Ray's House of Love (Volume II)

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Alessandra Kelley

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Pool tables are fun, but keep teething puppies away from those turned legs!

NeuroFizz, were you the person who asker about on-demand water heaters? Because I think that thread got lost in the early July backup whoops.
 

NeuroFizz

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Yes, but I had to go with traditional because it's electric and I would have needed more than one for my size of house (gas ones are much better). I had the plumber relocate the new one in the garage. Thanks for asking.
 

sassandgroove

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Fizz- I bet Fizzette will remember the trip to the theater with her Dad for the rest of her life. :)

I'm so excited. I am posting from the kitchen. Mr. Groove bought us a wireless router! :)
 

Maryn

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Grrr... Senor Interneto has been away all day. Just now got it back, when I need to leave in 25 minutes. You all have fun and play without me.

Maryn, glad it's back
 

Komnena

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Sorry to hear about your internet problems, Maryn. We felt your pain last night. We ended up eating by flashlight last night thanks to a severe thunderstorm. Lots of wind damage around town but I've heard no casualty reports. No damage to my house or our vehicles. We woke when the power returned around five.
 

Maryn

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We went to a baseball game, aware the chance of precipitation had been downgraded by the weather service from 30% to 10%. Seemed worth the risk despite the light overcast. We got great seats, too, front row behind home plate (!).

So of course the skies opened, pouring rain accented with lightning at a rate the storm sewers could not handle. You gotta shake your head in wonder when water is shooting up from the drains. Anyway, as the rain went on and on and on, lots of people left. It tapered off, then stopped, and we had the presence of mind to grab paper napkins to dry our seats.

First pitch was two hours after the scheduled time, and the fire marshal canceled the post-game fireworks because it would be too noisy for the hour, which was okay because it was 12:15 when the game ended with a loss.

Maryn, who lives an exciting life
 

Maryn

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I hope you brought a plate to pass around, Sassy.

I forgot to share my baking failure from earlier this week. I had fresh blueberries that were still okay but past their peak, so I thought I'd make blueberry muffins. Only I thought I'd make them a bit healthier and use Splenda instead of sugar.

Complete failure. The batter was thin and watery, but they puffed up in the oven like they should. The tops would not turn golden. On removal, they sank flat, below the level of the top edge of the muffin pan. We decided to try some, and while they tasted okay, they totally stuck to the paper cups, so you lost like a quarter to a third of each muffin unless you scraped it off with your teeth. (I did.) Just to top off the fun, the batter that spilled onto the muffin tin didn't come off in the dishwasher at all, and the scrubbing side of the dish sponge didn't remove much even after soaking. I think it's going to take the wire brush I clean the barbecue grill with.

Maryn, living and learning
 

sassandgroove

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that;s interesting considering Splenda claims you can bake with it and it measures cup for cup. The jam I made with it was terrible too. My mom said it was good but she didn't have the regular to compare it to.

I made Swedish spritz cookies during the week for a work thing. I rec'd a cookie press for xmas and it was the first time I used it. I used smart balance instead of butter and was out of white sugar and used brown. They were real good. Everyone liked them. And the press was easy to use, a lot easier than my grandmothers old metal one.
 

Maryn

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So, what do you think would happen if we substituted Splenda for only part of the sugar?

I've done great replacing white sugar with brown. Often the richer flavor is a real plus to the recipe. However, I've had very mixed results using light margarine in place of regular or butter, mostly negative. I use it at the table and in sauteing, though. I've done pretty well substituting unsweetened applesauce for about half the oil in baked goods. I haven't tried the other substitutes: fruit puree such as banana or prunes (right, that's what I want in cookies, pureed prunes!), low-fat vanilla yogurt, pureed white beans, or fat-free sour cream.

Maryn, who's made herself hungry
 

Calla Lily

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I've used Splenda. The problem is that it doesn't have the bulk of sugar. It dissolves like cotton candy when it hits water. That's why despite its claims, you can't really substitute it one-for-one.

However, I haven't baked with in years. I think my trick was to cut back on the liquid a bit, but I'm not quite sure. I know my goal was to achieve the look and feel of regular sugar batter--as close as possible.
 

Maryn

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So I should have known early on that my way-too-liquid batter was the predictor that this would not work. Okey-doke, good to know.

Maryn, who rarely makes muffins anyway
 

mario_c

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Mmm, muffins.

So like the Kids In The Hall said, you ever have a day when all you want to do is watch TV, eat corn chips and, well, you know? I've had a whole weekend like that. (Interrupted by a night of karaoke. Oh, my head.)
 

Maryn

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Oh, I haven't thought about Kids in the Hall in too long. God, they were funny. My favorite was the support group for people who were trying to quit peeing.

Maryn, laughing at the recollection
 

Grrarrgh

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I thought you were talking to heather.

Ha!! That was my first thought, too! I was thinking, "but that's not my fault!" :)

I'm such a terrible host. Mr. Grr is having friends over tonight and I've spent all day cleaning the house and cooking some apps. They've all been here for about an hour and I want them all to leave. They're all very nice people, and I like them, but I'm tired from all the cleaning and cooking. I wonder if they'll notice if I sit down in the corner with my Kindle.....
 

Komnena

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Did you survive your guests, Grrargh?
We ourselves have just joined the ebook revolution. Hubby's Kindle came today. I have the free application for PC. I've been pleasantly surprised by all the great old science fiction available at very good prices.
 

Grrarrgh

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Did you survive your guests, Grrargh

I did, though it was a little touchy there at the end. They didn't leave until almost 11 and we still had to clean up, which made for a late school night. :)

I haven't left the house without my Kindle in 4 years. It's absolutely the best gift I've gotten in at least a decade. Possibly tied with my IPod. I have an IPad and the Kindle apps on my computers and phones, and for reading, the Kindle is absolutely the way to go. I just love it.
 

Komnena

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I wasn't ready myself but discovering how many long out of print books by such authors as Leigh Brackett were available as ebooks has gone far to reconcile me to the idea of something other than physical books. Anything that achieves that is worthwhile.
 

mario_c

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Hee. I just bought a tablet and it's horrible - it doesn't work! The App store locks up, the browser doesn't distinguish between a login entry and a spam entry and there's no way to circumvent. Not even useful as a word processor.
I really want an Android but this...well, let's say it was the cheapest one in the store for a reason. I'm gonna take it back and see if I can trade up to one that works.
 

pandora1983

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i will weigh in. I frickin LOVE my kindle. I can not rave about it enough. Im using it right now to tell you how much I love it. I have used about half the memory so far and I have something like 2000 books on here. Theres nothing quite like instant gratification...ahh
So I say Just Do It :D
 
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