Winter breakfasts

I ate cold cereal for years, but the price has gotten to be more than I can stomach. Lately, I've been having barley for breakfast, made in the slow cooker. I simply throw 2 1/4 cups of water and 1/2 cup of barley in, set it for low, and it's ready the next morning. It makes enough breakfast for two days. I scoop out half and put it in a tupperware container and store it in the refrigerator.

The first day is the sweet day: the barley is the consistency of porridge, and I top it with any combination of cinnamon, craisins, chopped apples, brown sugar, walnuts, bananas, maple syrup.





The second day is the savory day. Once refrigerated, the barley sets to a consistency like polenta. I simply slice it up, pan fry it in a nonstick pan sprayed with a little cooking spray, and top it with thin slices of melted brie cheese.





Cross-posted to ofmornings

Good list of resources

Here's a really excellent article about the collaborative consumption movement, i.e., the concept that by sharing resources, people can reduce waste and reduce costs. It includes a list of over seventy links to websites that aid in sharing commodities such as travel resources, housing, food, clothing, personal finance resources, transportation, landscape/gardening, media (books, games, movies, etc.), and there's a special section for students, too.

Learn more about Collaborative Consumption at the website, on Facebook and on Twitter (@collcons).

( What I did today to make the world a better place )