Enriched Farina

Also known as "Cream of Wheat."  You know, the hot breakfast cereal, not to be confused with "grits" (maybe that's a Texas thing....)  I bought this delectable hot cereal for Anna when she was quite young and she absolutely loved it.  Since cooking is not my strong point, there were lumps in it at times, and she loved it even more.  This hot cereal eventually faded out of the breakfast staples, mainly because we shop almost exclusively at Trader Joe's where it was not sold, but...there was another reason that I forgot about.  On our last shopping trip to TJ's (which are quite frequent these days) Anna noticed the huge display of this "Enriched Farina Hot Wheat Cereal" and exclaimed, "Mom! Can we get this?"  Of course, sweetheart.

Yes, now I remember why I stopped going out of my way to make the hot wheat cereal purchase-IT STICKS TO EVERYTHING.  It sticks to the pan.  It sticks to the stove-if you're not watching it every second, the cereal will boil over-all over the pot, all over the stove.  It sticks to the bowl, the spoon, the sink, the table.  As much as I try to at least rinse everything before I leave for work in a rush, I inevitably miss something.  The cereal has taken on a mind of its own.  Once it dries up, it's almost impossible to scrub it off without first soaking it...for days...  I keep shaking the box, hoping that it's almost gone, hoping that at some point my kitchen will be free from this farina.  Yet, when I see the kids happily eating this nutritious (although sugary-after the kids get to it) cereal, I forget all about my frustration...no, not really.  So, the question is, what will I say when we run out of the cereal and Anna asks if we can get more?

Of course sweetheart.