Sakkarai Pongal / Sweet Pongal

I made Sakkarai Pongal in a traditional stove top method for Pongal. We loved it. The pongal has a light color due to the addition of milk in the pongal.



Ingredients:
Raw rice: 1 cup
Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cups - tightly packed
Milk - 3 cups
Water - 3 cups + 3/4 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew - 5 or 6



Method:
Wash rice and dhal and soak in water for 30 mins. In a heavy bottomed

Myrtle Beach Spray Foam Reviews

Myrtle Beach Spray Foam Reviews



This site is dedicated to giving you the most informative spray foam insulation Reviews and News in the Myrtle Beach area.  We we talk about spray foam insulation reviews, we are talking about a number of different aspects that can be reviewed.  So my first post on this blog is going to first educate you on Spray Foam Insulation, what the keys are to a successful spray foam insulation installation, the difference between closed cell and open cell spray foam insulation,  and local contractors in the area that do quality spray foam insulation installations in the Myrtle Beach, and southeastern US.   



Lets first talk about Why Do Spray Foam Insualtion?

• Energy Savings: Most homes in the coastal area of South Carolina see up to 33% by just spraying the rafters of the roof, inside the attic, creating a new building envelope, taking advantage of new sciences in the insulation and HVAC worlds.   More will be explained later about the building envelope and how spray foam insulation can reduce your energy cost in a coastal enviroment like Myrtle Beach, SC.
• Energy Efficiency:  Ever been in your attic in the summer and its 120 degrees or hotter and you just can't stand it?  Thats the reason your air conditioning has to work so hard in the summer to cool your home, most of the time running all day, and not shutting down until at nighttime when the sun goes down.  By using Spray Foam Insulation on the rafters, it creates a new state of the art building envelope, on which spray foam insulation uses the inefficiencies of the A/C system to create a more balanced enviroment in the house, thus  making your A/C run shorter.   By removing the fiberglass insulation from the ceiling, thus using the leakage of your home as a way to bring the attic enviroment down to within 10 degrees of the house space.  How does this help?  Well you have cool air being pumped in your home for one.  If its 120 degrees in your attic, the air coming out by the time it reaches the end of the duct is not temperature it should be, thus your system works twice as hard to get down to the temperature setting on the thermostat.
• Saving the Eviroment or "Going Green":  By reducing the amount of energy you use in your home, it makes your home more "Green" and we look to add more information on other ways to reduce energy in your home on some of our other blogs.  Spray Foam Insualtion has been so effective in reducing energy cost, that the US government offers tax credits and incentives for putting spray foam insulation in your home.  Being a coastal resident myself, I now how hot Myrtle Beach summers are, and trust me spray foam insulation will save you tons of money over the lifetime of your home, paying itself back almost double in energy savings, then the pricey upfront cost.  This is one of the reasons spray foam insulation is almost double the cost of fiberglass insulation.  Fiberglass insulation should be replaced every 5-10 years, as it loses R-Value over time.  With Spray Foam Insulation, it is a lifetime product, and will save you energy until the home is no longer of use to anyone. 
• Tax Credits: please check with your personal accountant, as tax credits and incentives vary from size of home, to area of country, and personal income as well.  Most tax credits are based on material cost, which is a big part of the spray foam insulation cost in the myrtle beach area.

Now we know why we want to do spray foam insulation in the Myrtle Beach, SC area, lets talk about the building envelope, watch this YouTube video for information on both the building envelope and Open Cell vs. Closed Cell Insulation.

Now that we know a little bit about why to use spray foam insulation in the Coastal SC area and Myrtle Beach, the building envelope and its role in the spray foam insulation system, and the difference between open cell and closed cell spray foam insulation, its time to talk about what to look for when picking a reputable spray foam insulation contractor in the Myrtle Beach SC and Coastal SC area.   Here is a list of things I looked for when I was doing quality inspections on the contractors I sold spray foam insulation materials and products too.  All these contractors met the stringent standards most spray foam insulation suppliers have for installer spraying their products. 

1. Cleanliness and Quality of Equipment:  The first thing I would always look at when I would go inspect a contractor, was the hoses, proportioning unit, spray guns, safety equipment, tips, tools, and other things necessary for a good spray foam installation like a larger generator than needed, and a bigger air compressor than the minimum requirements.  These last two play such a crucial factor in a proper spray foam insulation installation, its crucial that these should be top's on a experienced installer's list for there rig.
2. Experience of Installers:  Most quality spray foam contractors have their installation crews split up into teams with one team reamoving and prepping for the sprayers, then another team that does the spraying.  I can always tell when the guys doing the prep work have all large voids covered with landscape fabric, to create a more sound building envelope.  I also look at the sprayer, and a good sprayer really seals the hard to get places good.  A lot of spray foam installers are inexperienced, so these are some of the things you really have to look for when chosing a spray foam installation contractor in the Myrtle Beach, and Coastal SC areas.
3. Knowledge of Sales Staff: A Good sales staff should be able to ease your worries up front, being able to educate you on the building envelope, how your house is going to gain its unique building envelope, and what is going to be your energy savings are going to be near after spray foam insulation is installed.  Experienced sales staff also usually know a general idea of what your gonna get back on any available tax credits or rebates available to  you, however you should always contact your personal accountant as most credits and rebates are based on factors other than insulation, such as income, size of home, and others, but most rebates and credits are based on the material price, which is a huge portion of the spray foam insulation installation cost.
4. Timely Installation: Spray Foam Insulation is major construction to the home, and is very messy in its installation, as it is being sprayed on, rather than laid in like fiberglass insulation.  So a good prep team can ease your worries here, and a good sales person is gonna get you on there schedule and keep you within your schedule date, as it does cause a slight inconvience to install in new or existing homes.  However once the installation is complete, spray foam insulation is one of the most cleanest insulation products, reducing dust and allergens in the home.

My intent for this blog is to help educate Myrtle Beach and Coastal SC residents on the benefits, energy and cost savings, and quality install contractors in the spray foam insulation industry in the Myrtle Beach and Coastal SC areas.   How do I know so much about the spray foam insulation industry?  My first start was in the installation side of spray foam learning about guns, proportioning units, air, open cell vs. closed cell, material handling, and other things you can only learn from installing spray foam insulation, and spraying yourself for a little while.  My next venture was into sales for a chemical company, selling the 2 part insulation products to local contractors, selling guns and components, and other accessories in spray foam insulation.  I am now retired, and just want to promote spray foam as a energy saving alternative to residents of the Myrtle Beach area.  I know how hot Myrtle Beach SC summers are from living here for 16 years now.  Spray Foam Insulation is a life changing product, not only improving the cost of heating and cooling your home, but also in the overall comfortability of your home in the hot summer days.  So below is a list I am starting of the top spray foam insulation contractors, and I will be adding later why I rank these companies in this order.  For more information on spray foam insulation in Myrtle Beach, SC and the Coastal SC area, contact myrtlebeachsprayfoaminsulation@gmail.com for a reputable contractor in your area.

Certified Myrtle Beach, SC Spray Foam Insulation Installers:

myrtlebeachsprayfoam.com : call Dan @ 706-951-0158 for a free estimate and energy analysis report on your home.

Spring Onions & Paneer Paratha

Spring Onions & Paneer Parathas, a Flavorful Dinner Menu. Had a bunch of Spring Onions lying in my fridge for almost a week!!! Thought of making some good use of it!!!! Enjoyed this with Mango Pickle and Plain Yoghurt.

Check out my other Marathon Buddies Srivalli, Priya Suresh, Jay, Monika, Reva, PJ, Azeema , Ayeesha ,Veena , Soumya and Gayathri

Ingredients

3 cups Wheat Flour

1 cup Chopped Spring Onions

1/2 Cup Crumbled Paneer

2 tsp Red Chilli Powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp of oil 

Method

In Large Bowl take all the Ingredients and add enough water and make soft Chapathi Dough. Divide the dough and Roll them out as Disc, a bit thick than the normal Chapathi. Heat a Tava/Griddle, Cook the parathas on both sides. Smear some Ghee/Butter on top and Serve Hot with Pickle or any Raita.