Seed and whole-grain cereals, and the porridges and various tasty dishes that may be made with them, have a definite place in everyone's diet regardless of age, but especially in the diets of those past forty, since the B-vitamins and high-grade proteins supplied by these seed and whole-grain cereals are needed more and more as the years slip by. Throw out any dry or devitalized cereal on your pantry shelf, and con­vert at once to seed or whole-grain cereals. All those artificial, patented cereals are nothing more nor less than 100 per cent starch.

When you prepare the mush or porridges shown below, allow for some to be left over, since it may be served in a number of delicious, nourishing ways, either for breakfast, lunch or a light supper.

MILLET MEAL PORRIDGE

1 cup millet meal 1/4 tsp. honey or brown sugar

3½ to 4 cups of water (or half salt to taste milk and half water)

Use less water for a thick mush, and more for porridge. Mix the millet meal and salt with 1 cup of the cold liquid in the top of a double boiler until the meal is smoothly blended into a paste, then add the remainder of the liquid (boiling if water is used, or scalded if milk). Place over boiling water, cover and allow to cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent lumping or sticking. A few minutes before taking from the fire, stir in ¼ teaspoon of honey, or raw or brown sugar. This will not sweeten enough to suit some palates, but it does bring out the flavor of the meal, and I find it makes a more tasty cooked cereal to add this small amount of sweetening at this particular time in the cooking. Serve with warmed milk, cream, butter, or douse with a mixture of honey and melted butter heated together as for pancakes or waffles. It's entirely out of balance to serve toast with any breakfast that includes a seed cereal either prepared as a porridge or mush.

For variety when the meal is cooked to a thin porridge, stir in dried fruits such as sliced dates, figs, apricots, prunes or raisins when it is about half-cooked. Or each serving ¯may be topped with fresh or cooked peaches, pineapple, berries or other fruits. Serve with fresh fruits such as bananas, peaches or berries by placing the fruits in the bottom of the cereal bowl, and in alter­nate layers with the cereal, sprinkling raw sugar or honey over each layer of the fruit, and covering with milk or cream if desired.

For a full-bodied mush, omit the honey or raw sugar and stir in about 1/3cup of grated American, Cheddar or Italian cheese such as Romano or Parmesan after removing the cereal from the fire. When this mixture hardens it may be sliced and sautéed to make a delicious cheese mush.

Stir in one heaping tablespoon of sunflower seed or sesame seed meal as the mush or porridge is taken from the fire. This gives added flavor and extra protein to your breakfast cereal.

MILLET MUSH PATTIES

Pack leftover or specially prepared millet meal mush into a square or rectangular mold (a loaf pan) rinsed with cold water. Chill until firm. Remove from the mold in a solid cake, and slice about 1/4 to 1/2inch thick. Dip each slice in an egg batter and drop into a heavy skillet containing hot butter, margarine or cooking oil. Allow each side to brown to a delicious golden shade. Serve piping hot with butter and honey. This is especially fine for Sunday morning breakfast.

MILLET SCRAPPLE

When the millet mush is about half-cooked, add small pieces of cooked meat, fowl or fish. Season with a pinch of thyme, sweet marjoram and sweet basil; or use an herb salt containing these and other properly blended herbs. Press down into a loaf pan rinsed in cold water, and cover to prevent a crust from forming. Chill overnight. When ready to use, cut in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and sauté in melted butter or garlic oil until crisp and nicely browned on both sides. The slices may be dipped in millet or fine whole-grain bread crumbs, then in a slightly beaten egg, and back into the millet meal or crumbs again before sautéeing. This gives the scrapple a deliciously brown crust. I know of no heartier high-protein main breakfast dish on a cold morning than this millet scrapple.

For variety, add finely chopped sunflower seed kernels, browned sesame seeds, or chopped blanched almonds to the mush instead of meat, and season with 1 teaspoon of raw sugar or honey, and several drops of lemon juice.

DOUBLE-BOILER MILLET BREAD

1 cup whole-grain flour 2 tbsp. honey, raw or brown

¾ cup millet meal   sugar

1/4 cup unbolted yellow corn- ½ lb. pitted dates, chopped; or

meal  ¾ cup seedless raisins

2`1/2 tsp. baking powder 11/2 cups fortified milk

1 tsp. salt  2 tbsp. melted butter or cooking oil

Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Stir in the dates or raisins. Add the milk, then the melted shortening, stirring only enough to mix well. Turn into the top of a well-greased double boiler, cover and cook over boiling water for approximately 2 hours. Slice and serve hot with butter, cream cheese or sour cream thickened with a little honey. This makes about 8 large slices. It is an economical, easy-to-make high-protein bread.

CALIFORNIA SPOON BREAD

1 cup unbolted yellow corn- 1 cup fortified milk

meal  1 cup buttermilk, yogurt or

1/2cup millet meal, sunflower  sour milk

seed meal, or mixed  3 eggs, separated

1 tsp. salt  1 tbsp. honey, raw or brown

21/4 tsp. baking powder  sugar

Sift the meals and salt together and scald with just enough boiling water to wet thoroughly without making it soft and mushy. Allow to cool. Then add the two combined milks a little at a time. Beat in the already well-beaten yolks and the sugar or honey, and baking powder. Blend well into the batter. Fold in last the stiffly beaten whites. Pour into a greased casserole or deep baking dish. Bake in a moderately hot oven (35o0 to 375 ° F.) for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the custard is set and a nicely browned crust is formed. Serve at once from the baking dish, spooning out the portions, to be doused with plain butter, or butter and honey (maple syrup is good, too). Because this is a "spoon bread," the texture will resemble that of a thick custard, for that is exactly what it is, a meal custard—and a most delicious one, I might add. Serve it for Sunday breakfast, for lunch, or for light suppers. It's a protein meal in itself.

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