deerskin's Profile

The most accurate English translation for masa harina--literally is "dough flour" So you could say in English 'corn dough flour' or 'instant corn dough flour'. Otherwise it's like calling Bisquick 'wheat flour' or 'instant wheat flour'--the fact that masa harina makes a dough should be noted in English.

I grew up with handmade flour and corn tortillas as well. Solid shortening works better than liquid in flour tortilla--but I've made wheat flour tortillas with both.I've used whole wheat flour--they aren't the same obviously but they were fine.
Patting out corn tortillas by hand is an art--the masa sticks to your fingers unless you know what you are doing--presses are the way to go with corn--and you need some kind of plastic or wax or other paper so the corn does not stick to itself. I've used aluminum and a mesquite wood one that I bought a long time ago. I don't think it matters--just as long as the press presses the masa evenly and thin enough.

My grandmother showed me how to make nixtamal--the base used for tortillas, tamales, and other foods. One thing the video doesn't mention is that the skin of the corn is removed before they grind the cooked, soaked corn. Also the corn they soak is dried corn--white it superior to yellow. The cooked, soaked corn is the same as hominy--it's very nutritious and creates a complete protein when paired with beans.

For flour tortillas--the dough needs to be kneaded and allowed to rest just like bread dough--the dough should be nice and smooth--although not kneaded as long. Also I don't know how you would use a press for flour tortillas unless you don't mind them being thick. Once the dough has rested you break off 2" or so balls from the dough until all the dough is used. Then roll the balls in your hand, then flatten them, sort of like they are a biscuit--you kind of work them, turning them around and around. Spread flour on the rolling surface--in an area larger than your tortilla will be. Put your flattened ball down and get to rolling. We used a fat dowel--oiled--you can flour it also--for a rolling pin and turned the tortilla as we rolled it out from the center (as someone above mentioned), away from then toward ourselves, then turn--and repeat--until the tortilla is thin--sometimes you need to add more flour to the surface or top of the tortilla. What's fun about this is you can really get a rhythm going.

Roberto's recipe for a corn tortilla with wheat flour added to it--it kind of the texture that many commercial tortilla makers are going for--a softer, more pliable corn tortilla--many of them add dough conditioners like bread manufacturers do. Not trying to diss Roberto--just sayin'.

Message to Baked and anyone else--Corn Flour is not the same as Masa--you can make a flat corn bread out of corn flour or corn meal for that matter--but it's not the same as a tortilla.

What about doing something decorative to the closet door fronts, such as wallpaper or stencils or something in a style that goes with your condo. Or put some kind of decorative panel or picture/art on them. Or paint the doors a contrasting color--darker would make it appear smaller/recede.
Alternately you could decorate around the closet door--add a shelves for decor above and beside it or put plates, photos, etc around it.
Personally I wouldn't want everyone to be able to see all the way into my house as soon as they step through the door--that's the purpose of an entry--to be a space between the outside and the inside.
That said, the view does need do something other than scream CLOSET!

I actually had a bad mold problem--I moved into a basement apartment and found out the adjacent laundry room had mold. When I talked to the landlady, who lived above me, about doing something about it, she told me that she couldn't afford to. That's when I call the building inspector. The thing about building inspectors is that they will look for code violations throughout the property. So not only did my landlady have to treat the mold, but she had to repair her cracked front steps. I moved out at the end of the month, losing my deposit because my landlady was so pissed at me, it became unbearable to stay, even though the mold was dealt with.

So calling the building inspector should be your last resort. Withholding rent.is a last resort. As others have said you need to notify your landlord, nicely but clearly--make sure he comes over to see what the problems is and decide how he would like to deal with it.

I've been both a landlord and a tenant--had generally good tenants and some crazy landlords. Even so, you need to give your landlord the opportunity to fix the problem before you take some kind of legal action or get the local governmental agencies involved.
Finding out what your legal rights are as a tenant and what your landlord's rights are is also a good idea--just keep everything in perspective.

This suggestion doesn't answer your question, but it might solve the movement problem. What about weighting the base--Either under or over. I guess over would be kind of a base cozy. Hopefully that would keep your child from being able to push it. You could get sand or metal weights of some kind and bag it--put it under the base.

I like them both. The white, with or without red knobs, would work in some situations. I also like the stained and grey drawer transformation. I also like what Sweet Virginia said. Sometime I see things that are actually to my taste, in that I like the way they look, but I wouldn't/don't have a place for them in my house. Which applies to both versions of this chest.

Also
http://www.scalamandre.com/
Scalamadre, though not liturgical, has high-end velvets, brocades etc--beautiful fabrics. They generally sell only to the trade, so you may need, as others have mentioned, a wholesale account and/or interior designer connection.

Try searching images for Giant Wooden Dominos--you'll get plenty of possibilities, although I did not see anything exactly like the ones in the photos.

You could also call or write West Elm to see if they'd tell you the source.

Is it this or something like this?
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/Golden-Bronze-Criss-Cross-19-and-three-quarter-inch-Wide-Pendant-Light__P0359.html

Anna
I didn't mean that there were no couches, just that what is shown in he photo are chairs.