Quick savory Oats

I hate waking up early!! No matter how much I try to train myself, I fail miserably. So everyday, I wake up between 6.15 to 6.45, if I'm early I exercise for 25 minutes else I start with preparing lunch. This hardly leaves me with any time for preparing breakfast. Since hubby isn't very keen on breakfast, I make him parathas with ajwain/Carom seeds or jeera (Cumin). For me, I generally make any of the following:

1. Oats porridge with banana/dry fruits/flaxseeds
2. Oats with yogurt/buttermilk
3. Oats Upma

Since porridge is a pretty common thing, I won't go through it. Well, the rest 2 are very common as well but I gotta write something in my blog rite? The measurements are for one person and I make it directly in the box I carry to office.

Oats with yogurt
Ingredients :
Quick Cooking Oats : 4-5 tblspn
Water : Just to cover oats
Rock salt : to taste (u can use the regular salt as well)
Roasted Cumin powder : 1/2 tsp
Paprika : To taste (optional)
Yogurt : Half Cup

Now for the steps:
1. Take Oats, add salt, cover it with water & microwave it for 2 minutes. Make sure to do this sometime before you have to leave so that there's time for it to cool.
2. Leave the pot/box open so it completely cools down.
3. Once cold, add yogurt, cumin powder, paprika (or chopped green chilli) & mix it well. The measurement for yogurt is simply an estimate, you can increase/reduce it as you like.
4. Add more water if you like the thinner consistency.
5. There are numerous options for the spice; try pepper powder, chaat powder, italian herb mix, Oregano, fresh/dry coriander, just a sprig of Basil. I sometimes use a pre mix 'Bombay sandwich masala'.
6. If you do not intend to eat it rightaway, add a bit more water. Oats tends to soak water, so it will be perfect when you eat later(like me )

Quick Oats Upma
There are 2 ways to make Oats upma. The elaborate one takes 5 more minutes than this one & you can add lots of veggies in it. Lets see the quick one, it shouldn't take more than 5 mins.

Ingredients:
Quick cooking Oats : 4-5 tblsps (roasted if possible)
Vegetable/Olive oil : 1/2 tsp
Onion : half onion (chopped)/ optional
Tomato : half finely chopped
Green chilli : half finely chopped
Cumin seeds : just a pinch
Salt/ rock salt : to taste
Water, a squeeze of lemon

Steps:
1. In a microwaveable bowl,  add oil and microwave for half a minute.
2. Now add Cumin seeds, Green chilli and microwave for half a minute.
3. Add onions,  tomato,  oats, salt and microwave without water for a minute.  This helps roasting the oats and releases a nutty aroma.
4. Add water, more than enough to cover the oats. Microwave for 2 more minutes, squeeze a quarter lemon and voilà,  your quick upma is ready.

Possible variations: Add freshly chopped basil/coriander,  Italian herb mix, grate  some ginger before cooking, grate some cheese on top of it.

It is all really very easy and hardly takes 5 minutes.  If you are like me and need something savory & healthy for breakfast,  this works best. Once you start making it more often you can make more variations. I would love to know if you like it.

Do you have any quick breakfast ideas that can help me sleep for 5 more minutes?

Book review : Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir

Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir by Eliza Watson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paris! Just the name is enough to awaken snoozing butterflies in my stomach. If there's one place I'd rather be now, it is Paris. After reading countless expat blogs, Lonely Planet's guide to Paris, watching 'Midnight in Paris', in fact visiting Paris itself; the charm of the 'City of Lights' never ceases.

About a year ago, I planned a Euro trip with the major halt in Paris. Then I was living in London since 6 months; my hubby was in India and we were supposed to take this trip together after being apart for six months. Now you can imagine, how excited I was. But last minute visa problems for DH meant the trip was cancelled. I spent the entire weekend soaking all the available tissues and threatening to flood the Thames. It must've been my non-stop bawling that even my roomies prayed for the trip to somehow workout. And surprise, surprise, the Visa was granted on Monday; hubs took an immediate(read expensive) flight to UK and the trip was ON!! But unfortunately, this also meant we had to cut short out time in Paris. With just one day, we tried to make most of Paris but till this date, I mourn the loss of those 4 days.

Oh but why have I been rambling about Paris so much; it is since I happened to read this lovely book "Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir" by Eliza Watson this weekend. It brought back lovely memories! I've read many more novels with Paris as backdrop just to virtually be there but this is one of the very few which actually introduces you the the places, the people, their lives & their passion.

Samantha is an event planner, works 60+ hours a week, manages to fulfill all the demands(however irritating they are) her clients make, financial security is of utmost importance to her and is expecting a promotion very soon. She arrives in Paris for a job and decides to stay with her carefree little sister Libby for a day, what she doesn't know is that Libby is very much pregnant. When she isn't offered the well deserved promotion and Libby goes missing; Samantha's life goes berserk. Throw in a sexy puppeteer, funeral crashing psychic and you are set for a lazy weekend.

What I really loved about this book is that it isn't another brainless chick lit, it is far more than that. You grow with the characters, relax to the life and adjust to the surroundings. This is one of the stories where you long for a happy ending! I'd definitely recommend it for an easy read!
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Book Review : Gina & Mike

Gina & Mike by Buffy Andrews
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Gina & Mike is story of 2 high-school sweethearts. They're made for each other & intend to spend their lives together. Unfortunately Gina gets raped by her teacher and in order not to spoil her boyfriend's career doesn't tell anyone about it. But the mental pressure takes a toll on their relationship.
20 years down the line, she meets Mike again at their school reunion.

To be honest, the book was just okay; nothing great. In the beginning of the book, I felt the narration was a bit immature but considering it was supposed to written by a teenager, I thought this was done purposely. However when the story moves on and even a hotshot attorney uses the similar style. Considering the author is already a Journalist & has her own blog, I expected more. Unless you are a teenager & like very easy read, I wouldn't recommend it.



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Book Review : Down this Road

Down This Road by Kelli Dawn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll be reviewing 'Down this Road' by Kelli Dawn. I was fortunate enough to grab this kindle ebook for free from Amazon.

This is Charlie's journey, who is an Attorney but still a Cowgirl at heart. She escaped her ranch when she was 18 to make a career in the city only to return back heartbroken at 29 and in trouble. Life at ranch & being around her still irresistible ex isn't easy but with her family's support, she finally accepts her situation. But the slow ranch life isn't for her and two years after she moved to the ranch, she decides to move back to the city but not alone this time. Her life threatens to change again but she has already been through a lot and is a lot wiser now. This Charlie's journey of self-discovery.

This isn't a regular chick-lit. The characters are built & familiarized so well, even I could guess most of the character's reactions. Charlie is a bit difficult to like with her surly nature & stubbornness but I could also relate why she'd behave that way. She's very human, makes mistakes and doesn't realize her mistakes far too many times.

For a first time author Kelli has done a wonderful job though a bit of editing would've worked wonders for the book. Once I started, I did not put down the book at all, intact I even might have called in sick ;-) However, I still thought the book was a tad too lengthy but otherwise, I'd definitely recommend it!

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Book review: Alison wonderland

Alison Wonderland by Helen Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was gift from the author on the 'making connections' group on the Goodreads site.

From excerpt on the site and the book, this seemed like a light suspense. After reading, I am not sure what category to put the book into. There are some portions where I enjoyed immensely and some where I was so bored, I wanted to put away the book for good. However the writer has a great talent for witty dialogues.

The story revolves around Alison, Taron and a set of quirky characters . Alison is a private investigator and I found her cases/observations funny especially her first case as a PI. Taron is an eccentric character and is looking for an abandoned baby. This is about Alison & Taron's journey looking for a baby while a totally different plot is happening in the investigation firm. More than the story the book is more about writer's style and her use of satire.

I checked the online reviews after I read the book. I saw quite a few 5 stars and was wondering if I din't like it because I'm not British or probably my idea of quirky is different? This is one of the strangest books I've read and I was quite bored in some portions where some character's were introduced. For a long time, I had no idea where the story is heading and the story ended abruptly just the way it started.

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Mama Mia!!

I haven't written here for 3 years but I keep planning my posts in my head, in fact I’m quite a popular blogger if you trust my imagination. I think Tanishq's Mia contest  is the best way to rekindle my blog especially since I'm going to write about my Mama Mia! I've seen the Mia advertisement so many times, I like both Megha & her Boss. Megha is smart, hardworking & believes in herself and her boss is a bit old school but still very open to changes, just like my Mum.

It was about 4-5 years ago, I was visiting the Madurai Meenakshi temple with my parents and my mum whispered "Be calm, take your time, observe every minute detail of the idol and take a mental picture of the Goddess. So she'll stay with you forever and whenever you are in distress, close your eyes and her picture will calm your mind". So I close my eyes and I see a South Indian lady clad in a blue bordered sari. She is wearing a big bindi, Mangalsutra, big beaded necklace and an expression very close a smile. No it isn't the Goddess; it is my mother, Amma.

The lady who has lived for her family but has also aspired to live for herself. She who has

strived to bring beauty to her work; to her speeches, poems, newspaper articles, paper presentations, her doctorate thesis & the list goes on.

I remember when I was just a kid, my mum would prepare for her speeches. She would sit at our dining table making notes all night and then recite the speech over 20 times before me while the pressure cooker whistled in the background. She would write poetry for both of us for the numerous Kavi sammelanas. To her teaching Tourism meant arranging tours to the much neglected 'Solapur Fort', meeting the ancestral family there & prepare her students to enlighten the whole city. When she decided to do her doctrate, she took her own sweet time, visiting & reading many temple inscriptions personally. No amount of pushing to hurry did any good because she'd decided to do it her way and her way meant perfection.

I’m not sure if watching her work is more intimidating or inspiring. I've heard stories about her helping with the birthing of calves at my grannies place, I've seen carry our sick dog in a plastic basket on a Luna to a Vet's clinic, shouting orders at a group of ladies while directing an award winning play, trying her hands at acting, translating books, tromping to an excavation site, making Idlis for my entire class, sacrificing Jewelry for Cushion covers, transforming my weedy backyard into a beautiful vegetable garden and running our family printing press.

She is not the prettiest but most beautiful, she won't kiss me but she'll cry for me, she'll let me wear hot pants but won't let me step out without my Mangalsutra, she'll never say 'Happy B'day' but will call up & ask my plans for B’day, she won't force the religion but will explain the scientific reasons to the traditions, she'll loose her temper for no reason but will also loose sleep over family's silly problems. She is not perfect but she's just perfect for me.

I’m quite thankful to the Mia Contest since it gave me an opportunity to my put feeling into words.