Friday, August 03, 2012

Udupi Krishna's Favourites For Krishna Janmaashtami - Laddige - Puffed Rice Ball


 UDUPI KRISHNA'S FAVOURITES FOR 


KRISHNA JANMAASHTAMI


 LADDIGE 


 The divine taste and flavour of Prasaadams of the age old temples in India have remained constant through out many centuries. In all these years the ancient methods of cooking the prasaadams for the presiding  deities have been strictly adhered to. The secret formulas of the ingredients used, and the methods used for preparing the prasaadams set by the ancestors eons ago have been safely guarded even to this day. It is not an exaggeration to say that the ancient temples of India are repositories for a number of traditional Indian recipes.


 My daughter's family came back with a bag of Sampoorna prasaadam from Udupi recently. The taste of the prasaadams of Udupi Krishna was something out of the world.The names of the sweets which were printed on the cover stirred my curiosity to learn more about them. I found this link where in all the prasaadams offered to Udupi Krishna are listed in detail.


 Laddige is one of Udupi Krishna's favourite Prasaadams





 INGREDIENTS 





Puffed rice obtained by popping paddy/
Or Battada Harulu in Kannada - 4 cups / 2 glasses 
Round jaggery - 1 ball 
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch 


METHOD 


1. Clean the puffed rice and coarsely grind in the mixer for only a few seconds. 
2. Take out the puffed rice pearls in a greased bowl or plate.




3. Crush and dissolve jaggery in 1 glass of warm water. 
4. Filter the jaggery water and boil it up to one thread consistency in a sauce pan. 





 5.When the syrup becomes sticky and starts foaming add cardamom powder and pour it all over the puffed rice pearls.



6. Mix well using a spatula. 
7. Grease your fingers, scoop out a ladle of the sweetened puffed rice and make it into a big ball.Use up the entire sweetened puffed rice pearls to make more Laddiges.





 Offer the golden balls studded with small white pearls to Sri Krishna on Janmaashtami and savour the prasaadam.
 I could make four Laddiges with the quantity of ingredients given above and they looked like mini laddiges in comparison with the huge Laddige Prasaadam from Udupi.

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Welcoming a New Member into our Family - My 200th post - Also a lovely gesture by dear blogger friends!!!


I am happy to share that we are blessed with a baby boy. We welcomed our Little Prince on June 28th and he has changed our lives (days and nights) totally since then. We have named him "Kavin" - meaning "Handsome". I couldn't believe how I got adopted to waking up at a slightest whistle from him and go to deep sleep the moment I hit the pillow after tending to his needs. The break of the dawn 

Top Five Energy Star Building Products in South Carolina

MBS & Co.'s Top 5 Selling Energy Star Products for 2012



When homeowners or business owners contact us to help them lower their utility cost and improve sustainability, they have usually done research on a few of our products.  Most clients know that Energy Star building products really help reduce energy cost, especially in the hotter climates found in South Carolina, yet many still have questions on what is best for their project.  Generally speaking, most clients are in need of a service already because of an existing failing product, or they are building new and looking to get a better return on investment, then what traditional building products can offer. 

With that in mind, our list is going to look a lot different then what you see government and other "green" energy website lists look like.  The major reason for this, is that we have specific information, specific needs, and specific goals from our customers, allowing us to accurately and functionally develop a energy efficiency plan specific to that individual customers need.  Another reason why our list may look different from others, is that many customers budgets simply do not have the capital to afford items like solar panels and wind turbines that you see in the news and other "green" energy websites. 

The good news about our list, is that our list includes affordable Energy Star building products, that most homeowners and small businesses building budgets can accomadate. Not only are the products on our list more affordable for customers, they also have a faster payback rate on investment. Also be sure to note, that this list is just from our company's sales and customer feedback information, however our products really do seem to be a more sustainable way for homeowners and businesses to go "green", save utility cost, and improve energy efficiency. 

So without further a do, here is MBS & Co.'s top five Energy Star rated building products in 2012 for the South Carolina area:

  1. Gaco Western S-2000 Silicone Roof Coatings - This is a shocker to us as well, but with the combination of a weak economy and aging building structures, we have done more roof coating projects this year then we have insulation products.  Insulation can often be overlooked by many homeowners and building owners, but when the roof leaks, they have to get it fixed.  The great thing about Gaco Western roof coatings is that they not only minimize replacement cost, they also improve energy efficiency
  2. Spray Foam Insulation - Usually our number one seller, spray foam insulation can reduce utility cost for customers by up to 40% or more in some cases.  A poorly insulated home or building can really run up cost in the dog days of summer when temperatures are in triple digits, and all that cool air the A/C produces goes right out the building if its not probably insulated.
  3. Energy Star Rated Metal Roofing - Always a top seller, metal roofing is one of the oldest ways homeowners and building owners have been able to reduce energy consumption. Even before energy efficiency became an issue, metal roofing was used to help keep homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
  4. Rock Wool Insulation - Rock wool insulation has been around a long time, however it has been making a big comeback since more consumers are concerned about their carbon footprint on the enviroment. Although not as good of an R-value as spray foam, rock wool insulation still outperforms fiberglass, giving customers big energy savings.
  5. Crawl Space Encapsulation - Encapsulating a crawl space can give homeowners and business owners big energy savings.  Not only does this service save energy, its also the best way to eliminate moisture and prevent mold from growing in crawl space areas.

As u can see from our list, roofing and insulation play a vital role in improving the energy efficiency of a building structure, and MBS & Co. is proud to be a contractor that can offer these energy saving solutions to South Carolina residents.  Though not a comprehensive list of all the services we provide, we hope this list will give homeowners and business owners some ideas on how to improve energy efficiency, when taking on a new building project or remodelling project in the South Carolina area.  MBS & Co. also sells and installs solar panels and other high end renewable energy products, however we often find customers prefer the more affordable Energy Star options listed above. 

If your interested in taking your home or business "green" and improving overall energy efficiency of your building structure in North Carolina or South Carolina, please feel free to contact us through any of the ways listed below.  Thanks for reading our blog, and stay tuned for more useful information and reviews on Energy Star rated building products. 


MBS & Company
530 Piedmont Drive
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Phone: 706-951-0158
http://www.myrtlebeachenergysavers.com

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