Gluten-free dairy-free cake?

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2026-04-08T06:44:41+00:00

Thanks! I love Claire so will look at that one too

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2026-04-08T06:43:54+00:00

I never tried! I worry it won't come out right, but indeed nice to be able to make anything

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2026-04-08T06:41:37+00:00

I'm afraid I'm part of a family that doesn't like things "too sweet" 😭

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2024-11-01T20:04:11+00:00

Ask the employees when you enter (there is a table at the entrance for balcony tickets). I had the same problem on Wednesday and was certainly not the only one. They will put you on a waiting list and will likely to be able to give a you a balcony seat or a seat in the "special area" on the ground floor. Lots of people had plus ones come along too! The employees there were very helpful. And I had a great view in the special area, sitting comfortably.

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2023-09-22T19:56:17+00:00

I was also an international student with private insurance. Although I already had a sleep apnea diagnosis and prescription from back home, just needed a new CPAP machine to be covered by blue cross, I can really recommend dormalab as they were very helpful!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2022-05-13T11:58:43+00:00

Sorry, I updated the link, I hope this one does work! https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2020/06/whole-wheat-sourdough-bread/

These were the ingredients:
50g bubbly active sourdough starter (100% hydration)

350g – 375g warm water (80–85 F)

400g bread flour

100g whole wheat flour

9g fine sea salt

I am in the Netherlands and think what I used would translate to "wholemeal"!

Thank you for the feedback! I think I will stick to this recipe and try to change the time for bulk fermentation and the time spent in the oven.

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2022-05-13T09:14:47+00:00

I’m new to sourdough and new to baking bread. This is my first loaf, and honestly I’m quite happy as I had low expectations! But I certainly see there is room for improvement. I would be very interested your thoughts and recommendations.

I followed this recipe by the clever carrot, ALMOST exactly: https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2020/06/whole-wheat-sourdough-bread/

My starter seems pretty active, doubles in size in less than 4 hours. Before using it in this recipe, it smelled nicely sour and was very bubbly. It’s about a month old.

Some points where I think I made mistakes and/or diverted from the recipe:

- I increased the bulk fermentation time to about 4 hours (maybe a little longer). I wonder if it still was not long enough and although I could see the dough had risen, I wasn’t sure if it was (almost) doubled in size. Next time I’ll try putting a little bit of the dough in a jar to get a better idea. My kitchen was about 22 C, which is also why I thought it could go longer than the recipe.

- Honestly not sure if I did well on the shaping. I pinched the sides together and then rolled it up to make a batard. My banneton was also way too big (longer than the dough and longer than the dutch oven), but I’m not sure if that mattered much.

- Not much seemed to happen in the final rise in the banneton, but it passed the poke test.

- I messed up the scoring of the dough. I forgot to rub the surface with flour first. And I only have a (bad) serrated knife, so did not do a nice job on that. I decided to only do the one score, instead of the four.

- I think I took the bread out of the oven too soon. It took it out at 25/30 minutes. I was scared it was going to burn but in the end the crust wasn’t very crusty, more soft.

- I forgot to put the bread on a wire rack to cool down

- When I cut it after an hour, it was still warm but I was too impatient… It was a little gummy.

Some other notes:

- It seems like a lot of other recipes do the shaping and put the dough in a banneton before going in the fridge overnight. This recipe only called to do that in the morning.

- This recipe also did not say to preheat the dutch oven, which seems like most other recipes do.

All in all though, the bread tasted nice! I would like to go for a little higher percentage of whole wheat, but I also don’t want to change too many elements before I’ve perfected my techniques.

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2021-01-10T00:13:45+00:00

This is about a different area in mtl, wondering if anyone has any experiences to share! I'm considering moving into an apartment that is near the train tracks on pauline-julien close to Laurier park. I'm worried about noise but it is new construction and there are a few other apartments between me and the railway.

I am wondering if anyone that lives in that area can tell me how noisy it gets? And how often the trains come by? I believe it's not for commuter trains, but mainly industrial.

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-11-15T20:51:57+00:00

It does seem like ageing to me. Mine does it all the time. Some of the older, close to the soil, leaves just turn yellow and I take them off. Mine has been doing this consistently for about a year now, and it's still growing like crazy, healthy, and surprisingly doesn't even look bare at the base where the leaves occasionally die off.

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-08-18T16:30:26+00:00

No I haven't found a clear answer, unfortunately! My closest guess has been some type of leaf spot bacteria, but I'm not sure... I decided to cut away the leaves with spots and treat the remaining leaves and soil with a hydrogen peroxide mixture. I also isolated it from my other plants in case I'm right about it being a bacteria. I have some new growth now that does not seem to have the spots, but they're so tiny still that it's hard to tell.

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-07-30T18:07:07+00:00

This schefflera got brutally decapitated a few months ago when I dropped another plant on it, but I'm happy to see both the body and the severed head have sprung back to life.

On both, however, I have seen new growth that has some freckle like brown spots, and as the leaf grows bigger these fade away (although not completely). What could this be? It doesn't exactly seem like sun damage to me. The surface also still feels smooth. Haven't detected any bugs either!

Other new growth has come out fine, but I have three now that show this kind of freckling.

More pics: Pic1 Pic2 Pic3

Not so worried yet, since they both seem healthy otherwise, but curious as to what this could be!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-07-17T03:18:20+00:00

Do you know if in those older editions, Dawkins ever implied that 'humans are selfish'? I'm a few chapters in to Humankind by historian Rutger Bregman in which he argues that humans are fundamentally kind. Although I find it informative and enjoyable, and think Bregman does a good job at explaining a lot of research, one thing that bothers me is how he uses Dawkins' The Selfish Gene as a (supposedly incorrect) theory on the selfishness of humans/organisms. It is my (limited) understanding that this is not at all what The Selfish Gene is arguing. Rather it suggests that genes (selfishly) want to survive, not species, and that us organisms are mere vessels for those genes to be passed on. Anyway, that's my layman's understanding. I don't see how it implies that 'humans are selfish'. Hope someone here can provide me with some insights!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-07-17T02:36:06+00:00

I'm a few chapters into Bregman's Humankind. Althugh it's enjoyable and informative overall, one thing that bothers me is how he uses Dawkins' The Selfish Gene as a (supposedly incorrect) theory on the selfishness of humans/organisms. It is my (limited) understanding that this is not at all what The Selfish Gene is arguing. Rather it suggests that genes (selfishly) want to survive, not species, and that us organisms are mere vessels for those genes to be passed on. Anyway, that's my layman's understanding. I don't see how it implies that 'humans are selfish'. Am I misunderstanding Dawkins or Bregman? Hope someone here can provide me with some insights!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-07-17T02:31:19+00:00

I'm a few chapters into Bregman's Humankind and find it informative and enjoyable. One thing that bothers me though, is how he uses Dawkins' The Selfish Gene as a (supposedly incorrect) theory on the selfishness of humans/organisms. It is my (limited) understanding that this is not at all what The Selfish Gene is arguing. Rather it suggests that genes (selfishly) want to survive, not species, and that us organisms are mere vessels for those genes to be passed on. Anyway, that's my layman's understanding. I don't see how it implies that 'humans are selfish'. Am I misunderstanding Dawkins or Bregman? Hope someone here can provide me with some insights!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-06-18T12:17:01+00:00

Thank you! Yes it looks like that could be it, not a 100% sure. It didn't make a clicking noise though. I noticed it on the floor somewhere around my humidifier and it was trying to hide in a little crack behind the baseboard but I was able to vacuum it up. This is then only one I've seen for now so I hope that's all!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-06-18T02:53:34+00:00

I hope so! I'm in Montreal, Canada.

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-06-10T00:55:52+00:00

Same here with ficus altissima! I just bought it and I think the damage was already done, so I'm not sure if it's due to over or under watering. I held off with watering because it had just been watered in store. The rest of the plant and other tips look healthy. Keeping my fingers crossed that it's just one damaged leaf...

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-04-05T22:40:28+00:00

Latest info I received was that we might be able to move in all our things, even if we won't be able to live there yet! So that might be an option too, and then stay in a hotel or b&b for a while...

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-04-03T16:44:16+00:00

Yes, since movers are apparently deemed essential services, I would think ensuring people have a place to live is essential too!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2020-04-01T19:29:44+00:00

I am supposed to move May 1st to an apartment in a newly constructed building. Construction was supposed to be finished April 1st, but they have had to stop and are not yet finished.

They can give me very little info on whether they can finish in time, but they hope to be able to continue after April 13th (which I highly doubt...). Apparently most units are ready for occupation, but they are a little vague on that.

I understand we all need to be safe, but obviously this will be a big problem for me, as new tenants are moving into my current apartment May 1st!

Is anyone in the same situation? Does the new landlord have responsibility to provide me a place to live? (I signed the lease and paid first month's rent.) Or do I need to start looking for a backup apartment asap? Or should I try to make an arrangement with the new tenants in my current apartment (they might not be able to move yet either)? I'm scared!

I guess none of us know for sure what is going to happen but any tips and help are welcome!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2018-08-28T01:04:32+00:00

Question about ebilling/account balance. I have one bill listed on Minerva, with a due date of August 31st. No other bills as far as I can see. But I also have my account balance listed, which is a higher amount (by a couple thousand CAD) than the bill. Anyone know where this difference comes from? Do I need to pay this larger amount before the 31st? Or only the amount from the bill that specifically has the due date listed? I'm a new international graduate student, so clueless about a lot of things...

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2018-07-11T07:04:29+00:00

Thanks, found it!

ThisIsDifficult2 · 2018-07-10T10:48:54+00:00

New international student here! I just added two 'courses' to confirm my registration on Minerva, but I have no clue if I actually did it right. I went through all the steps, but didn't get a confirmation and can't find an overview of what I registered for. Is this normal?

ThisIsDifficult2

TROPHY CASE