Aval Payasam

After seeing Aval payasam recipe posted by Srikars kitchen, I could not resist myself from trying it out. I made a few modifications according to my taste and imagination and the end result was that I could not have enough of it. Thanks Sripriya for sharing this wonderful recipe.
This is my version of Aval Payasam.

Ingredients:
Aval(Poha)-1/2 cup
Ghee-1tbsp
Cashews-a handful
Almonds-a handful
Milk-1 cup
Evaporated milk-1 cup
Sugar-according to your taste
Cardamom powder-a pinch
Orange color(optional)-a pinch
Saffron-a few strands
Edible camphor-a pinch(optional)
Coconut-1 tbsp

Dry grind almonds and cashews(setting a few aside to roast) to a fine powder.
Heat ghee. Fry some cashews to golden brown. Set aside. In the same pan, fry poha in ghee for a couple of minutes. Add milk. Let it boil(if the mixture is too thick, add some more milk). Add the ground nuts, sugar, evaporated milk, coconut, saffron, orange color, cardamom powder & edible camphor. Simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with roasted nuts. Tastes best when warm!

Malaysian Veg Noodles-for all you spicy lovers out there!

Thanks to our family friend who introduced us to this dish. This noodles tastes simply superb. It actually tastes great the day after it is made.
Ingredients:
Hakka noodles-1 packet
Chopped vegetables like onion, beans, carrot, cabbage
Chilli powder as per your spice level
Salt
Oil-3 tbsp

To grind:
Tomatoes-3
Garlic pods-3

Method:
Heat oil. Fry onions to golden brown. Add beans, carrot and cabbage. Fry till veges are half cooked(takes about 5 to 8 minutes). Add the ground paste, salt, chilli powder and continue to cook till the raw smell of tomato goes and mixture becomes thick. Now it's time to mix in cooked noodles.(cook noodles as per the instruction on back side of the packet)
Toss well and serve.

Backflow Devices

Starting about 3 or 4 months ago, we got a whole bunch of calls from various property managers saying that people had stolen their backflow devices. (What's a backflow device? Click here!) People were stealing them and then trying to "recycle" the brass at one of these scrap metal places. These things cost a lot of money (in many cases, more than $1,000.00) and, to steal them, they shut off the water to your building! And you can't turn it back on until you replace the device!

Then, they found one of the guys in Mission Viejo with hundreds (I think) of these devices in his house. I don't know what he was going to do with them. No way would a scrap metal yard take that many from one person.

There are all kinds of ways to minimize your risk of having one of these stolen, but the best is to install a cage around it. If you contact us, we can give you a bid. We would pour a concrete pad around your device, install some bolts in it and then put a metal cage over it. When we come to test it, we just unlock the cage and go to work. When we're done, we just put the cage back! A determined thief can still get to it, but most thieves don't want to put that much effort into it and will move on to easier pickings


Now, off the subject...

I put here in a previous post that I am a ballroom dancer (no, I am not nearly as good as the ones on Dancing With the Stars). I do it strictly for fun, some exercise and because my wife loves it. When I started, though, I had a real problem.

I have studied one martial art or another since 1983. Most of these require strict body positioning, positioning that usually looks nothing like any type of dance step. It was really funny watching me try to maintain my balance while trying to look good dancing!

Fortunately, due to the patience and perseverance of many dance instructors, I got past this. Now, I am a decent dancer and I don't look all stiff and awkward as I did when I started.

There are a lot of excellent dance instructors in and around Orange County. Just a few are Lisa Narita, Tom Hyatt and Louie Herrera. Check out these sites if you are interested in having fun, meeting people and getting some exercise!