Drawers Galore!

Received a message and link from Max Hunter over at Western Dovetail (right here in Vallejo!), directing me to his new photo gallery, Drawer.com.

If you, like me, can be inspired by looking at images of every kind of drawer imaginable, you should take a look. There are curved drawers, and bowed drawers, and angled drawers, and straight drawers, of every possible description.

Max can make you drawers and roll-out shelves and silverware inserts and dovetailed casework boxes. His products are beautifully crafted and very reasonable. He made great new drawers for our storage bed a few years back.

Isn't it time that you got some roll-out shelves to replace those stationary pantry or closet shelves?

I plan to order a roll-out shelf for my vanity, with a plumbing cutout, to make better use of the space.

Peggy

Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Fire Risk?

Here is a link to a respected lighting blog, Greenwashing Lamps, and a blog post entitled

CFL Fire Risk?

 

The blogger, halogenica, is well known in the lighting industry for her blog-campaign to discredit CFLs and LEDs. I don't agree with her on everything, but do agree that it doesn't pay to endanger our homes and lives by buying cheap light bulbs. 

BTW. Sadly, to my knowledge, virtually ALL light bulbs are made in China these days, in spite of the fact that Edison invented them here.

Well worth the read if you have cheap compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs in recessed ceiling fixtures or other enclosed fixtures in your home or business. The last place you want a fire is in a hole through the fire-protective sheetrock or plaster in your ceiling.

Peggy

 

Rasa Podi / Rasam Powder

Power cuts in Tamilnadu are known to everyone. Luckily, in Chennai, we get only 2 hours power cut on rotation basis for every month. For this month, the power cut is in the morning. Power cuts in the morning affects me much, since I won't be able to finish cooking on time thus in-turn delays me in getting ready to office. Most often, I go for curries which don't require any grinding and some variety rice which sit wells in the lunch box.



Whatever might be the rice or curry, rasam has to be there for all my family members at home. As per them, a meal is not complete without rasam. If you know me, I always prepare freshly ground rasam masala everytime when I prepare Rasam. That's one of the reason, I don't prepare and store rasam powder at home. but, power cuts have forced me to prepare and store it in a container for a week's use. My advise will be to prepare it in a smallar quantity to retain its freshness, aroma and flavor.



Also, note that I haven't added toor dal in my rasam powder. My mother-in-law usually adds toor dal in all rasam recipes whereas my mom adds only in Dal rasam(Paruppu Rasam) and I have adopted this procedure until now. So, if you want in include toor dal, add 3 tablespoons of toor dal to the below ingredients.

Basic Information:

Preparation Time: <15 minutes

Makes: 1/2 cup approximately



Ingredients:



Black Pepper corns - 1/4 cup

Cumin seeds - 2 tablespoons

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespooons

Dry red chillies - 5-6 nos

Asafoetida / Katti Perungayam - a very small piece

Curry leaves - 3 strings

Method:



1) Sun dry all the ingredients for an hour. You can also dry roast them in a heavy bottom pan without burning until all the ingredients start releasing nice aroma.

2) In a mixer / coffee grinder, dry grind all the ingredients to a smooth or coarse powder. I always want my rasam powder in coarse texture.

3) Store it in an air tight container and keep it inside the refrigerator. It stays good even at room temperature.

Notes:

1) If you don't have katti perungayam at home, prepare rasam powder without it and add the asafoetida powder while preparing the rasam.

2) If you don't add fenugreek seeds while seasoning the rasam,  add it (about 1/4 teaspoons to 1/2 teaspoons) to the above ingredients and make a powder of it.