It literally hurts my left ventricle that I don’t have a camera to take a photo of the joy that is my new favourite breakfast. Hopefully, it’ll sound so good, that you’ll be enticed to try it, with or without a seductive photo!

Actually, here’s an idea!

If you like this recipe enough to try it, take a photo of your finished product, tell me about it in the comments, and I’ll send you my email address so that I can post it, with your name, and a link to your blog! Send ‘em right now!

Ok, so without further ado, my new breakfast lover is…. pumpkin oatmeal!

Oh how it’s autumnal flavours warm my bones on a chilly morning… how it’s burnt umber hue pulls me in for a cinnamon’ed embrace… and oh, how it fills me up for very little money! Woohoo! I also love the idea that I’m getting some veggies in with my breakfast. Plus, it’s wheat-free, a bonus because I’ve realised that eating too much wheat gives me heartburn.

So here you go. Let me know how it goes for you! This makes a pretty big batch, enough for 4 peeps.

1 14oz can pumpkin puree (the unseasoned kind)
2 cups water
2 cup almond milk (you can do 4 cups regular milk, or 4 cups water; almond milk is pricey, so this is my way of “extending” it!)
1/2 big apple (I had fuji on hand), cut into chunks
Handful of raisins
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cardamom pod, crushed (optional)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of chilli powder (optional)
2 cups quick cooking oatmeal (not the instant kind; I love McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal, or Trader Joes 8-minute Steel Cut Oats)
Brown sugar to taste
Toasted pepitas

1) In large saucepan over high heat, combine pumpkin puree, water, almond milk, apples, raisins, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and chilli powder. Bring to a boil.
2) Add oatmeal. Turn heat down and cook according to your oatmeal instructions. You might need a little more water if you like it soft.
3) When it’s cooked, add the brown sugar. Serve, topped with toasted pepitas.

BOOM!

Hunger pangs be gone! You’ll be full until… well, I get hungry every 3 hours soooo….

Send me your photos!

-x-
aarti

Ah my loves… I have abandoned you, no?

No!

Bren and I are back from our holiday in North Carolina. Man, was it good! And I almost feel bad talking about it, ‘cos it seems so many people had a difficult holiday in 2009: heartbreak, family illness or heck, just wanting the struggles of 2009 to be over already. If that was you, I feel for you, and I’m so sorry. But don’t give up hope; God is ALWAYS at work!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28

Both Bren and I are bubbling over with positivity for 2010. Partly because it sounds oh-so futuristic. (Doesn’t it though? Say it! 2010. Come on! Don’t images of galactic fashion and silver lipstick flash before your eyes?!).

Sadly, since our camera died, I have only few photos to show you, courtesy of Bren’s mum’s phone. How I wish I had more! Every year, we go stay with Bren’s family at their house at the top of a mountain in the Smokies… it’s the tiniest town, whose downtown is small enough that if you had a coughing fit, you’d miss it. At the house, there’s no cable TV, no internet access, no cell phone access… just you and a near 360-degree view of the Smokies. That view never fails to remind me how very small and powerless I am; every year I find myself saying, yeah ok, dear God. I get it. You’re amazing. Nothing I can do comes close to the majesty you have created here. Stop showing off, ok?!

Thankfully, God gets the joke every year. At least I think He does. That, or He just goes very quiet. Heehee!

This year in particular, God’s hand took my breath away. As we approached the town, we noticed a little snow on the ground, which is pretty unusual. No matter how much Bren and I pray for snow every year, we are always disappointed.

Ooooh-wheeee boy! This year made up for all the past years of sunny, dry Christmas’es! There was at least a foot of snow on the ground, so much that we couldn’t get the car all the way up the mountain to the house. We walked up to the house, opened the windows, and took in the view:

Then we bundled up and went out to explore the gorgeous-ity outside. I can’t think of the words to describe the beauty. It was a picture-perfect winter wonderland… untouched white snow, no footprints anywhere except for deer, and the hush! Oh the hush! I love how snow muffles all sound.

I’ll be honest. At first, I was kinda annoyed at the beauty around me, because everywhere I looked, I was met with another flawless scene of winter radiance. My brain couldn’t compute! Every bare tree was coated in snow, and you could tell that this amount of snow was out of the ordinary because the trees were bent over with the extra weight!

I know, I’m so ungrateful. Heehee!

In the following days, I built my first snowman, had my first snowball fight and sledded for the first time. It was so much fun! I love that I grew up in the desert, because whenever I encounter snow, I feel like a little kid!

-x-
aarti

Hey y’all!

I’m sure you’ve been BESIDES yourself wondering where I am.

I’m in Orlando, and we’re about to drive up to the rural mountains of North Carolina for a snowy Christmas. I’m so excited. One snowstorm just hit NC yesterday, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a white Christmas. Every year previous to this one, the mountains have teased us, blanketing the valleys with a gorgeous coat of snow over Thanksgiving; Bren’s mum always sends us photos on Turkey Day. But by the time we get there at Christmas, it’s sunny and all the icicles are melting. Funny how you interpret the same kind of weather differently. I’m sure the locals love watching the icicles melt in the spring. But at Christmas, it’s like watching someone throw perfectly good ice cream down the drain. Heartbreaking.

Ha! Don’t you like my similes?

Anyway, my camera kicked the bucket before we left (just add it to the list), so I won’t be able to upload any photos I’m afraid. But I hope that all of you have a peaceful and joyful Christmas!

-x-
aarti

p.s. Thank you SO MUCH for all your help on the Contact Lens front (see previous post). I’m going to Wal-Mart next week, but guess what? I talked to one of their guys on the phone, and he said, “why in the world is your eye doctor prescribing the most expensive contacts for you?” (My contacts usually cost about $300/year). He went on to say that as long as they fit comfortably etc, he could provide a brand that would cost only about $100/year, even with my horrible astigmatism! Isn’t that funny?! And wonderful?!

I need new contact lenses. And I need them, like, yesterday. So, I call up my eye doctor, and ask for my prescription so I can hunt around to find the best price.

First, the woman on the phone tells me that my prescription has expired. Therefore, no one will fill my prescription.

But, I say, I’m unemployed. I can’t afford an eye exam.

Well, you can’t get new lenses then.

Oh no.

Were you going to order your contacts through us?

Yes, and I was going to see if you guys would give me a sample pack because I only need one set to get me through, and…

We don’t give out samples unless you buy the whole year’s supply.

But I can’t afford the year’s supply, hence the need for a sample.

We don’t do that. You need an eye exam.

I can’t afford one.

Well.

Are you going to release my information to me though?

Fine, I’ll email it to you, good bye.

I get the prescription, and go to 1800contacts to see how much they will be… hundreds of dollars, which I expected, and I felt the pinch, but I thought, oh alright, I’ll just deal with it and get ‘em.

But I can’t get ‘em. Because my eyes are so bad that their little drop down menu doesn’t even go down as far as my prescription calls for. Oh that’s right. The woman said that I have to get them custom-made. That’s why I used to order them through the doctor’s office. PLUS, even if I could get them in my prescription, I can’t because they need a valid prescription. And mine has expired.

What does a girl have to do get a new set of contacts, when she’s unemployed and strapped?

What a racket!

Love,
Desperately Seeking Contacts So I don’t Look Like a Dork for a Huge Opportunity Coming Up Next Year

It’s Rudolph the red-nosed… sheep!

Ain’t he cute? I just finished making him.

He seems to like perching on Bren’s shoulder, sort of like a parrot would perch on a pirate’s shoulder.

He’s the Jiminiy Cricket to Bren’s Pinnochio!

Want him to sit on YOUR shoulder? Come to the show this weekend and you can!

-x-
aarti

I’m up to my ears in craftiness right now! Not only am I sewing Christmas pressies (No I can’t show you! As much as I want to! What if the future recipients are watching?!), I’m also crocheting this little reindeer for potential sale at the Jive Joint, a monthly art-music-improv event thrown by the improv group (“Suddenly Dapper”) that my husby is in.

Mine’s white though — I’m out of light brown wool, so I’m just using what I have. I’m seeing it as a sheep dressed up as Rudolph. Ha!

The show is this Saturday, and I’m going to sing a carol on my uke I think, although I’m not sure which one. Here’s a taste of what to expect at their show! Aren’t they funny?

The proceeds of the art sale go to the Young Storytellers Foundation, a lovely organization that go into less-than-privileged schools and mentors kids into writing little screenplays — they then call in local actors, who the kids cast in their plays, which are performed in front of the kids and their parents.  Cool, huh?

If you’re in LA, come on down this Saturday!  It’s at this little spot called the LabCabin, right next to Jet Rag on La Brea. It’s free if you come between 8p and 9p!  $5 thereafter!

Alright, enough selling.  In the meantime, whilst I crochet the little sheep-reindeer, and sew Christmas pressies, watch this cool video sent to me by my friend Staci.  It’s a woman dedicated to historic gastronomy, especially dishes made by Americans back in the old days!

The Historic Gastronomist: Giving Recipes an Afterlife from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

-x-
aarti

We managed to snap a few photos at the wedding reception.

Here, the newly weds beckon everyone to the dance floor…

…a call heeded by Bren and Crish…

I wonder which song Bren was getting into here!

Even Mum and Dad broke it down (very elegantly of course).

I love this photo of Rich — what a great face!

The father-daughter dance was really sweet…

…although it seemed to drive Rich to drink. Ha!

Bren and I looked pretty good, even if I DO say so myself.

Right? Mum, Dad and Crish got me that gorgeous salwar khameez in India! I LOVE IT.

I hate how I look in this one, but I f’in LOVE how Crish looks here. It totally captures her essence.

But this one… well this one is just classic.

-x-
aarti

I wish I had a photo of the quiche I made last night (my first ever!). Sadly, this is all that’s left.

For those of you intimidated by your kitchen, let me introduce you to your new best friend. Not only is it hard to screw up, quiche is also a dish that’s friendly to your leftovers: chicken? broccoli? sun-dried tomatoes? Heck, just a big hunk of cheese? It’s all good in the hood. Quiche will play with all your leftover friends.

And she makes great arm candy when you go to holiday parties, brunches, tea-times, prayer groups, let’s-paint-our-nails-and-veg-out days… I can’t believe that I have waited so long to embrace the quiche! Quiche me quick!

Ok, I’ll stop with the quiche puns.

Instead, here’s my recipe for a bacon, broccoli, cumin and garlic quiche, using a frozen pie crust left over from the 2-pack I’d bought to make pumpkin pie last week (I know some of you would rather die than use prepared pie crust, but I’m not that seasoned a pie maker, so frozen will do me just fine, thank you very much!).

It successfully used up a ton of leftover bits and bobs in the fridge, and made a tidy dinner alongside a salad. Plus, it cost me ZERO (extra) DOLLARS ‘cos I had everything I needed at home already!

Oh, I used buttermilk in place of the traditional cream or milk, just because it’s all I had. I kinda loved the light, slightly fluffy texture it gave the quiche. Use whatever you have though.

Sealed with a Quiche!

(Bacon, Broccoli, Cumin & Garlic Quiche)

1 frozen pie crust (I used the Marie Callanders one)
6 rashers bacon
6-8oz broccoli (one small head), cut into small florets, about 1/2″ wide
6 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 large cloves garlic, pushed through a press or minced fine
1 tsp ground cumin
Cheese (use a handful of whatever you like; I ripped a slice of havarti into little pieces, plus 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan)
Salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Bake pie crust for about 15 minutes until lightly browned; remove from the oven and set aside. Don’t worry if the crust puffs a bit; it’ll go down as it cools.

2) As crust bakes, cook bacon; cut the rashers into small 1/4″ pieces, discarding excess fat if like me, you’re watching your fat intake! Throw into a warm skillet, over medium heat, and stir occasionally as the bacon browns and the fat renders out. Once the bacon has turned a light mahogany colour, remove the pieces to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave most of the bacon grease in the skillet (about 1 tbsp).

3) Add broccoli florets and toss to coat in the bacon grease (if you don’t like the sounds of this, you can of course just steam or boil the broccoli). Saute for a few minutes, then pour a little hot water into the pan, and immediately cover. Allow to steam/cook for about 5 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and cooked (but not soggy!). Remove from heat, and rinse under cool water.

4) In a big bowl, beat together eggs, buttermilk, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper (remembering that the bacon and the cheese are pretty salty, so go easy on the salt!).

5) Spread layer of broccoli florets in the pie crust. Sprinkle bacon bits over the top. Pour egg mixture into pie crust. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30-40 minutes, until outside is cooked and middle trembles a little. Allow to cool about 20 minutes — the middle will cook through in that time.

-x-
aarti

…to mention something I love!

To me, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a nativity scene. As kids, my sisters and I were always chomping at the bit to put our nativity scene up. I still remember carefully pulling the old newspaper off each figure, marveling at the vibrant colours of the wise men’s robes, at the shaky hand that painted Mary’s expression, at the chip in the bottom of the manger that I hadn’t noticed last year. Every year, we’d try to figure out a different background for the figures. By the time I was 11, we had a pretty perfect combination of black shoebox lids glued together to shape a bedouin tent (hey, we lived in Dubai, what can I say?!), huge pieces of dried coral to imitate mountains, and long, dried out leaves to imitate straw. I think we might have even tried to sneak some sand in there, but Mum wasn’t happy about sand on the living room carpet.

And it wasn’t just us. Every Indian family we knew got into it, and putting up the nativity scene often marked the beginning of the run-up to Christmas. Our church got into it too, and every year, people came from other emirates to see the massive 10ft nativity scene that one unnamed man would set up every year at our church. The figurines were tiny, about the size of your palm, but he would build an intricate 3D landscape complete with lights and running water… I wish I had photos!

But I guess it’s not quite a part of the Christmas tradition in the States, huh? I wish it was because, in a quiet corner of a bustling room complete with garlands, Christmas trees, presents, chesnuts roasting on an open fire, and Mummy kissing Santa Claus… it reminds me why I celebrate this time of year: Emmanuel. God with us!

I have no nativity set, and not until this year have I realised how much I miss it. I was really moved by this one:

You can get one for yourselves here! Cool, huh?

Ok, back to your regularly schedule programming…

-x-
aarti

Now that I can look at photos of my family without bursting into tears, I think I’m finally of sound-enough mind to show you why the blog has been a bit silent recently.

So what could have possibly kept me away from you, my dearies, over the past three weeks?

Well, how about my sister getting married, my family flying from India (we haven’t been together in two years!) for the occasion and then flying to LA to hang with us, then flying off just as Bren’s family flew into town to celebrate both Thanksgiving AND the wedding of Bren’s uncle the next day??!!

PHEW!

Want a photographic journey? Ok! First, Phoenix.

First Bren and I drove to Phoenix where my mum, dad and youngest sister, Crish had arrived, all the way from India, to prepare for the nuptials of my middle sister, Kavita. The drive to Phoenix was smooth, marked by a soundtrack of my favourite NPR shows (Car Talk and Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me) and that K’naan & J Period stuff I was telling you about. Have you listened to them yet?

Bren was really touched by the bootleg, yet heartfelt nature of this:

It was literally drawn on with marker. Sweet, huh?

The Sequeira sisters were reunited! Watch out world!

That’s Crish in the middle; I call her Cishmish, which means “raisin” in Hindi. She looks nothing like a raisin, I know. But it’s too much fun to say. Try it! See? (Plus, she hates it when I call her “cashew nut”. Woops, now the whole world knows, Crish. Heeheeeeee!).

btw, did you know that Crish does a mean Octomom impression?

Anyway, Mum cooked up delicious dinners…

…whilst we whipped up meticulously-planned crafty things…

And before we knew it, it was rehearsal dinner time, complete with… trivia!

Don’t we make a good-looking family? Even the white boys?!

And then the wedding!

I love this photo… it was taken by the astonishingly talented photographer, Shelly Love. If you live in Phoenix, and need a great photographer, check her out. Her photos are breathtaking:

There’s tons more, so check ‘em out!

I snapped a couple too while we were all dressing:

Oops, I’ve got to go — another family gathering, I’m afraid. I’ll put up more photos of the reception tomorrow!

-x-
aarti