You’re not seeing things, the title of this blog post is, indeed, “Fried Cereal.”
Remember that cherpumple the kids and I made about a year ago? That was the brainchild of Charles Phoenix, self-proclaimed “showman, author, humorist, and ambassador of Americana.” Well, Charles Phoenix is back with more kitchen shenanigans …
This recipe requires six cups of what we in the SITFOB household refer to as “vacation cereal,” those brightly-colored sugary bits, often found in boxes festooned with cartoon characters. The kids enjoy mixing their own combinations from those big dispensers at hotels, and we sometimes pick out a box or two for the weeks we’re in the Cape.
Doesn’t this “recipe” just call out for a variety-pack of those single-serving cereal boxes? Alas, our grocery store doesn’t carry them, so I let the kids pick out SIX boxes of vacation cereal (approximately $4.50 a box; you do the math, I’m too embarrassed!). They chose:
- Rice Krispies
- Kix
- Trix
- Reese’s Puffs
- Apple Jacks
- Alpha-Bits
And the instructions:
- Melt half a stick of salted butter in a large skillet
- Measure one cup of each cereal into a colander, and shake out the “cereal dust”
- Pour cereal into the sizzling butter
- Stir until coated, then continue to stir occasionally until all butter is absorbed and cereal begins to toast
- Allow to cool slightly, and serve
I think the kids were on a sugar high just from having all that “vacation cereal” in the house — they couldn’t believe that I said YES! How did it taste? It tasted fine – it wasn’t as cloyingly sweet as I expected; very reminiscent of the taste of Rice Krispies Treats (without the chewy marshmallow).
Oh, if you want to know what we did with the “cereal dust, you’ll have to watch the video below, from the guy who puts the “kitsch” in kitchen, Charles Phoenix:
Very interesting! I think I’ll just enjoy this vicariously, rather than try it myself!
Ha!!! This is just too funny. I wish I had known before you went to the store so I could have bought some stock in sweet cereal. I won’t give away what you did with the dust, but I love it.
At least the Rice Krispies and the Kix are somewhat less sugary…though they aren’t really packed with nutrition either, lol.
One of my favorite things to get in the grocery store when I was a kid was the long variety pack of Kellogg’s cereals…though no one in our house would eat the Trix.
It looks like you were missing a kid that day! We rarely buy cereal, so I doubt we’ll be trying this experiment.
Oh my goodness…fun! I bet my kids would get a kick out of this. I wonder what he does with that cereal dust once he gets it…and how great an idea it is to send “dust” in the mail anymore. HA!
Do I have to turn in my grown-up card if I admit that actually looks pretty good?
(Well, about a half-cup of it looks good. I’d need to invite your kids over to finish the rest.)
Okay, now I’ve heard everything. It actually does sound fun for kids to try (and some of those older kids too).
What? No mention of Lucky Charms?? I LOVE Lucky Charms. I’m making this for my grandkids…using Lucky Charms! I’ll pick the other 5 by using the shut your eyes and point system! I love this post!!
Here’s My WC
Is it wrong that I totally think that this fried cereal sounds delicious? I can’t imagine that I would ever allow myself to snack on a bowl of it, but it is a really creative idea and I can imagine that it would probably be a really popular addition to all the other fried fair food. Now just what are you going to do with all that extra cereal? I also have to mention that you are just the coolest and most fun mom!
Wow, looks like fun. So, did you send the cereal dust to Andrew? I’m dying to know.
I almost forgot…”Wiggles” watched the video with me and was mesmerized. Where did you find this guy?!
What a fun mother your kids have!! You know how to live, woman!
Wow! We may have to give this a try as we LOVE cereal in this house. All that fun cereal is called topping cereal in our house-only to be used on top of the healthy stuff below. My kids will worship me if I let them make this recipe. Loved the video as well-I’ve not heard of him before.
You are such a wonderful mom! I don’t know that I’d tackle that with my two!
This sounds like a ton of fun. I wouldn’t mind seeing some of this stuff at a party alongside the Chex mix…
I’m with Vicki…where are the Lucky Charms (they’re magically delicious)??? And the Froot Loops?? When I visited my granny during the summer, she would let me pick out my cereal for the week, and I had such a hard time deciding between those two.
ok, that guy is a bit creepy…lol
I didn’t know that ‘stuff’ had a name..cereal dust!
ok, the idea is not as strange as I thought.
As soon as I saw the post title, I had to find out what was going on. It does sound kind of good!!
Oh my gosh – we are serving the homeless in our community this week and I have 6 kids n the program and I bet they would love this – I am on it!
Vacation cereal..I love that!
What a fun thing to do with breakfast cereal – and I love that you call it vacation cereal. I’m not sure I’d like fried cereal myself, although every now and then I do have a craving for rice krispie squares!
Haha wow, what a cool activity! I’m not big on fried stuff nor am I a big cereal fan but this looks like too much fun to pass up!
Wow. You are a great mom.
My vacation cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You’ve made me wonder how that would taste with butter. But wondering is as far as it goes given the state of my thighs.
This is hilarious! I DO think this could be Healthier than microwavae butter popcorn and could be the best movie-time junk food. Cereal has soo many fortified nutrients, you can probably fulfill your daily folic acid requirement with 1 cup of fried cereal! Please pass the bowl at the next movie night.
I think I’ll have to pass.
I’ve been eating this stuff once or twice a year since my grandma first cooked some up in 1954. I thought my family was the only ones ever to make it cuz everyone else would just look astonished over the years when I suggested it.
If you like buttered popcorn you’ll like fried Kix.
A litter edge of sweet with salty from the butter and a great browned nutty sense with the few balls that go deep brown
Don’t do it too often cuz the calories from fat have got to be very high and around 60% of the whole dish.
Guilty pleasure in lieu of popcorn… And no “old maids”… Or is that another term unique to my family?