Here you go Sharon. There's talk about it on page 2 on the homemade non-stick shortening thread. I also mentioned how easy it is to use on the bundt pan thread. Better Than Pam Coating 1/2 cup corn, canola or vegetable oil 1/2 cup shortening, room temperature 1/2 cup flour Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until it has increased in volume slightly and resembles marshmallow cream. Store in a covered container in the cupboard. If it separates upon sitting, just stir before using. You can spread it with a brush, but I just scoop it up with my fingers.

Yeah, Spike would literally "send" you to Disney! And a last name? Thank you Marg near Rapid City! I have been thinking fondly of the Spike days lately and wondering what Spike did after selling out to IVillage. Anybody know? THS is such a great place. Spike did a great thing in creating it for us. Did he create the whole Garden Web? I used to hang at Buying and Selling, but hope never to move again, so have not been back in a while. I just ventured back today, saw the mention of "shoes" and had to check it out. Gyr Falcon, back when Spike ran things, you would get a warning if you got out of line, then would find that you could not log on if Spike decided that you violated again. As said above, when you logged on, you would go to the Disney web site, instead. People referred to this as "riding the spinning cups" or "spinning with the cups," as in the teacup ride. Somebody on the forum would notice that one of the regulars had not posted in a while, and would ask about them. Had anyone heard from them? Another regular who was in touch through email would reply that the person was,"spinning with the cups," or "visiting Disney." You could try apologizing to Spike and maybe get back on THS. Sometimes, the ban was only temporary. Other times you could try to re-register as some other name (probably from a different computer, too), but then had to be careful about folks knowing it was you. At one point, the whole Building a Home regulars went off and started their own forum at a blog site because some regulars were banned. Does anyone know is that site still going?

Thank you so much for replying, clergychick. I thought I had neglected to hit submit because I couldn't find the thread! As luck would have it, there was a dealer listed on the manufacturer's website 20 mins from my house...I went today and caressed that gorgeous tile :) Unfortunately,the crema is too light--I know monitors can be deceiving, and I was hopeful. They had the mandorla on display, but that won't work either. The noce was too dark. I want a neutral tile with some interest, but I need something darker. She showed me some other crackle tiles, but none of the colors would work. I have uba tuba with med stained cherry. I know what I don't want--not tumbled, and not too much color variation, and not too much gold. I prefer a smooth surface. The woman in the tile store was was incredibly helpful--she showed me a polished travertine that meets the above criteria with a pillowed ? edging that I really like...but the size is 4 X 4 or 4 X 8. The 8 inch looks huge! She only had a sample of the 4 inch, so it's really hard to tell. So I'm getting closer. Thanks again for following up. Your kitchen is soooo lovely!

Hi guys! Thanks for asking.......it really is good! Hubby was commenting on it again yesterday, saying how much he liked it. And it's so easy, an extra bonus! Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole (CookLisaCook blog) 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes ( used a bunch of tenders that I had in the freezer) 8-10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I leave the skin on) 1/3 cup olive oil 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 TBS. freshly ground pepper 1 TBS. paprika 2 TBS. garlic powder 6 TBS. hot sauce Topping: 2 c. Fiesta Blend Cheese or a mix of Cheddar & Monterey Jack 1 c. crumbled bacon (I didn't use the bacon, and we didn't miss it) 1 c diced green onion Preheat oven to 500F In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder & hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Spoon the potatoes using a slotted spoon into a cooking spray coated 9 x 13 inch baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mix as possible. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy & browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400F. Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon & green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mix. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious. Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing. Here is a link that might be useful: The actual recipe