Opeynopes: Cold Oatmeal Cereal

Here’s a wholesome, healthy, cold oatmeal cereal everyone has time for in the morning.

This recipe comes right out of my family tree. For more of my family’s favorite recipes and tips, along with over 400 pages of homesteading information and advice, we invite you to check out our book, The Do It Yourself Homestead. Written on four different levels of homesteading experience, there’s sure to be something here for you!

The Breakfast Ritual

I came into the kitchen recently and saw my mom eating something other than hot, hand rolled, cook oatmeal with cayenne and salt for breakfast. That was weird.

She religiously eats hot, hand-rolled, cooked oatmeal with cayenne and salt for breakfast every morning. I asked her what she was eating, eyeing what suspiciously looked like box cereal in her bowl. She does NOT eat box cereal.

She eats hot, hand-rolled, cooked oatmeal with cayenne and salt. Every morning.

“Opeynopes,” she said, slurping milk off her chin.

“Opey…wha?” I paused and then added, “Have you been talking to Aunt Chris again?!”

Family Recipes Always Come with a Story

My Aunt Chris is a caution, in the best sense of the word. The recipe for Opeynopes, it turns out, is really not rocket science but I like the explanation and presentation of said recipe as relayed by my aunt.

I share it with you with the understanding that you can tweak this to suit your dietary needs:

• pre soak the oats
• use raw honey
• use dark maple syrup
• whatever

I hope that you appreciate the great honor it is to be privy to such an important family treasure. I give you the evolution of Opeynopes…

Opeynopes – the Cold Oatmeal Cereal

“8 am Monday morning after a hectic weekend, including any number of church assignments, birthday parties, little league games, and so on ad infinitum.

Four hungry children, all late getting up, finding shoes, and putting on dirty socks because the clean ones were still wet in the dryer. Then the proverbial straw:  “Mom, there’s no cereal.”

It was thus that opeynopes were born, not of necessity but of desperation, disorganization and chaos. “I am going to give you a special treat that all your friends will be jealous of. You all will love it!!” I poured uncooked rolled oats in a bowl, poured milk over, dumped sugar on, and voila! Opeynopes.

Some of them took more convincing (and sugar) than others, but soon everyone, including my husband, was chewing this concoction every morning, like a row of obedient horses. Our three-year-old first used the word “opeynopes,” probably her version of “oatmeal,” but who were we to argue with her?

Future possible editions could include the history of plup-plups, bologna and peanut butter spinners, and other notable contributions of the Cunningham family.”

I told my aunt that I was on tenterhooks waiting to know what plup-plups were…unless they involved the bathroom.

The best part about this breakfast is that the kids can prepare it themselves. In only minutes! For more oatmeal ideas, try this Tropical Baked Oatmeal.

What about you? Any favorite family recipes born of desperation? Especially breakfast!

Aren’t you just so tired of figuring out what to have for breakfast?!