Fauxlenta

I eat a lot of Cream of Wheat during the winter, but sweet Cream of Wheat gets kind of boring about two weeks after the snow starts to fall. But I don't really feel like making pancakes or hashed potatoes or steak and eggs at 6:30am.

So I took a cue from southern cooking and adapted an old grits trick to my favorite hot cereal. A pie made on Monday should last a good ways into the workweek, and you can heat it in the microwave. Prepare a Latin-American coffee in your French Press and suddenly being awake doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Based on this recipe and on a pie my mom used to make when I was a kid.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Cream of Wheat or grits
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup milk (or substitute both milk and water for chicken broth)
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 bundle of scallions, chopped
  
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
  
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Irish Cheddar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  
• Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a nonstick baking pan with cooking spray or butter it to prevent sticking.
   
2. Bring the water and milk to a boil in a nonstick saucepan. Gradually stir in the cream of wheat and keep stirring until thick.
3. Remove from heat. Gradually add in all remaining ingredients.
4. Pour the mixture into the baking pan, using a spatula to get it all out of the pot. (Suggestion: immediately rinse out the pot or it will be impossible to clean later.)
5. Bake the grits for 45 minutes or until set.

Refrigerate. To serve, you have a couple of options: cut 1/2 slices and sauté with an egg or two (thus impersonating polenta), or just heat it up in the microwave for 60 seconds on high.