Top Winter Home Remodeling Projects

If you own a home, you know it seems like the maintenance never stops, the improvement never ends and the dream projects never go away. Home improvement remodeling isn’t just for the spring and summer. There are a number of home improvement remodeling projects you can focus on during the cold winter months. Below are the top five home remodeling projects you can do in the winter to improve your home.

 

Remodeling the bathroom.

Bathroom remodel done by KHI

One of the best reasons to remodel your bathroom is because you aren’t happy with its current look however, if your bathroom has seen better days, a bath remodel is in order. Trying to maintain a bathroom with a leaky toilet or sink not only wastes gallons of water every day, but also results in higher utility bills. Installing new bathroom fixtures can both brighten up an otherwise bleak space and offer you considerable savings on your water bill. Another advantage of a bathroom remodel is adding more cabinets and/or space.

Painting the interior of the house.
Since you spend the warmer winter months sprucing up the outside of your home, winter is the time to focus on the inside of the house. Painting is a quick and easy way to refresh or update your home. If you've got a dull or dreary room, try a bolder color for a change of pace. Color can completely change the look of a room. 
 

Interior work done by KHI

Changing your carpets.

We tend to spend so much more time inside the house in the colder months. If your carpet needs refreshing, now is a good time to replace it as well as any worn down carpet padding. Replacing the carpet and padding as a winter home improvement project will increase the comfort in your home tremendously.

Adding Insulation.
Adding insulation in your attic can save you a lot on your home heating bills. Also check around your home's windows for any heating that could be escaping as well as cold air that could be coming into the house. Stop these heat leaks by caulking windows and door frames.

Replacing the kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets installed by KHI

The kitchen is the heart of the home. Updating
a kitchen with the latest cabinetry, countertop, fixtures and appliances can increase a home’s value. In a kitchen renovation, replacing the kitchen cabinets and countertops are the most common updates that homeowners tackle and it is best to do them at the same time.

 

To obtain a quote on any projects you'd like to complete this winter call Kruse Home Improvement at 860-877-0775

 

 

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Ridgegourd / Beerakaya / Peerkkangai Skin Chutney

My mom makes chutney(Thogayal) using Ridge Gourd(It is also known as Chinese Okra) and also using its skin. But I like the second version which is prepared using ridge gourd skin.



There are many methods to prepare this chutney but I always go for the below described method every time to save time. It goes good with both dosa and idly. It can be served with rice too.



Remember to prepare this chutney only when the ridge gourd is fresh and not giving any bitter taste. Check it by peeling the skin and taste a very small pinch of inside soft flesh. It should not taste bitter. So don't discard the peel/ skin of the ridge gourd here after after making a curry. Instead, make this delicious chutney.



Basic Information:

Preparation and Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:



Ridge gourd skins - 1 and 1/2 cup, roughly chopped (Skin/Peel from 2 big Ridge Ggurds)

Urid dal - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon

Tamarind - 1 small pinch, soak in 3 tablespoons of water

Salt - to taste

Dry red chillies - 4 nos

Asafoetida - a big pinch

Oil - 4 teaspoons

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 1 string



Method:



1) Take a kadai/ frying pan. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in it.

2) Add urid dal and dry red chillies. Fry it till it releases nice aroma to the kitchen.

3) Transfer to a medium size plate.

4) In the same pan/kadai, add chopped ridge gourd skins. Fry till it get cooked and sometimes crispy.

5) Once done, transfer it to the same plate. Allow all the fried ingredients to cool to room temperature.

6) Then, Blend all the cooled ingredients along with soaked tamarind with its water. Make a fine paste of it. Add salt as per your taste.

7) Prepare a seasoning with remaining oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves and add it to the prepared chutney.

8) Serve with dosa or idly.

 Notes:

1) I sometimes add a tablespoon of chanaa dal to prepare this chutney along with urid dal. Add it if you wish.

Jalebi / Fried Sweet Petzel and DIWALI FOOD FEST Event RoundUp - Vitual Feast

This is my second year of hosting Diwali event and this year I don't want users to stick with just the desserts or sweets but everyone is welcome to link up anything related to Diwali....starting from dessert, sweets, savory recipes, Vegetarian, non-vegetarian, lights, rangoli, crafts pics etc.,

This the main festival for Hindu's in India and we miss it a lot being here in the US, so this event here will be a virtual celebration for all those who miss being in their home town.

Lets celebrate it together with the visual and satisfy our hearts...

Here with I thought I will kick off this event with a delicious dessert/ Indian Diwali special Sweet - JALEBI, which is also my hubby's favorite Indian Sweet. :) I remember I tried it when I got married, and I made it with urad dal batter and it didn't turn out so good. Well I can say that I was not good at cooking at that time, or put the blame that I didn't have enough equipments. So this is the second time I am trying and well have to say that the results were impressive enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I just made a small batch of them, because I didn't want to take risk of spoiling the whole dessert and moreover as Shoj is not around, so would make more fresh and hot hot when he is around.
So enjoy this sweet treat and rush all your recipes here for the event and Happy and Prosperous DIWALI to you all!

Method:

---------

1. In a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients purpose flour, rice flour, corn meal or semolina, and baking powder, mix them with a whisk.

2. Add the wet ingredients yogurt and warm water and mix them until blended and let it ferment for about 2 hours.

3. In a kadai or deep pan add ghee or oil and let it come to a medium high heat. (I used ghee for frying as it gives rich taste).

4. In an another deep sauce pan, add water and sugar and first bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and make a syrup until you get a one string consistency.

5. Now lower the flame to the lowest and add saffron threads and cardamom powder and stir them once.

6. When the batter is ready and fermented, add this batter to a dispenser or I used a plastic bottle dispenser as shown below.

7. Before you add the batter make sure it’s hot enough by adding a dollop of batter into the oil and it should rise up immediately.

8. Now drop the batter from the dispenser, first make a circle of the desired size of the jalebi you want to and then make swirls around the circle and then again make two circles over the top to end or you can make it simple just circles or whatever shape you want the jalebi to be.

9. Cook each side for about 2-3 mins and then drop these one by one into the sugar syrup and let it absorb the sweetness for about 3-4 mins.

10. Then remove it gently on to a wire rack lined with a sheet with a foil under to take collect all the sugar drippings.

11. Repeat steps 8,9 and 10 to make as many jalebi’s as you want.

12. After 5 mins remove the warm Jalebi’s to a serving plate and enjoy. :)

Now lets go to the event: NO RULES as such for this event, but please use the logo,which is mandatory to the recipes you send, as it will help to spread the word. Please link all your recipes with the help of the linky tool and those who are unable to link or having any problems, please send the recipes to anu (dot) healthykitchen (at) gmail (dot) com. Event starts on NOV 1st and ends on NOV 30th 2012.

Thanks and N'Joy your Diwali with Family and Friends.....

Click on the middle link below to view other bloggers Diwali Recipes 2011, a total of 190 recipes...

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Murukkulu	DIWALI 2011 Round Up	Sunnundalu

Linking to Event: