Garam Masala Oatmeal?

This almost worked. Garam Masala oatmeal sounded like a winner, and it very nearly was. I have a large bag of garam masala- that magical all spice mixture of Indian cuisine- and am constantly looking for more avenues in which I can use my spice. As my mind's bend has been of late directed towards oatmeal, it is only natural that I would eventually combine the two. This morning was the moment of truth, I mixed the oats and water and then went to add the garam masala. Then, disaster struck. The garam masala got away from me, an avalanche spilled into the sauce pan and I could only spoon so much extra out of the precious oats. I knew there was too much garam masala in, but thought it could still be okay. I cooked to the normal consistency, hoping for deliciousness, but when the moment of truth arrived and I took a bite, it was too much. I couldn't eat it. I had to throw the bowl out and start again. At that point I was getting quite hungry and went for my favorite applesauce oatmeal combo. Maybe I'll give garam masala oatmeal another go tomorrow.

Savory Oatmeal Redux:Tomato Oatmeal

Before I was forced to return to the delicious combination of applesauce and oatmeal, I had a sudden epiphany. Oatmeal with Italian seasonings? Why couldn't it work? Let me lay the field with what my tomato oatmeal included. First I measured out the half cup oats and full cup water and cut them in my sauce pan. With the stove on medium heat, I mixed in a tablespoon tomato paste, a pinch of basil, a dash of garlic, and some salt. It took a bit longer to reach the proper, sticky, oatmeal consistency than normal- but the result? Fairly delicious. I even added a little bit of shredded goat cheese and it tasted even better.

I think it is fair to say that you can treat oatmeal like a blank slate, adding which ever flavor combinations you can think of. I'm not sure where I want to go next, maybe into an exciting world of Asian flavors? I have soy sauce, wasabi, sriracha, etc. Let's see what I can come up with. I invite all suggestions.

Chocolate Chili Oatmeal

This morning saw the trial of a Lydia recommended oatmeal combo- chocolate chili oatmeal. It was fairly delicious. Once more, I cooked up my normal portion of oats, while they were still on the stove and not entirely congealed- I mixed in maybe 1/2 Tablespoon of cocoa powder. Then two dashes of chili powder. In the bowl they went and my taste buds were in for an adventure! The cocoa powder was unsweetened, and it really could have used some sugar and I probably could have put in more chili powder, but it was pretty nice the way it turned out.

The general combination of chocolate and chili has become popular over the last few years, it is quite a traditional Aztec way to enjoy chocolate. I believe Lydia came to the taste sensation through my mutual love of things spicy and chocolate. A nice addition could even be to add some sriracha. What is sriracha not good on?

Unless inspiration or advice strikes, it looks like tomorrow will be back to applesauce oatmeal- so people, give me some suggestions!

Applesauce Oatmeal

This morning saw the return of one of my favorite oatmeal combos- applesauce and oatmeal. I still have about 1/3 of a jar of super healthy no-sugar-or-anything-sweet-added applesauce (bought on sale for 45cents!) in the fridge and this morning saw the 1/3 reduced a bit. I simply cooked up my oats as per usual, and while they were coming to a simmer placed a heaping tablespoon of applesauce at the bottom of my breakfast bowl, and mixed in generous amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. When the oats were sticky and done I poured them over the delicious additives and stirred them up. Result? Deliciously healthy oatmeal.

The existence of applesauce in my fridge is a byproduct of my great love for applesauce. My love affair with applesauce is something rather recent. For years I never ate the stuff, then one summer at my Uncle Skipper's old place in North Eastern Washington state, I had a life changing experience. My Uncle Skipper fed me homemade apple sauce. Things have never been the same since. It was a changing moment in my life. I'm still not exactly sure what he put in it, but it was out of this world. After that magical experience, applesauce was briefly forgotten and I concentrated on other things. I rediscovered applesauce a few years later as a magnificent substitute for sugar, eggs, butter, and many other unsavory and unhealthy ingredients used in baking. Applesauce became my secret weapon when making banana bread, but otherwise it was relegated to occasional use, languishing mostly forgotten in my fridge. Then this year, in search of something healthy and sweet to eat, I rediscovered applesauce. It was my savior when the wisdom teeth came out and has been a staple of my fridge ever since. And now the world knows- it makes for a mean bowl of oatmeal.

Oatmeal and Mango Chutney?

This morning, on my quest to:

A) Find new and exciting ways to eat oatmeal and

B) Use the things in my pantry/fridge and

C) Not go grocery shopping,

I ventured into yet another taste sensation with my combination of oatmeal and mango chutney. After cooking my 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup water to the proper consistency, I took about a tablespoon of mango chutney purchased some time ago from an Asian shop and put in the bottom of my bowl. Then I poured the oatmeal over, mixed it well, and added a few squirts of lime juice. I wasn't sure what to expect, but as the spoon reached my mouth, I was pleasantly surprised! It is different, naturally, but it works! And there is totally enough chutney in the jar to last me 3-4 more bowls of oatmeal. This is a happy find.

Any other oatmeal ideas out there?

Susan, Ingrid, Blanche, and Roxanne

Those are the names of my four windowsill plants, four lovely ladies that I have nourished and watched flourish through the long winter and my year here in Berlin. In about five weeks, I'll have to leave them. Sadly, I don't think they can be taken with me back to California and I believe the nice people at Customs frown on the smuggling of plants into the country. Susan is by far the most delicate; she has blossomed three times in my life with her, she was blossoming when I purchased her and I have managed to capture both her first and second blooms. The second bloom has been slowly unfolding this week. Despite my fears that Susan wouldn't make it, she continues to bloom and surprise me.

I have grown quite attached to my plants, I've given them names and tend to introduce people to my ladies when people come to my apartment to visit. I water them regularly and pay close attention to their health. Although I have always loved gardening, this is really the first time that I have ever had my own plants to tend to, not just a never ending flowerbed to weed, one whose plants I did not choose and was not attached to. I know it'll be hard to leave them when I go. With this knowledge, I have begun looking for adoptive parents. Hopefully I can find some one to love them when I leave! It is not just my plants that I have grown attached to in Berlin, I have become attached to many other facets of my life here. But I miss the California sun. Maybe I can get some plants of my own in Berkeley, too.

Oatmeal

A 500g bag of oats costs between 30 and 35 cents at my local supermarket and is enough to last me about 10 breakfasts, 1/2 cup of oats plus 1 cup water at a time. I eat it every morning. How many ways are there for me to eat oatmeal without dying of boredom?

I used to eat it with a bit of syrup, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
OR bananas
OR peaches
OR any other fruit I had.

But now I am out of fruit. And out of raisins. And out of syrup.

It seems oatmeal's okay savory- I read a few articles online of people swearing to this fact. And I have a few eggs, some salsa, and naturally sriracha. This morning I had a scrambled egg with some salsa and sriracha in oatmeal. It was nice, different, but then, that's what I am looking for.

Any other cheap oatmeal suggestions?

There is a cherry tree outside in the inner courtyard, it has cherries on it. They are naturally on the high branches, but I think tomorrow I'll pick some. They could go with oatmeal, right?

Rain Strike

From my title, you could think that I am planning a strike against the rain. Oh how I wish such a strike could ever be possible! I'd strike, organize sit-ins, teach-ins, and any other type of protest technique to get this rain to go away. Maybe a rain dance can work in reverse? Because yes, it continues to rain a it every day...and the rain, rain, rain won't go away! I woke up this morning to rain, yesterday was glorious but for a few scattered showers, and I believe we have weeks more ahead on the forecast. Why does summer have to be a rainy season for the majority of the world? I just want dry heat and sun beaming down on me. I'll take the extreme heat, just keep the rain at bay. Today I was hoping to go to the park and catch some rays, but at this point it seems as though that won't be on the day's menu. The rain, rain, rain, comes down, down, down, and I keep hoping it'll go away. Maybe I'll have some luck this weekend. I'm not going to hold my breath- but I'll keep the hope burning in my summer storm lantern. I also have a new theme song, The Blow's Come on Petunia, give it a try, it incorporates an awesome sample of The Police's Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.

If I am not striking in protest of the rain, no need to fear, for I'll get my fill of strike next week. Next week kicks off a week long education strike in Germany- Bildungsstreik 2009! There are teach-ins planned (although not called teach-ins, I know that is what they are), seminars on how to have a proper demonstration, and a big demo planned for next Wednesday at Berlin's Rotes Rathaus, Berlin's town hall. Now you may ask, why are we striking? The rising cost of education (absurdly low in contrast to the US), elitism in education, etc., etc... Although I do agree that these issues are problems, growing ones, and that they should be addressed- it seems like we are striking just for the hell of it. I for one, think I should bring this strike/protest ethic back with me from Berkeley. It seems California's financial woes may affect me directly when I return to the gold and blue. The Terminator is threatening to phase out CalGrants- now while I don't receive a CalGrant, the university has informed me that should CalGrants be phased out, all students receiving financial aid will be negatively affected. I'll share the burden with everyone else- to the tune of an estimated $1000 per student. Let the fun begin.