Oats is very rich in nitrogenous matter and contains more fatty matter and iron than most grains. Well cooked and served with milk and a little salt, it makes an ideal breakfast food for children. The old-fashioned Scotch or Irish oatmeal and Akron oatmeal should be cooked for several hours. Rolled oats cooks in less time, but even this should be boiled for one to two hours.

In serving cereals, use one morning, oatmeal, another Cream of Wheat, another Wheatena or Wheatlet, carefully-boiled rice, bran mush, cornmeal mush, hominy grits, or stale cubes of bread and cream. Keep in mind that oatmeal and hominy grits and wheatena and wheatlet are typical winter or cold-climate foods, and rice, Cream of Wheat and farina are better adapted to warm weather.

Scotch Oatmeal

Sprinkle three tablespoonfuls of Scotch oatmeal into one pint of boiling water, in the top of a double boiler; put this directly over the fire for a minute, bring to boiling point, add a saltspoonful of salt, cover, put the upper part back in the lower part of the boiler and cook continuously for two hours; stand it aside over night. In the morning reheat without stirring. It should be jellylike and soft, not pasty. Do not add sugar to cereals, either for the well or sick.

Rolled Oatmeal

This recipe will answer for all kinds of rolled oats.

Put one pint of boiling water in the upper part of a double boiler, add a saltspoonful of salt, and when the water in the under vessel is boiling rapidly sprinkle in one cupful of rolled oats; allow each grain, if possible, to fall in separately. Do not stir it. Cover and boil continuously for one hour. Dip this into the serving dish carefully, without breaking the grains.

Oatmeal With Fruit Meringue

Left-over oatmeal may be turned at once into a small round mold; at serving time turn out the mold, cut the oatmeal into thin slices, put a slice in the serving dish, cover with strawberries, raspberries, very ripe blackberries, or sliced peaches; put on another slice of oatmeal and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Beat the white of one egg to a stiff froth, add a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, beat again until fine and glossy; spread this over the oatmeal top and sides, dust again with powdered sugar, run it in the oven just a moment, to brown the meringue. Serve at once, with a tiny pitcher of cream.

Excellent for children and good in cases of chronic constipation.

A baking-powder box makes an exceedingly good mold.

Rolled Wheat

This may be cooked precisely the same as rolled oats.