Parfait : Summer Breakfast

Are you a breakfast person? I am a breakfast person. Miss my breakfast or do not eat it, I am a grumpy bear, with a headache. You can hear me growl for miles around! 

As a child, teen and young adult, I never made my breakfast, Mom always saw to it that we got fresh food to start our day. But, oh my! how the breakfast options have changed over the years!

Mom was a working woman and had to prepare and pack our lunch boxes before she got ready for work and dashed off to catch the 10:10 a.m local to V.T. She would make fulkas (roti/ chapati/ Indian flat bread) and a vegetable dish to go with it. I would get ready for school go into the kitchen and many a times just take the fulka off the flame, smear it with a bit of ghee and perhaps a tiny pinch of salt sprinkled on it, roll it and eat up. Or instead of salt, sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar or crumble some jaggery, roll up and eat! 

On weekends a leisurely breakfast of upma or  idli or something similar on those lines. It was a practical approach. No one thought of cereals, indeed, we did not even think of those until I went to college. Even then, with cereals, I think I'd still have preferred thalipeeth! I still do, I suppose.

Like in the past, I need my breakfast, but here is the weird part, most people are early breakfasters (err, you know what I mean) I am a bit on the late side, though an early riser, the day begins with a sip of Chai, to lift the fog, then of course there is the mad rush to get S ready and off to school. Once this gargantuan task is over and done with say by 10:00 a.m,  I like to relax, take my breakfast, sit comfortably on the sofa, feet tucked under me, start the laptop to catch up with e-mails, FB and blogs or read my book. I savor every bite of my breakfast and this whole routine makes me happy, sunny and fuels me thru out the day.

These days, with the temperature rising and making me cross as a dozen sticks, I need to keep cool! One of my easy breakfast options ( and with a chockful of nutrition) is making a parfait. Nothing as easy! 

You Need:
There are no measures, you make it up as you go! 


Yogurt ( Plain or Vanilla Flavor)
Chopped fruit- Berries ( Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry), Banana, Mango
Granola
Toasted Walnuts and Almonds 
Sugar (optional)
Vanilla extract (optional)


If using plain yogurt, add 1-2 tsp of sugar and whisk, set aside.
If using vanilla extract, add a few drops along with the sugar and whisk, set aside.


The use of sugar and vanilla is purely optional. I exclude it, I like plain yogurt.


Alternatively, use store brought Vanilla Yogurt. You can use flavored Greek Yogurt too.


In a glass bowl (like in the picture) o any other bowl you want, spoon in some yogurt to cover the bottom of the bowl.
Add the chopped fruit on top.
Layer with yogurt
Top with fruit
Garnish with a sprinkling of granola and toasted chopped nuts


Enjoy your chilled breakfast and chill out! 


*NOTES :
Use any combination of fruit that will pair well and taste well with yogurt.
Use cold yogurt
Make as many layers as you want, just make sure that it is manageable and you can finish it. It looks nice and light, but remember, yogurt is filling! 

Have a great weekend, Folks! 

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Weekend fun with a QUICK Jam (?)

The temperatures here are high,2 weeks ago, we hit 93 F and left me drained out and listless, but this week we are back in the low 60's.. hows that for unpredictable behaviour!! 

In between these varying temperatures we decided to make  a small one day picnic to Carlsbad Flower Fields. 

It was a much needed break and to our joy, little S LOVED the flowers!! And what's more he

LOOOOVED the strawberry shortcake  (takes after his Mommy, he does, Bless him!) we had outside the fields and M and I must have set a new record at eating swallowing our shortcake!!

 Thus satiated, we made our next stop, at the adjoining Strawberry fields! 

This was my very first time picking strawberries and needless to say, I enjoyed it!         

At home sorting thru the bounty, we found some soft ones, no doubt due to travel. Now my MIL is handy with small tips and suggested we use the soft ones to make 'jam'. For a moment I was thrilled, but then, I realised and told her, I had no pectin, no know-how.  She merely smiled and said "pectin-shectin... we never knew these in our time, let's take what you, young people , would call a shortcut, and  there aren't THAT many soft strawberries."  True! lets get started then! 

We used 

1 Cup chopped / crushed Strawberries ( wash thoroughly, hull and chop)

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Lemon juice ( we skipped this)

Wash and sterilise a jar that you plan on storing the jam in. Dry thoroughly and keep aside.

In a non-reactive pan/ kadhai combine the crushed/chopped strawberries, sugar and lemon juice (if using) and cook over med-high heat until soft and the mixture comes together, stirring often and skimming off the froth on top. This requires a lot of patience, it takes a long..long time for  the whole thing to come together. I did not time it, I left the jam simmering on the stove top and in the mean time fed the baby, cleaned up etc. etc.

Store in the sterilised jar and refrigerate. Use a clean, dry spoon every time.

We made a second batch of jam and this time round I used my 'puran yantra' to mush the strawberries. I found an image thru Google search (and saved myself the effort of clicking that additional picture) 

Puran Yantra

The other proportions remaining the same adding just a few drops of lemon juice, which I felt was unnecessary.

The only difference in the batches were, the jam was 'smooth' as compared to the first version after getting pureed in the 'puran-yantra' but all hopes of it being seedless were dashed. The seeds remained intact.

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Winter and Honeydew Melon juice!!

It is winter, the wind blows thru the tall trees making them sway gracefully to its tune and rustle their boughs! The clouds float by gently, persuaded by the naughty west wind and the moon makes an early appearance now, peeping here and there from behind the clouded veil to look at the wonderful hues of the setting sun, spreading it's final warmth for the day with bright reds, oranges and purples! Nature weaves its wondrous magic in the evenings which is most delightful over a steaming hot cup of coffee..... want to join me for one? we can sit in the patio... shivering ever so slightly and holding a mug with both hands to warm them!

Sounds good , right?! but here in California the temperatures still soar during the day! Why, just last week, it went up to a good 90 deg. F ! Winter ! Pshaw! Just when you are thinking of making warm soup......
So this week at the market, I spied this inviting looking Honey Dew melon. What better than a cooling melon juice for a hot Californian afternoon?!
Eat it as it is, cool n' cubed (in M's lunch box)..... or blend it into a soothing juice. My parents on their visit here, gifted me a cute li'll blender and chopper! It's perfect for the 2 of us, also when I have guests over for my li'll tea parties, dinners.....

Back to the juice...

Honey dew melon cubes

1 Tbsp. Sugar (optional)

1/4 cup Chilled Water / 1 ice cube

2 Tbsp. strawberry syrup

Blend all the above. Pour in a glass, put your feet up and siiiiiippppp!!!

* Honey dew melon juice on its own is very refreshing, but a bit of strawberry syrup adds to the taste, and the colour itself is so cool!

You can add a few drops of vanilla essence as a substitute to strawberry...

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