DAY 93 - EGGS ALA HAPPINEZZ...

You know some days you wake up ..
And just know, that you are in the best place you were ever meant to be..
And just thank the one above for all that you are and all that you have and for all the rest who are willing to put up with your nonsense(which I have plenty off)

I love the summer holidays..
Yes it is too hot..
But then I live in India and that's how it is..
These past two weeks, I have had a whirlwind of a time.
You know how whirlwinds are, there is nothing normal about it..
But it does not last forever..
So I have soared like a beautiful bird in the blue of the sky.
Have dived into the deepest and the darkest part of the ocean..
Have prowled around the jungles, growling to myself, like I love doing, hung by my favorite watering hole..

My soul sprung a leak..
And I wrote like I never have..

So yes it is all good for me and as normal as I can get in my land of excesses..

I look at Zeke and Zene, and am happy with all I am..
I always knew I wanted kids, though I like very few of them...ha ha ha ..
And have wanted another little one for some time now..
(But that's a long story that I may tell you one day ha ha ha) 
Well let me introduce you to the littlest and sweetest cub of them all"Alisha"..

Gramaasi and "Alisha"...

I'm her "Gramaasi"..
Well if you do not know what that means , let me educate you, her grandma Ritambhara (she writes the tarot section for HT) and me have been close friends for over 11 years , and her mum known as "Kichie-Poo"and me are always upto non-sense, so I'm part her grand-ma and part her mums sister and so , I'm her grandma and her aunt...ha ha ha ..
Poor kid...
And Zene is her"frister" friend and sister..
And Zeke is her "brend" brother and friend..
So yes I have a little baby, and she may not live with me physically, but she is very much part of my heart and soul and the lionesses have a new cub..






So I woke up this Sunday morning..
Full of smiles and love and forgiveness..
(God sometimes I'm amazed that the stuff that goes on in my head)

 If you do not forgive, I feel you will be an unhappy person.
So start with yourself, forgive yourself for getting into anything knowingly or unknowingly , that caused you hurt or harm..
Ask for forgiveness if you have intentionally or unintentionally hurt someone else..
And forgive everyone or anyone who has harmed or hurt you consciously or unconsciously..
 I promise you ...you feel fantastic...
Lighter , happier and smilier (if that's a word)...


This life needs to be lived loaded with love..
And yes sometimes you may do and say things that you should not, but you want to..
Go ahead I say, its better to do what you want than wonder "what if"...
You are in-Charge of your own happiness..so that's that..

Some will get you ..
Some will not..
Some may be able to understand ..
Some will never be able to fathom you ever..
And yet its all good..
You just don't ever turn that "tap of love "off..










So all this early morning philosophy and introspection that I subjected myself to..

(With Taz following me around, I think he always knows , whats going on with me, I sometimes feel , he will one day sit me down and have a long conversation ...)
Made me very very hungry..

(actually everything , makes me very hungry)


So I put together this lovely juicy breakfast that I had to share with you...


EGGS ALA HAPPINEZZ...

INGREDIENTS..
Egg whites - 3..
Tomatoes- 3 cubed
Rocket /Arugula leaves- a hand full
Cheddar Cheese - A sprinkle
Secret ingredient - 2 tsp
Butter/ oil - 1 tsp
Chicken sausages or Chorizo - as much as you like, less the healthier..

METHOD.
Heat the oil and butter in a non stick pan..
Add the chicken sausages or the chorizo..
Let it sizzle for a bit..
Add the secret ingredient..
After 2 minutes..add the tomatoes. and saute till it is just slightly cooked..about 2 minutes..
Add the Cheddar..
Add the egg whites and toss it all around the pan..
do not dry it..
Add your hand full of Arugula, give everything a good stir and then eat it as hot as possible..


Ha ha ha breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Just like peace of mind is important to life..
And so as I bite into this yummy juicy breakfast that is as healthy as it is tasty..

I'm also eyeing the box of mangoes I got from this guy at the Lokhandwala signal, his name is Sabir-9619599733..
We were being our usual vagabonding gypsy selves yesterday, the ZZ's and me..
And when we chanced upon the yellow deliciousness...
I swear they behaved like they have never eaten a mango in their life..
(thank God they are normal like me ha ha ha )
And so in between, buying a skirt from Vintage earth, to a size 3 football. to buying salad leaves and vegetables..
Mangoes were being delivered home...yeaaahhh

Hell I started talking about other stuff..I can be completely Random sometimes, Mini and Sandy always say that...
Sorry..

So back to breakfast..
But please eat Mangoes if you can  ha ha ha ..

So while I'm a keeper of secrets..
You can trust me with anything..I swear...
For my friends and myself...
As far as food is concerned I share it all..
My secret ingredient for the eggs is "Keya -all purpose seasoning" something my Friend Jaya introduced me to, bless her..
And as you know I never cook without infusing all my food with my brand of "all consuming LOVE"..

So here's presenting, "EGGS ALA HAPPINEZZ" juicy, tasty and full of my brand of yummy...
Full of growls and playfulness only from "Maria's Kitchen"

DAY 92 : SIMPLY ME ..

And so do you think it's easy or difficult being a woman..
I don't mean in society ..
I just mean on your own..

I mean how many roles do you play in a day..
At the end of it all, think we may just turn into "loony schizophrenics"...
For lack of a better word..

Let me just say at the onset , that NO , I would never want to be a guy..
I love being a woman...

I love the fact that I can love as intensely as I can get mad, and cry as softly as the kisses I give and hug like there is no tomorrow....

But sometimes just trying to find me, in the day drives me totally mad...
I wake up like mom..
Go on to screaming mum, then feeding mum..
Then running to the bus stop mum..
Then heaving a sigh mum..
Then turn into mad gym person..
Crazy running person..
And then peace finding yoga happy person...

It then continues oscillating between, mum, friend, buddy, memsahib, fish buyer, vegetable vendor bargainer, writer, the cooking person, the feeding and bathing person, the person that gets told,"we don't like you"...

To the one who remembers birthdays..
Buys gifts..
Keeps the house clean..

Spends time hugging Taz (the family pet)..
Dozes of  because of lack of caffeine..and sleep..
Decides on how to feed the lot , nutritious food disguised like non- boring food..
Read junk..
Then tries and finishes the day at least by 9 , so that she has some time to herself..to comb her hair, read something she likes , or listen to music, write and try and have some "Me time"
I think this is what all the women in the world do ..
More if not less..

And so today I'm making a meal I would like to eat in peace, listening to Maroon 5 croon my favourite song at the moment, as I cook...

Addicted to this song..

INGREDIENTS

Lamb mince- 500 gm

Onion - 3 finely diced

Ginger - 1 Tsp

Garlic - 6 cloves

Tomato - 3 cubed

Chili powder - 11/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1 1/2 tsp

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Water - 500 ml

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD

In a non-stick pan over a medium flame, add the oil.

Then add the garlic, do not burn it.

Add the ginger.

Add the onions and cook them till they get translucent about 15 minutes..

Add the tomatoes and cook them till you see the oil separating from the tomato - onion .

Add the haldi, chili , coriander and the garam masala powder ..

Let it all get very well mixed and fried into the onion and tomatoes..

About10 minutes..

Then add the water and shut the lid and let it cook for about 15 minutes , and then open the lid and let it cook for another 30 minutes , or till you get the consistency you want, either dry or a bit of gravy..

Taste it, season with salt ..

Its done..

And while I was cooking I was wondering..
How do I find me time..
How do I pander to my wishes..
What if I do not want to wake up early..

Sometimes, I just feel like dressing up and going out..
Just for me, just look stunning..
Without a care in the world..
Without wondering, if Zene has woken up and is asking for me..
If Zeke still has a blanket on him...

Sometimes I really wonder what I would do, if I did not have to keep switching from Mother earth, fairy god-mother , to witch ,to dragon slayer, kung-fu panda, love Godess, David Beckham, to lioness, to cub-tamer, hunter , circus trainer , Florence nightingale, Jessica Rabbit, Tom and Jerry , Juliet , Nigella Lawson etc etc ...

I think sometimes, I just want to run away..
Just for a few hours..
Blow dry my hair..instead of making a wet bun..
Sit at a cafe..instead of driving hurriedly around..
Read a book in a library very slowly like I have all the time in the world..instead of the newspaper while  I'm trying to make sense of the day..
Sip on champagne..instead of vegetable juice
Nibble on something uber gourmet ,like the French women do..
Wear the highest heels I have, not my keds..
Wear a beautiful flowing dress, instead of jeans and a t-shirt..

Dab on more than my usual amount of Kenzo..

And just drive into the sunset..
Where I find the most beautiful music playing..
And dance, while I smile at the setting sun..
Then ride away on a beautiful horse..
To a mountain side..
Go swimming in the moonlight..
And drink wine at a vineyard..
Sighhhhhhhh......

Well I could write a book on what I really want to do ..

Sometimes I actually dress up and get out, not because I want to go to a particular party, but because I just want to meet me..ha ha ha 

But I think we were all made for a purpose..
And each one made special and unique..
We all come with our own set of super powers and flaws..

As for me, "I'm a mum, what's your super power"..

That's what I say when someone asks me , what I do...ha ha ha
I think  , we all have our own special place in this world , mine is to be the protector and dragon slayer of these two little munchkin's ..
And so I'm my own Lara Croft..
And that's  how it works.

It's because of my ZZ's that I'm a better person, that I understood the meaning of loving someone regardless, the reason I found my love for food, what made me a lioness, a witch and a heart of mush all rolled into one...
What makes me more forgiving I think..

Ya , it's not easy being a woman...
But....

It is best person I could be..

So while I have made this Kheema look really cool in these beautiful pastry cones, served on a bed of kale chips drizzled with olive oil , I sit beneath the stars ,still in my gym clothes, because I just worked out...

Why now , you are asking...??????

DID YOU  NOT READ ALL I WROTE, I HAVE NO SPARE TIME SOMETIMES..

But I'm looking at my new kitchen being built..

And that makes me happy...

I bite into the crispiness of "Simply Me", which is a  pastry stuffed with yummy Kheema  most fashionably , and I take a tiny bite of the kale chips very daintily and of course the succulent cherry tomatoes..

I'm thinking, "Tonight I will sip on a glass of Merlot or a Pinot Noir" and just let my heart and mind relax and wander..

While I listen to Billy Joel sing to me "She's always a woman to me"....
And I think to myself, "what a wonderful world"..

DAY 91 : "NOT EMPTY WORDS" MUFFINS...

I love flowers... They NEVER fail to make me smile . Thank you Amito... There is something so pure and beautiful about them. But I love them on the plants itself. So I normally will not pluck them. But just take a photograph.. I have tons of photographs of flowers , and each one reminds me of a beautiful place, time and person. But more important than the flowers I collect in photos .. I have a jar of hearts.. I may not be able to photograph each beautiful moment. But I remember the ones that touch me in a series of conversations, or messages or moments, how their voice sounded, how their eyes looked, where we were and how did I feel . To an evening that needed to happen, We have to do this again.. Yup I'm like an elephant sometimes, whose memory captures everything and also very emotional like them, they are known to have rescued trapped dogs sometimes, these elephants .. So ya. But like every human being , I also come with my own set of horrible flaws. But I'm trying to be like a flower that makes you smile even if you snip it's heart line.. It's not easy at all let me tell you .. Sometimes I feel completely alone even when I'm surrounded by friends. Maybe because I do not have too many of them . Have always been someone who has gone through school , college and adulthood with just one friend .. Because although I'm a friendly bounding retriever kind of person. I take a bit of time to open my heart to someone... And when I do , I think I frighten them away with so many emotions and the fact that I always do and say the wrong  things at the right time .. Freeze at the most opportune moments.. Or maybe react a little too late.. Or maybe so much that it's all wrong . Like if an elephant ....                                came running to greet you..... You will run away ha ha ha That's only sensible ..Right ? Well so whenever in doubt I now bake or go for a run, whichever is easier, the baking always wins... I have realised that any cake  batter that has yogurt in it always becomes soft and fluffy.. So here goes Chocolate Yogurt Muffins 3/4 cup muscovado sugar 3/4 cup melted unsalted butter 11/4 cup  yogurt 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet chips Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.  Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups. Stir brown sugar and butter together in a medium size bowl. Add yogurt, egg and vanilla and stir until thoroughly blended. Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.  Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture, stirring only until blended.  Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins and bake for 22-25 minutes. So while my muffins were baking in the oven.. I also realised that , sometimes what you feel about someone ,they do not necessarily feel about you.. Be it love, fondness, disappointment, anger, jealousy or friendship etc etc And so I feel the only thing is.. If you want to know the truth "dive in" if you are brave enough.. I do .. Words according to me are very cheap .. There are a 100 beautiful things I can say .. Maybe because I know you would like to hear it .. But they are mere words.. And words that are not backed with deeds.. Is like a garden of what you think were flowers.. But they are actually weeds.. And I don't know anyone who wants weeds because they spoil the plot .. In more simple a language, they mess with you .. So if you want something ask.. If you hurt someone say sorry If you love someone let them know If you don't , let them go , don't string them along , because it makes you feel good .. My chocolate roses... This month of March has been quite a month.. Some say it was because of the monster moon , that affected each and all.. I'm not into astrology , as in blindly believing everything, but yes I'm very very curious about it and I love it.. There must be some truth in it But what's important is knowing our own truth.. So I started April in silence.. And I heard so much .. And realised... That yes the most beautiful moments in life happen in silence.. This month has begun with conversations  I needed to have... And heart-warming gifts.. I looked deep into my eyes...  And the eyes of the ones I wanted to look into and decided to stop living in this paradise that had a whole lot of broken walls , that I was trying to ignore.. So I walked around the boundaries and broke them all.. And they break, when you find answers... You also see that what you thought was real.. Was actually not.. So I went back to all the people I want in my life.. Whether they wanted to or not .. And put my cards on the table It's an open deck.. Nothing hidden.. And will continue like that.. Those who would like to stay and join me , well what can I say, I'm the happiest.. Those who do not want to .. Well I cannot do anything about it.. It called exercising your "free will" and even God does not interfere with it... So it does not mean that I stop loving or liking someone.. It just means that they have other priorities that I should respect .. I have come to the conclusion that you should not chase love, affection or attention, if it isn't given freely by another person, it isn't worth having... Thank you Mins,  I love this book.. P.S.You are always right... As for my garden .. I'm pulling out all the weeds.. As I can see them now.. Yes I have my green glasses on.. My Hyperopia has increased and my number is  now 1.75  Ha ha ha And so I'm gardening.. And as I now sit in the still of the night and decorate these muffins And sprinkle glitter on them .. I feel a sense of calm.. And hope.. When friendships get too close ... You reach a place where you do collide... And then you could either walk ahead together or stop.. And then some fall apart Some together I guess that's how life is .. So while I bite into my "Not empty-words flower Muffins".. All I know is that everything works out in the end And if it has not.. Then it is not yet the end.. Muchos Abrazos  ... Siempre from "Maria's Kitchen"