Fresh juices

In Bangalore summer started  already.It's too hot here this time.My son is not eating anything properly now a days.So i prepared these juices & shakes for him.Fresh juices are his all time favorite one.So without any complaints he finish it off soon.These are easy to prepare,fresh,thirst quenchers & healthy too.It reduce your body heat & makes you energetic.

Orange juice:



 Orange -4
 Sugar   - 3 tsp
 Ice cubes - 2

  Extract juice from oranges , mix ice cubes & sugar, Serve immediately.  

Apple Milkshake:



Apple -1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Ice cubes - 3
Sugar - 2 tsp

Remove the skin & seeds from apple & cut it into pieces.Blend all the  ingredients together in a blender, pour in a glass serve it immediately.

Watermelon juice:

 

Watermelon - 1 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Ice cubes - 3
Sugar - 3 tsp
Water - 1/4 cup

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender,Strain the it.Serve it cool

Badam milk:



Badam - 10
Milk  - 1/2 lit
Cereal  nuts - 2 tsp
Sugar - 3 tsp
Cardamom powder - pinch
Rose petals - few (optional)

Soak badam in hot water for 2 hrs. Peel the skin,grind almonds with 1 tsp of cereal seeds to a paste adding milk.Boil the milk,add sugar,cardamom powder & grounded badam paste. Mix well.Allow it to boil  for 10 min.Keep stirring.Turn off the heat.Garnish with Cereal nuts & rose petals.You can serve either hot or cold.

Announcing the winner of the giveaway & Red Velvet Cupcake ~ an e-treat for all participants -

After running a promotional giveaway for 10 days and now its time to announce the lucky winner. Thank you readers for your wishes and comments on that post. And Lady Luck has cast her smile on

Shoba of Anubhavati, Tastes from my kitchen. I am sure the gift will delight your daughter who loves waffles. Please mail me your address to claim your gift. Thank you CSN team at counter stools for the opportunity.

For all those who participated., here is a virtual treat for you. Hope you enjoy it. The recipe I follow is from Vcuisine(private blog). I have tried it twice following the recipe to T but have skipped the frosting both the times. This time I have made some changes like substituting part All purpose flour with multi grain, butter with oil etc. Beets puree is used as the coloring agent.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Multigrain flour - 1/2 cup
Cocoa powder  - 1 1/2 tblspn
Baking powder - 1 tspn
Vanilla essence - 1 tspn
Salt - 1/4 tspn

Sugar -1 cup
Oil - 1/3 cup

Buttermilk - 1 cup
Beetroot puree - 1 cup (I used only 1/2 cup)

Cooking soda - 1/2 tspn

Lime juice - 1/2 tspn

Method

Steam cook beets and grate it finely. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix oil and sugar and whisk till sugar is fully dissolved. Mix grated beet and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Add flour mix and buttermilk alternatively to the oil-sugar combo. Finally add vanilla essence, cooking soda and lime juice. Mix well.

Grease muffin pan and fill 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 35 minutes.

Frosting
Maida - 2 tblspn
Sugar - 4 tblspn
Butter - 1 tblspn
Milk - 20ml
Vanilla essence - 2 drops

Mix flour in milk without forming lumps and cook till they form a pouring consistency. Cream sugar, butter and vanilla till fluffy. Add the cooked maida mix to the cream and frost the cake. The maida mix turned very thick for me and added few drops of milk to it. But the end mixture turned to be slightly runny and when I piped the frosting it started spreading. It didnot affect the taste though.

Your Guide to Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers

A humidifier and dehumidifier are essential components of any home HVAC system. Proper humidification is necessary to maintain ideal moisture levels in both summer and winter months to achieve healthy indoor air quality. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers also help your furnaces and air conditioners work more efficiently.

Below is a quick list of some of the major types of humidifiers and dehumidifiers in use today.

• Ultrasonic Humidifier: These units employ a high-frequency energy source that breaks water up into miniscule droplets that are circulated through the air in your home by a small fan. Ultrasonic humidifiers are desirable because they’re quiet and use very little energy. However, using hard water in the machine can leave a sticky white film all over your house so it’s best to use filtered or distilled water for best results.
  


• Evaporative Humidifier: Using a honeycomb wick made of cellulose paper partially submerged in water and a high-volume fan these humidifiers distribute moisture into the air. They can be noisy and the wicks must be replaced regularly to maintain functionality, but evaporative humidifiers are very easy to clean and use little energy.
  


• Impeller Humidifier: This type of unit sprays tiny droplets of water directly into the air. Perfect for small spaces or single-room humidification, impeller devices are inexpensive and portable. Because the water enters the room directly, though, be sure to use distilled water or demineralizing tablets to ensure that hard water deposits won’t damage furniture and flooring.
  


• Floor Vent Humidifier: The floor vent humidifier is a device that fits in the space where a standard floor vent register would normally go. The units have a water chamber that holds liquid, which then passes through a filter and into the air when the home’s heating system cycles on. They use no energy and are much more portable than traditional plug-in units, making floor vent humidifiers a great option for single-room humidification.
  


• Furnace-Mounted Humidifier: Furnace-mounted humidifiers connect directly to your home’s water supply, so the foam element that mounts on the furnace is automatically refilled as needed. As dry air from the heating system is forced through the foam, it collects moisture and distributes it throughout the house. Some furnace-mounted humidifiers even come equipped with an automatic reset humidistat that adjusts moisture according to changes in the weather.
  


• Warm Mist Device: A warm mist humidifier contains a heating element that warms water to near boiling before it passes through a cooling fan that distributes the moisture into the air. The returned moisture is slightly warmer that the air in the room, making warm mist devices desirable for nurseries or children’s rooms. Tap water can be used in these units, though they do consume more energy than other models and some are quite noisy.
  


• Evaporative Cooler: These machines use ice and cold water to put moisture back in the air. Ice and water are mounted on top of the device and as the ice melts the water flows over a wick. A fan then blows cool mist into the air. Evaporative coolers use very little energy and pose almost no risk from harsh chemicals or pollutants.
  


• Dehumidifier: Humid air passes over and through coils inside the unit which cool the air and condense moisture. The water is then collected in a basin inside the dehumidifier; most devices will shut off automatically when the basin is full. Because of the automatic shut-off feature, these machines have to be checked regularly and the basins must be emptied as needed so the dehumidifier keeps working properly.

To find out what kind of humidification/dehumidification system is best for your home, speak to a Horizon Services Comfort Consultant or HVAC Service Technician!


Related Information...

• Horizon Services HVAC Installation & Replacement
• Horizon Heating Services
• Horizon Air Conditioning Services
• Indoor Air Quality - A Major Problem for Homeowners