I think of it as a very rich food... it feels Christmasy, or at least wintery to me. Not that I've minded having it in summer, but it hasn't been particularly hot so far, either.

Good to know about the grainy texture.

Question for you, since you're experienced! ;) I don't know if I can get caster sugar here. Grinding down/blending regular sugar myself is out of the question. Do you think I could get away with using regular sugar? Anything in particular I need to do/be aware of, if using regular sugar? Idea... maybe let the mix sit 15 mins, so it can combine better, and then stirring again before baking?

Very nice! :D:)

waves

I'm from New York and I've never even heard of shortbread lol is it tasty

It is very tasty, markneil. :)
I hear you have great pizza there though.
I nearly got to NY. Was so close, but decided I couldn't deal with
it all being so busy when I was nearby. I stayed behind in D.C.
that day.

waves, sugar is sugar.
I think it would be fine.

Have you got a mortar and pestle? lol ;)

edited to add: waves, they may call it something other than caster sugar.
Castor or caster sugar or "superfine" sugar and I think it's confectionary sugar in some places.
(Not icing sugar though)

short bread cookies are wonderful.
I do love my mom's mexican wedding cakes though!
bizi

Hello, Mark! :)

If you like melt in your mouth buttery goodness... YES! It's heavenly. I think you can get Walker's Shortbread in the US -- it's a very well-known (and very good) Scottish brand and the packages have kind of a plaid pattern on them. Ok, wait, here is a pic of the packages:

http://www.theyummylife.com/blog/i/2088.jpg

There are many shapes -- I like the fingers (as in the lower of the two packages pictured). ;)

Also... Wiki on Walkers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkers_Shortbread

Definitely recommend you give it a try, but be careful: it can be addictive!

waves

Awwww. :hug: I had a "nearly" NYC experience too, lol. I was "in transit" in New York for a few hours. Saw bits of the inside of the airport (JFK). :rolleyes:

ROFL! No, but you see now, that's something I could acquire cheaply and easily. :D The elbow grease for grinding sugar on the other hand... ha! :rolleyes: Seriously, I researched this a little before, and people say to grind up sugar in the blender ... :eek: Not going to happen!

I'm relieved you think regular sugar should work. That's really what I was hoping for. Some internet sources boohoo it, and I suppose certain recipes truly require caster/superfine sugar to work, but perhaps not shortbread. I might do the letting it sit thing, and then restirring a bit. Just to be paranoid or whatever.

The thing is you see I'm not in an English-speaking country! I've got a possible translation from wordreference.com, but my mother says she's never seen any sort of sugar besides regular and icing, the latter being the powdery stuff -- no good. It might just not be used here. I could perhaps go to a shop that does cakes/pastries and describe it... they would know if it exists, where to get it, and the correct words, LOL!

But I am leaning on the easier sugar-is-sugar thing. I am happy with that! :) THank you! :)

waves

I had to google this to see what you meant. Looks very similar (a little larger) to some my mother used to make as well. I think we called them butter balls -- they are about the size of meatballs. These and the 'mexican wedding cakes' I found were made with the same base ingredients as shortbread, in about the same proportions... hehe.

waves

except moms had nuts in them. pecans I think....
bizi:)

Ours did too. I just don't consider it a base ingredient... :o

Mark,

Yes to the tasty.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5809180_di...r-cookies.html
M

I've spent most of my life an a subway crammed like sardines lol. but loved the city when I worked there. miss it. I can't wait to try these cookies :)

Waves,

My mom used to use a "powdered sugar" or "confectioner's sugar" which is very close to "icing sugar" I believe. They have some corn starch to prevent "caking."

I am thinking the nature of the sugar changes volume somewhat -- messing with measuring but likely not mattering for shortbread as you say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fv2MmnNaLs


Tools that would work besides a pestle and mortar:
Food processor --- and Perhaps nut grinder, coffe grinder.
M

Mark,

Exactly right. :)


We should have a party.

M

Powdered sugar is not the same thing. I can get powdered sugar (icing sugar). Confectioner's should be different... caster's can be called that. But shouldn't have other stuff in it. They may not have it here. Different country, different customs, not to mention different language.
That was my concern but perhaps more important for something like meringue which is fluffed. The speed with which the sugar melts changes but here won't matter.

As I said ... NOT going to happen.

You have to tell us when you do, Mark!

I want to know what you think. :)

Waves, :)

I know they not the same thing.
That is what my Mom used to say.

You are on the right track for making what you want. It will taste very good.:D

M

status report
 

I didn't do any stepping today either. Plan was to do a little even though I was twingy still. However, my foot (former injury) started acting up worse. I walked to the store and it was pretty bad on the way back, and even just walking two steps to the kitchen now. I put a diclofenac bandaid on it, but no stepping/pressing down on things with my feet. :( Last think I need is can't walk. :Noooo:

I have been hiding in French recipes for crepes, saffron seabass, caramel sauce and ... other things I really don't need to make, rather than boning up on development stuff.

Tonight I made myself... with an oncoming migraine... pull up the article on writing a web service in C#. Started on that. I need to set up the web server to continue though, and brain was not in gear.

So I stopped and played Mahjonng... glutton for punishment really, should get off the computer and lie down, but no, since the headache is still tolerable, let's see if we can make it worse. :rolleyes:

:Sigh:

waves

Waves I hope that the headache/migraine doesn't come,and subsides. I wish that you did not have pain like this. BF:hug::hug::hug:

Thanks Steve. It was there, though. Just taking a while to build. I had to take a pill, which did work though. But I really shouldn't stay on the computer in those conditions... the light makes it worse. And in fact after I posted that I got off as it was bad enough I was starting to feel off all around.

I slept but I feel quite spent this morning. :o Fatigued, and lack impetus to do anything at all, even make more coffee, or eat.

Also the foot is still not good even with the diclofenac. I hope a few days of it will work. I will do the stepper today but with padded shoes. If I can get myself to.

waves

Waves,

Yes, to the degree that you are willing/ the knee is willing take it easy.
You are listening to your body.

GOod luck with the C#.

Mahjongg -- is that something I should learn? When did you learn it?

I hope the day goes o.k.

The French prolly have other things to practice on besides sweets -- like sauces. But those would not be calorie friendly either.

M

Sorry, Mari. I was getting to feeling pretty crappy last night. I wrote crappy when I meant to write crabby. But both really.

Didn't mean to split hairs but I have a natural talent for it (even when I'm not crabby-feeling). Mostly I was trying to crawl out of the sugar rabbit hole but kept posting which only perpetuated the descent... sigh.

waves

Waves,

Sleep is a very good thing. :Zzzz:


I hope the foot heals.

Keep moving on the stepper -- as you see fit depending on conditions.

Mari

Waves,

You know, it is o.k.
I get crabby about lots of things but not about that kind of stuff.
So we are safe to post to each other. :hug::hug::hug::hug:

It is not splitting hairs. I think it is fine to be precise.

M

Unfortunately I am all too willling. :rolleyes: I am a wreck today. I will have to go against the grain to use the stepper.

Thanks. There is so much I have to figure out. Some of what I have to do now feels like grunt work (setting up the web server). I don't like configuration work, so I am resisting. :o

Dunno if you'd like it -- you can try it. I found it before the web was even around. I am referring to Mahjongg Solitaire, to be precise. True Mahjongg is a multiplayer game and quite different.

I use this site by a Swiss developer -- I like the warmer coloring and style of his tiles. (On most boards they are white.) He has other games there too, including a lovely versioon of mastermind (Mastermind II):

http://www.mah-jongg.ch/mahjongg/mahjongg.html

Game Instructions:
Match two "free" tiles to remove them. A tile is "free" if at least one of its sides is free -- no tiles against it. The object of the game is to clear the board.

Note: You have 4 of each kind of tile. There are also 8 unique picture tiles: 4 of these are flower tiles, and 4 are season tiles. The season tiles match each other and the flower tiles match each other. You'll learn to recognize them it's hard to explain.

I can win most of the boards now, but even when I used to get stuck regularly, I still liked it.

French recipes have ingredients that I am more likely to find here and measure in grams. Also many of the sites genuinely tell you how to make things from scratch. Mostly I just harvest ideas on combining flavors and how to produce specific results.

waves

Dear Waves and Mari,
I am glad that we can be honest with each other. It is so refreshing to have such open discussions about our feelings and such.
((((HUGS)))))
to you both today.
bizi

Thanks, Mari. I am glad you understand about feeling crabby. It was a general crabby, not because of the posts. I just meant it came out in them. It is a version of tenseness I sometimes get in association with migraine. It can go both ways. I can feel like sludge,or I can get really tense. Sometimes it builds to the level of really thick anxiety-like feeling. The quality varies. Occasionally I comedicate with lorazepam.

waves

Yes. It really, really is. :) :grouphug:

Yeah, I needed the sleep. I've had less of it lately but I think I am running out of steam. Maybe.

The other foot has sstarted to act up. Sigh. I think I will medicate it also, when I replace the medication on the first one. :o

I am trying to get myself to get on the stepper, even for 50 reps. Just for the sake of habit. Today would be the third day skipped otherwise. :( I might just have to write it off.

I did some work on configuring the web server... barely scratched the surface but is at least operational now. I have more stupid config stuff to do, though.

I had a nasty virus attack the other day, and I'm not sure I'm clear of that. :( Antivirus scan says I'm good, but I'm not convinced. Maybe just paranoid.

I am also getting very upset about the mess in my corner, but more so about the lack of working room and way to get to it around other people's stuff and furniture and other people's requirements for not moving anything, so I can't get to anything.

waves

sorry about the stuff that gets in your way of doing things.
bizi

I am not really looking for suggestions. I am just feeling bad and need to say so...............

I am starting to feel really overwhelmed by all the stuff I have to learn. Or even how to figure out what to learn and how to find adequate learning materials. For one basic thing I need to do, I found a hand-holding article and went through most, only to realize it was using wrong versions and was missing key bits.... dead end.

Now I've found another one for the same purposes, which does things from scratch and uses the a closer version of things to the one I have. But it mentions this and that architecture and ...
1) I have no idea what they all are,
2) I have no idea of advantages of one or the other (relevant when deciding how to do something at work)
3) I am realizing there are probably six or more ways of doing this one basic thing, each suited to different purposes, just on this one platform, and I have to learn maybe two or three platforms, and lots and lots more things to build on top of this, besides.

This is a nightmare!

Even just finding out more about these architectures and how they fit together... what is the big picture... I do not know how to do it. It is too much.

I don't see that I could possibly learn enough over the next 6 weeks (September) to add to my professional value.

It is daunting.

I feel defeated. :(

waves

(((((((HUGS))))))
I am sorry....
Wish I could help.
bizi

Thanks Bizi.

You just did by being here. :hug:

It helps me to feel not so alone, on top of feeling dazed and confused.

waves

Waves,
THose are daunting --esp if you are all by yourself.The time specific nature of that make is worse (more daunting).

M

I have been feeling really down. Yesterday I was fatigued and still forced myself to look at stuff. Today I haven't yet.

Yes. The time thing is because the country slows to a crawl during summer and hiring with it. September is an ideal time to job hunt. I wanted to pick up some skills that are relevant to the here and now. My skills are old. I lack expertise in some "newer" areas that have become a standard.

Really makes me appreciate teachers, college, courses, etc. I'd kill for a SYLLABUS right now! I thought, hey... I'll make one. Yerrright. Don't know which end to pull. I can't. I do not have enough knowledge even to define high level goals, much less break them down into smaller tasks, let alone prioritize. And figuring out a timeline ... well that's just a joke.

I believe my biggest problem in all this is that I lack insight to know what is essential and what is fluff.

So I am faced with this this big amorphous sea of infinite crap, with new stuff coming down the pike as I breathe, and I get to dig through it with a freaking toothpick.

I know that what I need to do is just trudge, pick, and keep moving. The idea is that at some point, I will realize I know much more than I did. I will feel more competent than I did. I will find one or two things I can safely stick on my resume, and perhaps talk about in an interview. But I don't guess I'll realize it until I have done quite a lot of what feels like nothing.

Without any structure, I don't see intermediate achievements. When I do, I cannot see their value. Even when I can say, "I learned X today," it's hard to feel it has any more significance than "I picked a piece of gum out of my shoe."

Sigh. :(

I have mostly played mahjongg today and yesterday. That is not going to get much gum out of shoes, I know. Mom had stuff planned so I couldn't even cook, which is at least a productive distraction. Today I did boil eggs for dinner which is basically mindless. I've been feeling really out of it.

waves

Oh, I did do the stepper while the eggs were cooling. 12 mins, 350 reps.

Bizi. You inspired me with the going to the gym just for a little while. ;)

Waves,

Thanks for explaining the timeline.:)

Without a "syllabus" you are going to make an educated guess.
By definition the guess is going to be off -- we just do not know how far off it will be.
Do remember that you are making an educated guess.
Trust yourself. You can settle on something initially and while you are on it slide into another avenue. That is all o.k.
My point is that what you choose will be worthwhile even if you can not know now to what extent that will be. :cool:
(I believe I said the exact same thing three different ways. Anyway, I am sending good vibes for all the energy you are putting into this.

Yes. That is frustrating.

You have got this 100% right. With luck, you will know part way in.

High Fives for the stepper.

M

hey waves, glad that you did the stepper! how is your leg?
I bet it is getting stronger!
bizi

I am glad you tried the three ways. There are slightly different aspects to each.

I do not feel like I am making an educated guess. The "educated" bit is the part I do not feel, LOL. I feel I am just just making a random guess, but the feeling is wrong. The ballpark is, in fact highly educated. It's not like I'm trying to learn all-that-is-compsci from scratch, nor am I starting in a random place. I have picked a specific type of architecture to get familiar with (web service). This is only my starting task, but the fact is I did pick a starting task. This choice is based on where I see industry demand (# jobs) growing, because more and more software uses this mode of operation.

The platform and language to use are "educated" only based on my personal preference, which is per se important.

If I can get myself past feeling so outdone from the getgo, it will be worthwhile. And yes, the sliding into other avenues is unlikely but possible if, after using it more, I decide .NET is really pukey, LOL.

I am trying to remind myself that even what I've done so far is worthwhile....

Thinking this out has helped me some. Thank you for helping me talk things out.

I picked a new sig that kind of reflects my situation. The quote is from Alan Turing, who is sometimes thought of as the father of computer science, so it feels relevant in a very specfic way. :)

Thanks! I hope to do it again today. I'm not sure if I should be doing it every day, or only every other day.

I guess I will do it every day if I feel ok, and try to stick with what is sustainable for at least 3 times a week (I think that is the minimum to see benefit).

Hi Bizi, thank you.

I've only done it a total of 4 times so far. I think it will take at least a month to see any results. It feels mostly ok... tendons are complaining near the hip area as well. :(

My feet are unhappy. I have sesamoid inflammation both sides, and the plantar fascitis is back on the one side... possibly from improper foot posture, like last time. I have been medicating the sesamoids and stretching out the one with fascitis.... I hope it is enough. I might need a round of therapy for the sesamoids.

waves

Waves,

For my PF, I was told to ice it for 15-20 mins two to three times a day, massage, and stretch. And to never go barefoot == thought I would share. An inflammatory med is being sent from Nevada -- a compounding cream to apply to the bottoms of my feet. It is coming via Fed X. (My guy apparently does not believe in cortisone shots. )
I stink with doing the ice. I am working on it.

I might have to have a talk with my feet tomorrow (later). So far I have been seeing them as a burden and a problem.
I am going to become friends with them and listen.
===
And I hope that you can try not to laugh at me. :cool:

M