September Breakfasts with Betty

September is National Breakfast Month, so today we're going to see what confections Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook (sixth printing, 1974) suggests to make for the kids before sending them off to school.

Betty was clearly old-school in the belief that kids needed sugar to fuel them up. Want to make sure they have fruit in the morning? Add extra sugar. Melt some marshmallows on those apricots!

Syrup on the canned peaches not sugary enough? Melt candy in it!

For cereal, the book offers a twist on Rice Krispies treats:

Use a sweetened fruit cereal instead of Krispies! There's peanut butter too, so these will be vaguely pbj-flavored (and offer a little protein).

This next recipe suggests that Betty thinks kids are pretty dumb. I'm not sure how applesauce dumped over whole wheat flakes could really be equated to an apple dumpling-- a whole apple baked in a flaky pastry-- but she thinks home cooks can somehow sell it as one.

But my favorite cereal-based suggestion is the least sugary one. Behold, the masterpiece that is Soup 'n Cereal:

Perhaps realizing that bran flakes drowning in tomato soup would not be the best visual, the picture only shows Soup 'n Cereal pre-pour. I always thought Campbell's went the craziest with their soup recipe suggestions, but I have to admit that Betty is pretty wild with soup too....

I think I'll stick with my oatmeal or multigrain waffles with peanut butter. Happy Breakfast Month!