Benne Biscuit / Butter Biscuit

Things have been pretty busy at my end. I must apologize to all my friends for not being able to visit your blogs for sometime. I cancelled a weekend plan of mine due to a bad weather and just took sometime off to chill. Decided to get back on my space and post a simple and light recipe.

"Benne" means "Butter" in Kannada. Benne biscuit's are very famous in Iyengar's Bakery in Bangalore. Butter Sponge is a bakery in Bangalore from where I have tasted the best baked goodies ever. The taste still lingers in my mouth. Drooool !!

I have been craving to eat these goodies for sometime. I made these biscuits at home and tried to recreate the same taste. But I was not successful in recreating the same consistency but the taste was delicious!!

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 1 Cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 Cup
Cashews - 1/2 Cup
Butter - 1 Stick - 8 Tablespoons
Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Method

• Sift the all purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and cardamom powder in a bowl and set it aside.

• In a food processor/ blender add the cashews and grind it coarsely. To this add butter and blend the both together. The butter has to be completely at room temperature.

• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse it till it forms a crumbly mixture.

• Make balls out of the mixture. Be sure to not roll the ball tightly. It has to be loose so that the biscuits fluff up.

• Preheat the oven to 300⁰F. Place the cookies on the cookie tray and bake for 10 minutes.

• Make sure that you don't over bake them. I left them for an extra minute or so to get a beautiful golden color on the cookies. Cool them completely before you can taste them.

• Enjoy the cookies with your evening tea or morning breakfast!

Notes:

• Addition of cashews is optional and you may skip its addition.
• The butter must be very soft and completely at room temperature otherwise the consistency of the dough mixture will not come out as desired.
• As there will be variations on heat in different ovens, make sure to have an eye on the cookies while they are baking.
• Rolling the cookie dough tight will not allow the biscuits to rise and they will not come out soft.
• The cookies have to be white in color and browned slightly at the base. You can make them white by removing them from the oven at the end of 10 minutes and allow them to cool completely.

Landscaping to Avoid Root Infiltration

Natural Ways to Protect Sewer Lines and Septic Tanks!

If you're a homeowner, it is extremely important to take care of your sewer line system or septic tank to prevent costly damage. Root infiltration is one of the most common causes of damage sewer lines, pipes and septic storage tanks. Over time, sprawling roots from trees and shrubs can make their way through thin cracks and holes in pipes, lines and tanks. Once they've penetrated, they can continue to grow, creating a major blockage that cause unsanitary sewage and waste water to back up into your home...or to leak and soak through the soil in your lawn.

To avoid root infiltration damage, try to avoid planting trees and plants with long root systems or that require a great deal of moisture within the vicinity of your main sewer line or septic tank. These plants will seek out and gravitate toward pipes, lines and tanks. Instead, stick with these sewer and septic safe alternatives.

• Grass: Plain old lawn grass is one of the best (and safest) things you can plant over your septic tank or main sewer line. The roots are very short and grass is relatively easy to care for. Try Kentucky bluegrass or Rye grass, be sure to mow regularly, and treat yearly with a weed-killing formula.


• Perennials: Perennial plants and flowers -- like daisies, daylilies, and poppies -- come back year after year. These plants are a good choice because they are low-maintenance and inexpensive. When planting perennials over a septic tank or the path of a sewer line, lay down topsoil at least six inches deep and cover with a layer of mulch to keep the soil from eroding.


• Wildflowers: Wildflowers also have short root systems that won’t reach deep enough to damage your sewer line or septic system. They provide great color, thick coverage, and a distinct look to any area of your yard. You can purchase individual packets of wildflower seeds in coordinating colors to give your planting structure or choose mixed seeds for a more casual, random garden. Be sure to put down an inch or two of good quality top soil so your wildflower seeds will sprout.


• Septic Tank Mix: Septic tank mix, or prairie mix, is a blend of wildflowers and wild grasses. It’s easy to plant, sprouts quickly, is super-low maintenance, and doesn’t require a bed of topsoil in order to flourish. Septic tank mix is often recommended by professionals because it absorbs excess moisture from the ground and has a very short root system. You can find prairie mix in any lawn and garden or home improvement store.


• Ornamental Grass: Ornamental grasses are also easy to grow and don’t require much maintenance. They tend to spread but don’t grow deep, so there’s little chance of the roots damaging your sewer lines or septic tank. The simplest way to start growing ornamental grasses is to purchase a starter plant in a small container from your local garden center. Once it’s replanted in the ground over your septic tank or sewer line, it should start to spread out within a few weeks. There are plenty of colors and varieties to choose from, making it easy to create a custom look for your home.


• Container Gardens: Most septic tanks need maintenance or repairs at some point. If you’ve invested a lot of time and money planting in this area, you could face a significant loss if the ground must be disturbed. An easy way to avoid this while still adding beauty to your yard is by arranging container plantings over the septic tank. Flowers, grasses and other plants can be potted in attractive containers and set over a layer of pea gravel. That way, if you ever need access to the underground parts of your septic system, you can simply move the containers out of the way until the work is finished.

Repairing and replacing sewer lines and septic tanks can be quite expensive and usually requires digging and tearing up large patches of your yard. Adding these plants can not only help you avoid these costly and destructive repairs, they can also give your yard added beauty and attract songbirds and butterflies.



Related Information from Horizon Services...

• Horizon Sewer Line Repair and Replacement Services
• Make Sure You're Covered for Sewer Backups
• Garbage Disposal Do's and Don'ts
• How To Properly Use a Plunger to Unclog a Toilet, Sink or Tub

Mixed Upma with Home Made Tomato Jam

I am very bad at making upma, but never gave up and every try I make to make it better Shoj is the target he heee... Now I have thought of this new recipe, so that I can hide Cracked Wheat in the basic Upma recipe which is made with Semolina. I like the creamy version of Upma but Shoj likes the dry one. But he has got no chance cos I have to make it creamy so that even Anush can eat it.

UPMA RECIPE

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Ingredients:

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1/2 Cup of Cracked Wheat

1/2 Cup of  Semolina

1 small Onion chopped

1 Tomato chopped

2 Green Chilies or 1/2 tsp Chili powder

1 cup Mixed veggies (I chose the frozen with Peas, Carrots, Beans, Corn and Lima beans)

1/4 inch ginger chopped

1 Sprig Curry leaves

1/4 Cup chopped Cilantro

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste

1 tbs Oil

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Ghee

3 Cups of Water

Method:

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1. In a pan add oil, add mustard seeds and when they sputter add curry leaves and chopped ginger.

2. Saute it for a min, add the onions and saute it until it becomes transparent

3. Now add the mixed veggies and saute it for 3 mins

4. Now add the tomatoes, salt and sugar. cover and cook for about 3 mins.

5. Now add 3 cups of water and bring it to boil.

6. Reduce the flame to low and add the semolina and cracked wheat slowly and continuously stirring.

7. Cover and cook for about 5 mins or until done.

8. Garnish with Cilantro leaves and ghee

Note: You can add lime juice and fried peanuts before serving or the Tomato Jam.

TOMATO JAM RECIPE

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Ingredients:

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1 Cup Tomatoes Chopped or blended in mixie if you don't want a chunky texture

1/4 Cup Sugar or Honey

1 pinch Salt

Method:

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1. In a sauce pan add the tomatoes, honey/sugar and salt.

2. cook it until the tomatoes are cooked well and the water is reduced.

3. Serve this Jam on a slice of bread or with any breakfast. (Anush does not eat spicy food so I had to make this to serve with Upma so that he can eat it without any fuss :-)).