Dravin

A higher butter to flour ratio helps with making flatter, crisper cookies. Flour provides structure that can trap expanding gasses, it also provides structure that resists spreading (and helps keep the cookie from falling as it cools). Tinkering with the flour ratio can be tricky though as baking is more chemistry and less cooking. Cool butter creams better (but takes longer thus why most recipes want you to soften it some), and if the butter is too warm you can't cream it properly as it loses structure when it gets too soft. The entire point of creaming the butter is to create air bubbles that act as places for expanding gases to do their thing and leaven the cookie (the flour you add is what gives the cookie the structure to capture the gasses as otherwise as soon as the butter melted in the oven it couldn't hold gas bubbles). Also, we've been talking in butter but shortening has a higher melting point which results in a fatter cookie (it takes longer for it to spread in the oven), it may not be applicable but its another variable in the cookie formula. Sorry if I'm going over stuff you are already aware of, I just figured I'd hit all the bases I could think of. If nothing else it may be useful for anyone else strolling into the thread. Are you using a recipe that is supposed to give crispy cookies? It could have nothing to do with your technique but that you're using a recipe designed to give soft chewy cookies. If you don't know you can compare it to something like this: Crisp Sugar Cookies Recipe | Taste of Home

One thing you can do is to make sure your cookie dough is room temperature (or closer to such). The temperature of the dough influences how much the cookie spreads before it sets, the warmer the dough the more it spreads before it sets. Also keep in mind the temperature of the cookie sheet, if you put the dough on a warm sheet just out of the oven then it starts to spread right then and there. When I'm making chocolate chip cookies I go for thick and chewy which is why I make sure to freeze my dough and put the dough balls onto cold sheets (or a cold stone rather). So I'd give room temperature dough on warm sheets a try (if you aren't already).

Lemon squares.

You can also do it with bagels.

We're cooks, but I wouldn't say we're chefs (and I bake). Usually I'm the one doing the cooking (and shopping) for our international dinner as, at least so far, I have more time leading up to, and on, Christmas Eve to get it done. You'll note the menu isn't your standard huge holiday menu, but that's because: I'm making it myself and I don't want to juggle a half dozen or more menu items. It's just the two of us so if I made a ton of food there would be way to many leftovers. Usually I just do some internet research, look at highly rated recipes, look at places like Wikipedia for ideas of dishes from X country that look intriguing, if I knew someone from the location in question I'd probably ask for their input as well. I'm sure that means one of these days we may end up with a dud on the menu (not all that looks tasty, is) and I certainly can't vouch that, "This is just like an Y grandmother would make it!", but the whole point is to explore, try new things, make something we'd otherwise be too timid to make at home. Sometimes the price you pay is that you find out it is something that you don't find fantastic. It's all part of the experience of trying new things. In some cases I can adjust as I'm cooking to steer a recipe if while making it I start thinking, "Okay, that is calling for way to much Z." but if it is a baked type dish that is a little limited. For instance the spanikopita (casserole style) didn't have enough feta in it for our tastes, so if we made it again I'd adjust the ratios a little bit but it was still good and it was still a gustatory excursion. I try to steer towards traditional recipes, since the idea is to take a taste bud trip out of the country which is a bit ruined if you reach for a recipe that is too heavily Americanized but in the end I still want it to be good and this mouth houses American taste buds. As far as being able to prepare it correctly in a technical sense, I try not to stretch my cooking skills overly much for this occasion. I tend to save experimenting with new cooking techniques for other times and there are dishes that I consider trying if the techniques involved aren't either: More involved then I want to put up with. More involved then I feel like I can confidently handle without a steep learning curve. Something we don't have the equipment or desire to do. For instance Beefche doesn't like frying in the house and if something requires a blender I have to pass on it as we don't have one (I could probably use the food processor instead but if we're talking about a batch of soup or something we run into #1).

I can't exclude it as it solely is the bedrock of my testimony. Without it all other evidences are meaningless.

The meal I look forward to the most for Christmas is actually Christmas Eve because of mine and Beefche's traditional Christmas Eve International Dinner. This year is Ireland and the menu is: Shepard's Pie (and yes, we're using lamb). Colcannon Apple Barely Pudding I might possibly make some soda bread depending on if I'm feeling up to it. For those curious, previous years were: Greece: Spanikopita Greek Village Salad Italy: Mushroom Parmesan Risotto Crusty bread (but that was purchased)

If you're up for it you could make finger cucumber sandwiches, I know there will be veggies but it's kinda nice to have something light and refreshing at snacky parties.

I don't recall Christ seeking out the pharisees. When they came upon him he certainly didn't avoid the issue, but the Sermon on the Mount wasn't delivered when he took a pharisee aside to call him out. Now, he does feel sadness about our poor choices (nothing special about sexual sin in that regard except possibly depth because it's so easy to get entangled in sexual sin and not get out of it). From your post though it sounds like you're frustrated at the situation and want to strike out at this guy in particular because he's a target you can get at, as opposed to the legal system. That's not what Christ would do. Now how you are come across may not reflect the reality, but you do not come across are motivated by love and concern for his eternal welfare but frustration. At the very least that is what is coming out at the forefront. Two thoughts: 1) Would you be doing so inline with the principles of D&C 121:43? Are you being moved upon by the Holy Ghost, are you prepared to show forth an increase in love? Or are you motivated not by the Holy Ghost but because you're frustrated with him, with the situation, and you want to give him a piece of your mind? To put him in his place and make him stop saying things you disagree with? 2) Do you want him to take you aside at a holiday get-together and let you know that he thinks you're a backward, hateful, bigot contrary to gospel principles and that he thinks you aren't temple worthy?

No, should I? I don't. Fussing over Ms. versus Mrs., particularly considering it is something generally only seen in formal address, just seems strange. Tolerate? Am I supposed to beat her or something if she does? At any rate she took my name, if she's going to use Ms. in some sort of strike against the patriarchy it's a rearguard action.

As a redhead of Scandinavian descent I find the implication that I'm pigmentally ungifted/challenged to be offensive.

It should be noted that the only person you can change is yourself, additionally you are here and she is not, thus why the advice is focusing on what you can do. I know in these sort of threads it is easy to feel like everything is being laid squarely on your shoulders, it's not that everything is objectively your fault (we don't know the situation well enough to declare that) but that you're the only actor in this situation whom we can advise, thus the absence of what she needs to do.

Oh, did she used to use it? I'm aware of American history in regards to the casual use of that particular term, Suzie's post though is talking about her personal efforts to call people what they want to be called. So I assumed the point of her bringing up history was that such history reflects her personal changes in some way.

How has the way you describe African-Americans changed over the years? Me, I've always just called them black*. *As an aside is highly amusing to see Americans refer to black Africans or Europeans by the term African-American.

If I'm not using the KJV you'll find me using the Blue Letter Bible (online) to find out the Greek or Hebrew source words.

You can draw interesting parallels if you want to go down the "noble savage" rabbit hole concerning certain connotations one could attach to the two terms. Of course one can dip a lot of terms into the vat of unsavory connotations if one cares too.

I wouldn't care, and if someone wants to call the Scandinavians who actually are my heritage a bunch of pagan, thieving, and pillaging Fjordies, I wouldn't care either.

I honestly don't tend to think of romance in terms of myself. That is to say, when I say or think that something is romantic it tends to means either, "A specific woman, or a generalized concept of women would find this romantic." Some things are certainly more intimate than others but if we're talking something like a night at the symphony or a nice dinner out I tend to think, "This is nice." rather than, "This is romantic." That said, romance is the big and little things that women appreciate as communicators of interest and love. It's a rather broad spectrum that covers little notes or flowers to candle lit dinners, low music, and memorizing one of Shakespeare's sonnets. So to sum up; romance is the things you do to tell a woman you love her. Obviously this is a androcentric concept of romance and while it captures my general thought processes my thinking isn't completely confined to it.

Excellent advice, I recommend he try and speak to her along the lines of her love language*. So if her language is service, make that gift something like washing to dishes. If it is words of affirmation, a card or a note. If its gifts something like the flower you mentioned. If physical touch, snuggling, hugs, and other things. If quality time then spend time with her where you can be engaged with her even if it isn't your favorite thing to do in the world. If you don't know her love language then there is no better time than the present to learn, hit all 5 and see which she appreciates most. *In case leo91 isn't familiar with the 5 love languages: Home | The 5 Love Languages®

More importantly two someones said yes during the sealing ordinance. While engagement is a commitment it pales in comparison to the commitment made in the temple. Regardless of if you married her to please others, or for love, shared goals and purpose, to have a family to pass your family business down to, or to form an alliance between two feuding kingdoms, you're married now and you need to do what you can to work on and improve your marriage. 1) Arguing (which is not the same thing as disagreement) is bad as it is a sign that you have trouble communicating as a married couple. Note this isn't a sign that your marriage is doomed and must be abandoned. You need to work on your communication as a couple. Counseling is an obvious way, another is self-help books written for exactly that purpose. If you want directed to some good books to that purpose I personally don't have any recommendations, but if you ask others here someone will have some good suggestions. 2) You are two entirely different people. A lot of the work in marriage is learning how to take two entirely different people and have them helm a marriage as a unified team. My advice is that you learn to serve and love your wife.

For the record based on our conversations during or after movies I just realized that for me and Beefche RIPD has become our standard for absolutely terrible.

I disagree with your premise (more on that later in my post), at least in the sense I think you mean it. As stated by Vort, things have causes. The reason suicide happens is agency, the same reason a great many things such as rape, murder, and theft happen. Indeed the questions you ask can be extended to things such as rape, murder, and theft. Given the premise as stated it would be the case, and would be the case for other things generally considered bad. Also applicable to other things generally considered bad. Agency is at play, both the agency of the person you'd want to do the interceding and the agency of the person who would be interceded. Because life is a trial, a laboratory to develop godlike characteristics and attributes, in some way how we handle our failures and downs are just as important as how we handle our success and ups. Also this question seems to be tinged with some sort of idea that it's all predestined that Timothy will commit suicide December 28th at 12:22 AM, so why would he expect him to fight this destiny? I don't agree that such is the case. People aren't predestined to commit suicide just as Laman and Lemuel weren't predestined to murmur with no agency in the matter. If you realize these questions are applicable to other things generally considered bad you either reach some weird conclusions or shift your thinking. Because I doubt most LDS would find the idea, "God knows the rapist is going to rape, why would he expect him to not rape?" to be a bit of a fuse blower. Now my point in bringing things up like murder, rape, and theft is not to say, "People who commit suicide are just like rapists, murderers, and thieves." I bring them up because they are: 1) Actions taken by people. 2) Generally regarded as not being good. Note: While the motivations for these things are different on the human level, I feel the question being asked is, "What is the reason for bad things happening, and why should we resist doing them?" within a doctrinal context. My analogizing is within that context. While I do believe a great many things in this world do happen for a purpose I do not agree that all things happen in line with some sort of divine road map. I got lost getting home through downtown Indianapolis when the interstate was shut down, I'm disinclined to think God caused an accident that shut down my freeway route to get home so that I would get lost for some purpose. Now could I have used the experience to develop Christlike attributes? Most certainly, and I think as Latter-day Saints we need to turn all of life's events whether they happen as a result of God's nudging or simply from the results of other's agency and living in a fallen world into an opportunity to become more Christlike. I think though that some things simply happen as a result of cause and effect and not because God planned out that someone would leave a nail on the road that I would run over and would leave me flat so I'd be 15 minutes late to a date.

I always do an additional wash, not just a rinse, when I've forgot a load in the washing machine and it's gone sour. I do tend to go a little lighter on the soap when I do so, but I'm probably using more than I really need normally anyway.

That is correct.

His idea is it will allow us to see the issue more clearly. Once the issue is identified and quantified we can discuss solutions, or indeed if there is even a solution needed, much more intelligently. P.S. I did significant editing of an earlier post, I kinda got lost in it and quite a few changes have taken place. Just a heads up to the peanut gallery.