I just realized that my rationale for the mini-cupcake brownies was that I was going to make gluten-free brownies and they are crumbly.

But, then I decided to make regular, since I'm the only person who needs them to be gluten-free. Why waste gluten-free on people who don't need it?

So, now I'm thinking I will just make a big pan and call it good, since real brownies hang together pretty well on their own.

So, I'm bagging the mini idea and going for the quick easy on. But thanks for the advice.

Beastie Boys Rock!

Really? Desensitization is a pretty straightforward concept. What is there to debunk?

They gave people local honey, manufactured honey, and honey flavored syrup and there wasn't any notable difference in allergy symptoms amongst the three. link

My big meeting is over! And went well. My boss half-jokingly said it should count for 5 meetings, and I'm sort of hoping to remind her about that at review time, since number of meetings is in fact one of my metrics, and I'm not going to hit it.

They gave people local honey, manufactured honey, and honey flavored syrup and there wasn't any notable difference in allergy symptoms amongst the three.

An important point from the article: different species of plant use different vectors for pollination. It's the plants that favour wind-borne pollination that cause allergies, as it's their pollen that winds up in the air (of course). By definition, these are not the plants that bees are visiting, and so the allergy-causing pollen won't wind up in anyone's honey. 

Side note: if you find a red flower in the wild, it's probably pollinated by birds. Most insects, including bees, can't distinguish red. (That may also be a reason that some trees have red or purple leaves in Spring - it helps protect the young, tender leaves from insect predation. They can go green and start photosynthesising once they've matured and are less delectable.)

Timelies all!

We have been Cleaning All The Things in preparation for my parents' arrival tomorrow.(It's the usual Northern migration)

I was going to make gluten-free brownies and they are crumbly.

Do you make them from scratch (not a mix), or a mix? The Betty Crocker GF brownies hang together really damn well. I made them last weekend with M&Ms on top, and they were devoured quickly by mostly non-GF people. Pretty tasty.

Side note: if you find a red flower in the wild, it's probably pollinated by birds. Most insects, including bees, can't distinguish red. (That may also be a reason that some trees have red or purple leaves in Spring - it helps protect the young, tender leaves from insect predation. They can go green and start photosynthesising once they've matured and are less delectable.)

Oh! Oh! Oh! I knew that! Except for the fact I had totally forgotten it until you brought it up...

An important point from the article: different species of plant use different vectors for pollination. It's the plants that favour wind-borne pollination that cause allergies, as it's their pollen that winds up in the air (of course). By definition, these are not the plants that bees are visiting, and so the allergy-causing pollen won't wind up in anyone's honey.

See also, why those Benadryl ads with the blooming flowers make me cranky.

(But keep buying the local honey anyway. It won't cure your allergies, but it does support local small farmers! And it's delicious!)

They gave people local honey, manufactured honey, and honey flavored syrup and there wasn't any notable difference in allergy symptoms amongst the three.

Okay. On to the hookworms it is!

eta: And local honey, for the placebo effect and to compensate for the trauma of the hookworms.

(But keep buying the local honey anyway. It won't cure your allergies, but it does support local small farmers! And it's delicious!)

Indeed. I'm still ignoring the hookworms.