Cooking Terms

This summer my daughter-in-law Bethany L, taught me a new method to chop basil.

First, you stack several leaves together.....

.....then roll them up.....

.....cut the roll into thin slices.....

.....and you have thin strips of fresh basil ready to go!

So fast and easy! She told me that it is called Chiffonading!

chiffonade [shihf-uh-NAHD, shihf-uh-NAYD]

Literally translated, this French phrase means "made of rags." Culinarily, it refers to thin strips or shreds of vegetables (classically, sorrel and lettuce), either lightly sautéed or used raw to garnish soups.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst

Conundrums

Main Entry: co·nun·drum
Pronunciation: \kə-ˈnən-drəm\
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown

Date: 1645

1: a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun

2 a: a question or problem having only a conjectural answer b: an intricate and difficult problem

I like the way this word rolls around the tongue! Here is an example of one type of a conundrum:

The master of a country house called his servants by their title, i.e., butler, maid, cook, etc. and not politely by their first name, which was standard practice in society in the Victorian era.

One day a maid took matters into her own hands and said to her master, "Sir, I demand, I am a maid named Iris."

What was rather peculiar about that statement?

I will give the answer to this later this week. Meantime, let's see how many of you can figure the correct answer out!

Vocabulary Expansion

Do you have pogonophobia ? If you do, this is probably a very stressful time of year for you. There are those among us who dread the family get-togethers that the holidays bring. That is hard for me to imagine. I look forward in eager anticipation of the hustle and bustle of a Thanksgiving filled with family and/or friends. It is what keeps me going through the dreary Northwest winters. However, that is not true for everyone. I know. I hear stories. Horror stories. But perhaps the real problem they suffer from is pogonophobia. See if you can pick out the correct definition of this interesting word:

a) fear of pogo sticks

b) fear of jumping in bright lights

c) fear of relatives

d) fear of holiday music

If you think you suffer from this, quick! Make an appointment this week with a psychiatrist to work through this before the big TURKEY DAY arrives! As for me, I can't wait for the guests to start arriving :-) This year will bring my family and the Stanley, Kerrigan and Meiers Families, as well as my father. And hopefully a friend or two of someone that doesn't have a place to go to.

Last year's gathering:
Harmon, DuFault & Stucky Families & Jessica

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new. ~Will Carleton

answer: c) fear of relatives

Expanding my Vocabulary

Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English -

twitterpated
Part of Speech: adj
Definition: confused by affection or infatuation
Etymology: twitter + -pated 'pertaining to the head'

I am so happy for a friend of mine who shared with me that she is in this state! Apparently this word hails from Bambi. It is a new one for me, though :-)