Basic Green Renovations for an Energy Efficient Home

With all the buzz about going green, how can home owners determine if their home meets neighborhood standards for environmental responsibility? An energy efficient home consumes less power to perform usual household energy functions, like water heating and climate control. Going green not only helps the environment and makes a great conversation starter with the neighbors, but green homeowners also save money on monthly utility bills. In residential homes, energy efficiency generally refers to how the home insulation methods, heating and cooling system, water heating, and appliances work to effectively reduce household energy consumption.

Increase your home's energy efficiency to be an energy thrifty homeowner and save a buck by investigating the most essential green household solutions:

Heating and Cooling: If your heating or air conditioning system is more than 9 years old, use a high efficiency replacement to reduce energy consumption and lower your power bill. Even if the initial replacement is pricey, investing in environmentally responsible climate control solutions provides long term energy savings . Of course, solar heating systems, which collect energy from the sun with solar panels to power your home, are the most efficient, but if you're still using electric or oil, at least switch to gas fast.

Insulation: To achieve desired energy savings with a high efficiency heating and cooling system, use appropriate home insulation methods. Adequate insulation reduces energy needed to maintain the home temperature. Ensure that heated and cooled air doesn't escape through the attic and basement by properly insulating your home. Update old widows and doors with energy efficient replacements. Energy efficient windows and doors help regulate the home temperature by preventing drafts and air leaks.

Water heating system: Electric water heaters on a timer provide the most energy efficient water heating. For the greatest hot water efficiency with out switching to electric water heating, use an energy recovery system, such as Thermodrain or Power Pipe. Energy recovery systems use hot water collected from showers, dishwashers, and other appliances to heat cold water entering the water heater.

Electrical appliances: Purchase household appliances - especially big energy users, such as refrigerators, freezers, and washers and dryers - with an Energy Star rating.

Beet Rasam ~ SpotLightBlog#2 Recipe

Third recipe which I tried from Foodies Hope is Beet rasam. Rasam with beet sounded interesting. Rasam at my home is tomato with occasional variances of lemon or pepper rasam. So I wanted to try this beets rasam.  The sweetness from the beets compliments the rasam well.  The recipe for rasam powder is from Asha’s close friends’s mother. Do give it a try and I am sure you will never regret it.  I am glad to have found another way to cook beets.

Ingredients

Tur Dal - 1/4 cup

Beetroot - 1 nos

Lime sized tamarind

Salt

Hing



RASAM POWDER:

TO ROAST AND POWDER:

Coriander Seeds - 4 tblspn

Dry Red Chillies - 3 red chillies

Dry Coconut - 2 tblspn

Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn

Pepper Corns - 1/2 tblspn

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tspn

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tspn

Curry Leaves



Seasonings

Oil - 1 tblspn

Mustard Seeds - 1 tspn

Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn

Onion - 1 no

Curry Leaves

Dry Red Chilli - 1 broken into two


Method

Roast the ingredients for powder and powder it. You may not require the whole amount of powder. Use necessary and store the rest.

Pressure cook dal. Chop beetroot into fine cubes. Cook beetroot with 2 cups of water and salt in it. When itscooked, add dal, tamarind juice. Let it simmer for few minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind goes. Add 3 teaspoon of rasam powder and let it simmer. You can increase the amount rasam powder to suit your taste level. Store the remaining powder in an airtight container. This powder can be used with vegetable stir fry also. Season with the ingredients listed above and pour onto the rasam. The picture doesn't do justice to the dish. I was in a hurry so could manage only this much with the picture.

Nanaimo Bar for Ugadi with D2

Fun with D2, for Ugadi with Nanaimo Bars

My grand daughter spent the week end with me as she had missed me terribly all these days. Like Dibs and myself she too is a born foodie and she is fond of cooking. Dibs had prepared various delicious dishes during our stay with her.She had also requested me to prepare the same for my grand daughter D2. (Dhrithi is called D2; Dibs being D1!), once I was back in Bangalore.

D2 opted to cook the delicious Nanaimo Bar for Ugadi. She did all the mixing,whisking and pressing while I helped her with only the double boiling.

We did have the recipe but could not conform to the measurements. The steel dinner plate which we selected to mould the bar was too big and we ended up mixing in 'some more of this and some more of that' ingredient as per D2's wishes! But the end product was quite yummy, thanks to the chocolate, butter and sugar!

INGREDIENTS FOR LAYER - 1

Almonds - 200 gms
Digestive biscuits - 1 small packet
Cocoa powder - 4 tbps
Powdered sugar ( we used icing sugar) - 2 cups
Butter - 150 gms
METHOD
1. Crumble biscuits, and chop the almonds by running in a mixer for a minute.
2. Double boil sugar, cocoa powder and butter and blend well.
3. Add the sugar,cocoa,butter blend to the biscuit and nut mixture and mix well.
4. Pour into a deep greased plate and press down to pack it tightly and leave it in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS FOR LAYER -2
Butter - 150 gms
Powdered sugar - 2 cups
Custard powder - 4 tbps
Fresh milk cream - 2 tbps

METHOD
1.Take powdered sugar and custard powder in a bowl.
2.Add butter and whisk with a wooden spatula adding cream to make a fluffy cream, thick enough to spread on the first layer.
3.Take out the chilled plate and pour the whisked cream uniformly to spread over the compressed nut and almond layer.
4.Return the plate to the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS FOR LAYER - 3

Dark chocolate - 2 big slabs
Butter - 50 gms
Sugar - 1 cup
METHOD
1.Double boil butter , broken chocolate pieces and sugar.
2.Cook until the ingredients blend well .
3.Bring out the chilled tray and pour the chocolate mixture uniformly over the creamy layer.
4.Spread the chocolate quickly before the cream layer melts and immediately return it to the refrigerator.
5.Chill until firm and then cut into bars with a sharp knife.
Since D2 was in a great hurry to taste the Nanaimo Bar she chilled it in the freezer! She could not wait too long to relish the haphazard shapes of the 'melt in the mouth', Nanaimo Bar! The ear to ear beam which lit up her face was in itself a festival to celebrate!

HAPPY UGADI TO ALL OF YOU!