it together the same way you make oatmeal. Sometimes I throw some raisins in while it is cooking, and it makes nice, plump raisins in my cereal.

But, my favorite way to eat it is what I call "Cinnabun on a Spoon." Once cooked, put your cereal in a bowl and add dark brown sugar to taste, a generous amount of cinnamon (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon), generous amount of vanilla (again, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp) and a pat of butter. Let stand for a moment while the butter melts, then stir it all up. Add a drop or two of milk if you like. Then, close your eyes and imagine biting into your favorite cinnamon bun. It is THAT good!

I know the instructions seem long, but its really pretty easy. I often to it on a cold weekend morning when I am cleaning my kitchen. And it is definitely worth the trouble. Especially if you are trying to find a way to save money while eating gluten free and healthy.

Please try to understand that "civilians" are having a hard time trying to figure it out, too. From your mother's POV, she had a choice to either send you the traditional gift she has always sent to all of her children, or leave you out. I'm assuming she thought you could choose to not eat it, but at least your child still received "gramma's" gift. And, at least, she was not leaving you out.

My Bro and his wife have sent us the same fruit cake for 10 years. And I love this fruitcake. We still receive it, and I thank them every year for thier generocity. Some day, it will dawn on them that I can't eat it (fortunately, my husband can), but that fact does not diminish the love with which it was sent.

Please don't feel like I'm negating your feelings on the matter. I've just learned to forgive these faux pas. It took me a long time, lots of bellyaches and hours reading this forum to realize how serious this is. If it takes those of us affected by the disease so much work to really accept it, we have to be able to forgive our friends, family and coworkers for not understanding.

It does make me chuckle,sometimes, at how free we all are here in discussing a subject that most would never think to bring up outside this forum . Its nice to have a comfortable place to ask questions that we could not ask anywhere else.

When I don't want to go into a litany of woes, I simply say that the long-term consequences of gluten intolerance are vast and can, eventually, be deadly. But that the short-term effects of being glutened can be (here, I pause slightly for dramatic effect) "inconvenient". Believe me, EVERYBODY understands what I mean.

Gemini, I don't think the issue is worrying about what what "other people" think. However, I AM concerned that anyone serving, cooking or handling my food takes this disease seriously.

I have a hard enough time trusting restaurants the way it is now. Characterizing Celiac disease as a self-proclaimed eating disorder may lead a server to be less careful with my order in the future.

My heart breaks for everyone here who is feeling (or had felt) such severe depression due to their Celiac.

I just found out while visiting family in California that a distant cousin had recently been diagnosed. The first thing I thought of was contacting her to let her know that it wasn't as bad as it may at first seem, and that she can probably eat about 80% of what she is used to, and adapt maybe another 10%.

Having been gluten-free for about 3 years now, my husband and I have developed so many gluten free recipes that are part of our menu reportoire, that we don't even notice it anymore. In fact, I had dinner guests a few weeks ago who mentioned that it didn't even dawn on them that dinner was gluten-free until long after it was over... and then only because the subject came up.

There are inconveniences, and even some social issues (I hate appearing "fussy" when eating with other people or at restaurants), but the benefits of feeling healthy for the first time in my life outweigh the inconveniences. In fact, when I think of a "last meal" scenario, I usually end up wondering if having those Pillsbury biscuits would really be worth spending my last few minutes on Earth sitting on the toilet.

Have you considered turning it into a "positive"? When your waiter arrives, tell him politely, and without apology, that you are allergic to wheat, and then order a very simple meal (like others said, salad w/o croutons would be perfect) with confidence. Ask any questions you may have graciously, and explain any questions your waiter may have simply.

Do so with a minimum of fuss, and you will show your prospective employer that you are able to handle an awkward situation confidently and with grace.

Dissenting opinion here, but then I'm decidedly low-maintenance.

I let people know about my "allergy" (easiest way to explain it), but I encourage them to not give it another thought. There are many people out there who have challenges that are far more difficult to live with, making my gluten-intolerance a walk in the park, comparitively.

Plus, if they accomodate me, what about the diabetic co-worker, should they also buy a sugar-free cake for them? And the person with high cholesterol? Should they get a cheese-less pizza? And you should SEE my mother-in-law's dietary restrictions... it would drive a dietitian nuts to even try to accomodate everyone's special diet.

I find it more difficult when someone tries to accomodate me, and fails. Then they are either hurt or angry, feeling that I simply can not be pleased.


If your office has a freezer available, make up some gluten-free treats for yourself (cake, pizza, whatever it is you feel you are missing) and keep them in individual servings in that freezer. When they have a treat, pull your own out and put it in the microwave.

Let everyone have their treats... and have your own, safe treat as well. Don't make the administration cut out the treats because someone is unhappy. It won't make you the most popular person in the office.

Another "secret" on the chex cereal is that it always goes on sale before a holiday, because "chex mix" and "puppy chow" are such popular party snacks.

You can always find coupons and/or a sale before a holiday. The best, of course, is finding both at once. I tend to pay about $1.50 for Chex cereal on a regular basis, and buy multiple boxes to store in my basement storage room when I can get it lower.

By the way, for anyone who's children love "puppy chow" (also called muddy buddies on the Chex box), I once had the challenge of making them both gluten free AND peanut free. I replaced the peanut butter in the mix with honey and it worked out so well, my son (who is neither gluten nor peanut intolerant) preferred it to the original.

One of the things I notice a lot with newer members is concern about the cost of eating gluten-free.

Considering that our economy is in a looooong downswing, not everybody can afford the high cost of some of the gluten-free foods out there. Let's share our hard-won information with newer members who may be a bit daunted by the prices they see in the specialty stores.

What "secret" do you use to make eating gluten-free affordable?

Just another wife who thanks you for being pro-active on behalf of her health.

Look at it this way, if she were diagnosed as diabetic and had to give up sugar (and her beloved Kit-kats), you wouldn't be thinking after a month that maybe the doctor made a mistake. It is what it is.

But, truthfully, it is NOT a life sentence. I'm one of those who feels set free. While my health issues were not as severe as others here, just being free of the tummy aches and embarrassing gas and emergency trips to the bathroom make it worthwhile.

Years ago, in creative writing classes, I learned that the best writing comes when one must write creatively within limitations. I've learned that cooking creatively within limitations can create some remarkable results as well.

I have a family of four at ome right now and, aside from my son's school lunch bread, our house is gluten free. The kids pretty well don't notice the difference. Most of our meals are just naturally gluten-free, with a few substitutions when necessary (sweet rice flour and xanthan gum to thicken gravy, etc). But, the changes we've had to make have sent us on quests for new and interesting recipes. The kids love my peanut butter cookies so much I stopped making the regular ones. And who doesn't love flourless chocolate cake?

yes, it is a change, but I think that in a very short while, this will be your new normal and you both will stop grieving the lost kit-kats.

That was the surprise benefit of going gluten-free for me.

I was begining to walk like an old lady, and I was only 50. I thought it was the result of being old, fat and out of shape.

About a month of going gluten-free, it suddenly occured to me that I was walking normally, not walking like Frankenstein's monster the first 20 steps after getting out of the car, and getting up off the sofa w/o groaning. I had no idea that celiac caused these symptoms.

Yikes! giving up garlic and onions in my house would be even harder than giving up gluten!

Can you tell me what led you to suspect onions and garlic? I would never have suspected those.

I was thinking today that, I don't miss any particular food... I can, pretty much, make or adapt any food I liked before. But, what I really miss is CONVENIENCE.

In order to eat semi-normally, and with out spending a bundle, I have to cook my own and plan ahead. And I'm just tired of planning ahead.

Sometimes I just wish I could swing into McDonalds and get a burger, open a can of Campbell's soup and order a pizza.

My rant for the day is now concluded.

First of all, my heart breaks for you. Whether you have been officially diagnosed, or just discovered that your tummy doesn't hurt any longer when you eat gluten-free, a girl your age NEEDS proper nutrition.

One hint, don't sweat if the rest of your family eats all those things you can't have anymore... eventually you are going out into a world where everyone eats it, so you won't be able to avoid it.

But, if your parents can't or won't support your gluten-free requirement, maybe you can take care of yourself by offering to MAKE dinner. I don't know a parent alive who wouldn't RUN to the grocery store to buy the ingredients if their kid offered to do the cooking (mom of 2 teens, here ). Start finding some recipes and make gluten-free meals for the whole family. Make a little extra if you can, and create little TV dinners that you can put in the fridge or freezer for days when you can't cook.

I want to give you a hug... I have one child (older than you) who SHOULD be gluten-free, but sneaks junk when she's out of the house. I wish she took it as seriously as you do.

What a better way to use the last of my 10 required posts than to introduce myself. Can't wait to get the secret handshake!

I am a bit awed by the talent, education and careers here. My job is simple, but gives me the best of all worlds. I'm a sales rep for an airline, and get to work at home (and not poke my nose out the door for days at a time during our bitterly cold winters) and travel when I want to (and I want to a lot!)

I'm owned by 2 cats, 2 children (girl in college, boy is a senior in HS) and one wonderful husband. I love beading jewelry, writing, geneology (researched husband's family back to the 13th century), and travel. I once combined my two hobbies by taking my family to England to see the ruins of his family's ancestral castle.

Sorry, not a ESL teacher, nor an artist. Even my jewelry making is more like paint by numbers than any real creativity.