Grant Holle

Somebody asked about whole wheat flour pie dough. I use "white" whole wheat (such as Wheat Montana Prairie Gold). It holds together well for me - though my wife has had issues and prefers unbleached white when she makes pie.

A neighbor recommended planting dog tuff grass as a good alternative to regular grass--less water, no mowing. Anybody have experience with it?

Has anybody read Lloyd Kahn's latest, The Half-Acre Homestead: 46 Years of Building and Gardening? Trying to decide if it's worth buying given everything else on my reading list.

Marc Dube wrote:I cheat when it comes to socks and buy one brand one colour so I dont have to worry about mismatched socks just the one single one after the rest have been folded. .

I do the same, except now I have several generations of socks of the same color and brand, but they're worn to different degrees. Now when I sort socks I think about Steven Wright's joke:

"I went into this bar and sat down next to a pretty girl. She looked at me and said, 'Hey, you have two different colored socks on.' I said, 'Yeah, I know, but to me they're the same because I go by thickness.'"

This is one of the most powerful, most meticulously composed pieces of writing I know. I use passages from it in my writing course to demonstrate how to use sentence structure to effectively get across your points. It pleases me that I am simultaneously infecting my students' minds with MLK's ideas.

T Blankinship wrote:I also drink loose leaf earl grey in the morning.  Do you measure your tea and water? I just eye ball the tea and add 16 ounces of water.

I warm the pot with a splash of boiling water,  put 3 heaping teaspoons of tea in the pot, and fill it to the top with hot water (just shy of a liter). Small pleasures.

One of my simple pleasures is a pot of tea each morning.  I drink loose leaf earl grey brewed in a cast iron pot. I like it hot clear to the last cup, so had been leaving the pot on the stove on warm setting.  But I felt bad about the electricity. I was resigned to making a tea cozy for my pot. Then it hit me that an old ski hat would fit perfectly. I'd already cut the stitches on this one for a Halloween costume,  meaning I could put the spout through and didn't have to worry about condensation inside. It works well and keeps the tea nearly as hot as the stove.

Update:

I've been trying out some of you all's suggestions.

First, I made a stew with stuff I had on hand: onions, garlic, yellow squash, leftover sauteed mushrooms, potato, sweet potato, carrot, celery hoisin sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste. It was good--nothing to write home about. The hoisin sauce was a mistake... too sweet.

Then I went to the store and stocked up: eggplant, miso soup mix (no plain miso in my local store), liquid smoke, beet, shiitake and portobello mushrooms.

I spread some liquid smoke on thin slices of eggplant and roasted them; sauteed the onions and garlic in olive oil; added thick slices of mushrooms to the onions; threw in carrots, celery, diced beet, diced potato, diced sweet potato; added the eggplant, some water, the miso soup mix, dried thyme, dried sage, and a spoonful of tomato paste. I brought it to a boil and put it in the haybox cooker. I left it in there for 24 hours--it's cold enough outside now that I can do that. I brought it back to a boil and ate it. This one's a keeper. The mushrooms give something to chew on. The beet gives a nice earthy flavor. The miso soup adds the umami I was wanting (alas, I later read the label and it has fish in it, so my stew's not vegetarian). I think my kids will like this one (10 and 7--they're on a trip right now, so I'm a temporary bachelor). The only downside is it's not as filling as a beef stew, so I'll have to make more of it.

I also tried frying the eggplant spread with liquid smoke and making an ELT sandwich. I loved this. I did spread mayo on the sandwich, so not vegan. I'm loathe to compare it to a BLT. The mouth-feel is different, and the taste isn't the same. But if you approach the sandwich as it's own thing, not a substitute for a BLT, it's simply an excellent sandwich.

Thanks, everybody, for your suggestions!

Tereza Okava wrote:
sliced eggplant or zucchini, pan fried with spices you like (or teriyaki marinade)

I do love breaded, roasted eggplant in a sandwich (though, I've always added melted cheese).

I am trying to move away from animal products (not entirely... baby steps).

I love sandwiches, but I generally think of a sandwich with meat (usually) and cheese (always). Can any of you suggest vegan sandwiches that you love?

Similarly, winter's coming and I love a thick stew when it's cold. I have a go-to vegan stew: root vegetables, squash, red peppers, lentils or garbanzo beans, and coconut milk for creaminess. I love this recipe, but I find myself craving a beef stew. Any suggestions for a vegan stew that would appeal to my craving for the umami found in beef stew?

Thanks!