I also was going to suggest arrowroot. Here is good information that you may find helpful: ARROWROOT AS A THICKENER We couldn't ask for a better thickener. This silky white powder is a pure starch derived from a tropical American plant. It is fat-free, easy to digest and flavorless (so it won't interfere with the delicate sauces). It thickens at low temperature and is perfect for heat-sensitive egg-based sauces and custards. It has twice the thickening power of wheat flour and does not get cloudy upon thickening, so it makes beautiful fruit sauces and gravies. Moreover it has none of the chalky taste associated with cornstarch. To store arrowroot, keep in an airtight container marked with the date that you bought it. Use within 2 months because its thickening properties diminish with age. When using arrowroot, dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot in 1 tablespoon cold liquid. Stir or whisk the cold mixture into 1 cup of hot liquid at the end of the cooking time. Stir until thickened which is about 5 seconds. These proportions will make about 1 cup of medium-thick sauce, soup or gravy. For thinner sauce, use 1 teaspoon arrowroot. For a thicker sauce, use up to 1 tablespoon arrowroot. If you are using it to replace cornstarch, use 1 tablespoon arrowroot in place of 2 teaspoons cornstarch. While to replace flour, use half as much arrowroot as flour. If the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon flour, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot. To keep an arrowroot-thickened sauce thick, just stir until just combined. Over-stirring can make it thin again. Fascinating Fact : The word arrowroot is believed to originate with Native Americans, who used the root to draw out poison from arrow wounds. Another possible origin is a Native American word for flour, araruta. Its scientific name is Maranta arundinacea.

Cathy, "seller is a savy negotiatior and knows how to play the game.", I beg to differ. The seller is not a savvy negotiator. Most posters here would see through his dump tricks during the first encounter and walk. Only because you love the house too much, are inexperienced and have an incompetent buyer's agent, you accepted his games. Based on your "movie" comments, it seems you are still afraid of the seller. In fact, it would be better off if he surfed the GW, it would put some sense into his screwy head. I have a feeling that the seller will continuously "be himself" even until after closing. It seems you are not aware of that in this inspection phase, and until closing the deal, you still have ample opportunities to get things right for you. I hope you have a good lawyer to protect you. It would be an interesting movie to watch if brickeyee is the buyer, and ncrealestateguy is the buyer's agent. But then maybe it would be a boring movie, because the seller would be amazingly cooperative.

Beachlily, it isn't sour yet, is it? If not, use it just like you would whole milk, shake the cream in if it rises to the top, or skim some of the cream off and use that, then you'll have 2% or skim or whatever, according to what you skim off. Or, make cheese! I like raw milk, I used to milk our family cows when I was a child up through my teenage years, and remember grabbing that glass jar and shaking the cream that rose to the top, then pouring a big cold glass. We didn't pasturize or anything, just ran it through the skimmer and put it in the fridge. Grandma liked to skim a few spoons full off for her coffee, otherwise she used evaporated milk for coffee. If it's sour, that's the time to make banana bread or pancakes, biscuits or cake. After it gets really sour, though, it's time to get rid of it, there is a limit! Annie

Usually a flour/water mix, shaken up in a mason jar. Have gone the roux route, but that involves another pot/pan. I like corn starch as a thickener but when reheated the thickness seems to be gone. For T-day, my grandmother always had a pot simmering on back burner with all the "presents" from inside the bird. That liquid was added to moisten stuffing that didn't fit IN the bird and as liquid for gravy, as needed. For beef/pork gravy, I take a different tack. Almost always cook either of those to DEATH. Think trick to good beef gravy is to almost "burn" it... let pan get as close to completely dry before adding more liquid to deglaze. Not a fan of deglazing with anything other than water or stock (no wine) cuz I want the beef flavor only.