How many showers will Aunt Edna take?!

With the holiday season fast approaching, or if your family is anything like mine...a steady stream of weekend get together s starting on or around Thanksgiving day, you may be planning for some extra inhabitants at your home soon. If you have ever had a house full of guests stay an extended period of time at your place you may have had to be creative with your own personal grooming habits and time(s).

Often the biggest headache in your home when housing additional bodies is the increased downtime waiting for the water heater to catch up when everyone decides they stink just enough and need to freshen up. Most home's water heaters are not equipped to handle much more than the daily load put upon them. Add age and increased use and you have a holiday recipe for shrieks aplenty as you or your guest are suddenly finding themselves jumping frantically from unpleasant cold water in the shower. This, of course, can be avoided or even eliminated altogether with some planning and minor upgrades to your current shower hardware.

Long showers or increased amounts of trips through the bath due to guests in the home will drain your standard tank type heater in short order. Most [standard] shower heads (the part where the water is spraying out, not the control valve in the wall) allow around 2.5 gallons per minute of water through them. Some allow as much as 3-3.5 gallons per minute, that's a lot of hot water! New, high efficiency shower heads are engineered to use operate south of the 2 gallon per minute rate; presenting a 20% water savings that can significantly extend the number of showers you might be able to fit in to your daily routine.

Changing shower heads is rather simple. All local big box, and most local hardware stores have an excellent variety to choose from. Many of these new shower heads offer a great showering experience yet use a fractional amount of water when compared to what you may be using now. Sizing for shower heads are standard, making for a shot list of tools and materials required. If you're not the do-it-yourself type,  Aune Plumbing can help you get on track to a less stressful time spent with family.

This may also be a great time to consider the age and performance of your existing water heater.  As I have written here in the past, there are many options that may be a better fit for you and your family's lifestyle.  Check out all the information I have posted about water heaters, the different types and what may work best for you.  If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment to assess your current situation please email or call 763-238-2385.

The bottom line is this, staggering tasks such as washing dishes and clothes from taking showers when house guests are staying with you during the holidays will up your chances at keeping sane.  Upgrading your shower heads will make a big impact that will benefit you even after your big hairy brother leaves town through water savings and lower fuel consumption annually.  Have a happy holiday season!

Kartigai Pori - Sweetened Puffed Rice

KAARTIGAI PORI

The Red Mountain is spewing fire ! The flame seems to pierce through the sky above! The natives are awestruck by the magnificence of the enormous column of fire ! This must be The Lord ! The Lord whose crown Lord Brahma could not access ! The Lord whose feet Lord Vishnu could never reach! Their heads bow in devotion to the Supreme Lord Of The Red Mountains,  Lord Arunaachaleswara -who is none other than Lord Shiva Himself in the form of fire !

The Lord is enshrined in a temple at the foot of Mount Arunaachala. Great  saints sing in praise of the Lord. Over a period of time the kings of various succeeding dynasties improve and expand the temple complex.The legend of the Lord of the Red Mountain lives on to this day.

The Red Mountain which spewed fire once upon a time is now a dead volcano . But its sanctity still remains. Tiruvannaamalai where Arunaachala  or the Red Mountain lies,  is considered to be the seat of concentrated spiritual energy on mother earth.

Every year the festival of lights - Kaartigai deepam -is celebrated in honour of the Deity on the full moon day of Kaartigai month. It occurs between the middle of November and December. Annaamalai Deepam - a gigantic lamp is lit atop the Arunaachala  using tons of ghee.

Hundreds of lamps are lit in each and every house on this auspicious occasion. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Jyothi / flame. Sweets like kaartigai pori and appam are offered to the Lord during the pooja.

The vapour arising out of the sesame seed oil lamps helps in clearing out any negative energy from the surrounding energy field. It helps us to keep warm by driving away the chill and the dense fog which are characteristics of the  month of Kaartigai.

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INGREDIENTS

Puffed rice - 4 glasses ( Rice is made to pop out of Paddy at a high temperature, similar to pop corns. This is called Nel Pori in Tamil and Battada Haralu in Kannada. )

Powdered jaggery - 1 glass

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

METHOD

1. Clean the puffed rice / nel pori /battada haralu, remove the husk and keep aside in a bowl.

2. Dissolve jaggery in a glass of warm water and filter.

3. Cook the jaggery water till you get a thick syrup of two thread consistency / hard ball stage, mix in the cardamom powder.

                                               
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4. Add the thick syrup to the popped rice and mix well.

5. When it cools down break down the lumps evenly.

Some people have the custom of making the pori into urundais / balls. Make them soon after the 4th step. Take a handful of pori coated with jaggery syrup and form balls while still warm.

Offer the Karthigai Pori to the Lord and enjoy the prasaadam with one and all.

Kale Pappu/Dal/Lentil

Now that I have used kale once....I am bit comfortable trying another/few recipes out of it as it's healthy and it's a green....what more do you need.

I love spinach dal and so thought of making the same with kale. Since kale takes more time to cook, I added this green along with the dal in a pressure cooker and then added the seasoning.

Ingredients:
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3 cups Kale, washed, thick stems removed and chopped.
1/2 cup Toor Dal washed
1 Onion chopped
2-3 Garlic chopped or crushed
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 tbsp Tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1 pinch Asafoetida
1-2 Dry Red Chili
Salt as needed
Water as needed

Method:
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1. In a pressure cooker add toor dal/lentil, kale, 1/4 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and water as needed to cook the dal. Pressure cook it for 1 whistle, off the flame, let it come to room temperature, then open the cooker.
2. In a sate pan add oil, when it's hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and when the mustard starts to sputter, add asafoetida, dry red chili and garlic, stir for 30 secs.

3. Now add the onions, sate it for about 3-4 mins or until the onions are slightly golden brown. Now add the pressure cook dal/lentil to the seasoning and then add the tamarind pulp and bring it to a boil and add enough salt and mix well and cook it in medium flame.
4. Serve this healthy lentil with steamed rice or roti.

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