MelCrawf's Profile

Made this today and we really liked it (My 9 year old rated it a "20 out of 10!!!"). Took an earlier poster's advice and mixed in two small cloves of minced garlic in the dough. I also subbed whole wheat pastry flour for about 1/4 of the flour. I proofed the dough (my oven has a proofing setting at 85 degrees) for maybe 2-3 hours (and I coated the dough in olive oil to keep it from sticking to the bowl). Baked on pizza stone at 500 degrees, followed rest of instructions to the letter. Great texture, chewy in the center, crisp on edges but not cracker-y. Will definitely put this in the regular rotation. Trying to figure out how to do it on the grill (no parchment paper there!) So happy to have a relatively quick option for pizza.

Love the black hex floor; haven't seen that before and think it works really well here. Tub area is beautiful, and I can even tolerate the brass although I would never have it. Don't love the window with no trim (too modern and doesn't allow anything to be placed there without damage to the drywall sill). The black(?) light fixtures over the sink seem to clash with the brass sink fixtures -- they just feel too different. Also, the mirror trim feels unbalanced above that chunk of a sink cabinet. Definitely not boring, and some very beautiful elements, but ultimately not cohesive for me.

You do NOT build acquired immunity against bacterial infections (such as strep) in the early stages of infection (like for the first two to three weeks), so you can get infected again and again if you do not clean up the bacteria that has made you sick. Strep can live on a toothbrush for abou 15 days, FYI.

Wow, @lawrenwinslow, I LOVE your windows/plants/shelves. Really great inspiration!

This is such a tough one for me. I want to have much more art in my home, but I don't know how to find something I love that I can afford. How do people on a very limited budget find art? I have framed a series of black and white photos, mostly of family and friends, for our hallway near the bedrooms, but I have a huge, empty wall in my dining room (empty for ELEVEN YEARS!) because I can't figure out how to find something for it that I can afford. (I live in Chicago, if that helps with any suggestions.)

For the cat folks, although not an instant plant/flower solution, you could try growing these cat-safe grasses: http://www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/bonuspacks.html#cat_treats (scroll to bottom of page). I think I am going to start growing these in pretty pots for my cat friends. :) I still have several of the small potted poinsettias from Trader Joe's -- I usually buy the white ones or the multi-colored -- I definitely get 2-3 months out of them and they are pretty and practical ($2.99 each). They have lots of little flowering plants throughout the year, and I often choose those rather than buying cut flowers (although I can't resist their $4.99 tulips (10!) starting in early Spring.

Ugh, my comment disappeared because I wasn't logged in. That's a stinky feature!

Anyhoo, I love a good pumpkin pancake and am willing to give these a try although having trouble deciding if I think pumpkin + chocolate is a good idea. Maybe dark chocolate is the ticket (as someone suggested above).

Out of curiosity, what does the pumpkin starch do to the recipe? I have never used it, although I see it here and there in gluten free recipes. Thanks for the recipe!

@MissRuth773, I too am a Chicago dog owner (a Boston Terrier and a Boston mix) -- would love to hear the places you've found that are dog friendly -- we are always looking for more! One place I love to bring my little dog is the sidewalk garden/patio at Uncommon Ground. Wonderful food, and great setting with Earthbox edible gardens all around. We've been spending a ton of time at MonDog beach as well -- in Chicago, we have an enormous stretch of beach that has been designated as the dog beach. We go early to avoid crowds and the heat of the day, and my dogs could not be happier after a morning of chasing balls and dog friends in the water. :)

I made this recipe twice, and it turned out unbelievably good both times. Simple techniques that Grace teaches (cutting the meat properly/uniformly; letting it sear for a minute before tumbling it) result in incredibly tender meat, and crisp tender veggies. Even my super picky 8 year old ate much of this. After trying this, I checked out Stir-frying to the Sky's Edge from the library. I have generally stopped buying cookbooks because I find that I use the internet so much for recipes/inspiration, but I am so inspired by Grace that I bought this book for myself and my niece. I really want to support Grace's endeavors; she's put together an incredible treasure and resource in her latest book. Thanks for sharing her with all of us!

This is very, very tasty! I definitely made a few modifications. Not a parsley fan so I used sweet and cardinal basil, a few snips of chives, and sweet marjoram (don't hate me because I have a (small, City (Chicago)) yard and garden!) -- and bailed on red wine vinegar for balsamic (red wine has been too acidic for my stomach lately). I also minced in a tiny glove of garlic and switched the amounts of olive oil and vinegar (and then doubled them). I think it would be too vinegary as written (although it definitely needed more of both).