Jurie @145 (and Teresa):>>The end-thread that hangs out of a skein of yarn -- the one that's the starting-point for winding the whole thing up -- is called a clew.
So cats claw clews? Kewl!
Lol!
A barf-glob is "A wad of tangled yarn that comes out of the middle of a center-pull skein of yarn when you are attempting to knit from the skein." (First described/discussed here). What I find interesting is the term's instant and enthusiastic acceptance. It just so obviously fits.
A cut crystal container with a lid and a wide opening and straight sides is known as a biscuit barrel (or jar). Always thought that was a very mundane for objects that are usually so finely crafted.
And when a cake plate -- whether porcelain or glass or whatever -- has extrusions on either side that make carrying it easier, these aren't called 'handles'. They're 'ears.'
Serge @19 -- my husband's grandmother had a similar story with an angel and a philtrum. She told my husband that people have philtrums (philtrae? philtra?) because just when we're about to be born, an angel pokes us just under the nose and says, "You're ready!
Xopher @98 -- aphasic episodes and migraines. Yep. Unfortunately. I've only experienced that during one migraine (pregnant at the time, apparently not all that uncommon), but it scared the dickens out of me.
In 1977 we were in the midst of détente. During a semester in London, I took advantage of an opportunity to take a trip to the USSR -- one week Moscow/Leningrad*, all-inclusive, for $175. Two experiences pertinent to this thread come to mind.
One was climbing to the top of a cathedral (in Leningrad?), and being greeted by the sight of two grim, elderly ladies, whose job appeared to be to sit holding rolls of ripped-out film. Message received. No language barriers.
And as for making sketches -- I still have a souvenir collection of postcards from the Winter Palace. They are exquisite, perfect in every detail, depicting contemporary views of the interior. And they are painted, not photographed. At the time, we decided that was because the Soviets were just paranoid, and they truly believed that photographs would somehow aid the capitalist subversives. It's sad to see similar wacko thinking in the West.
*as it was still called
Ya know, I bet you could also add a can of tuna to that... (ducks and runs)
All right, you enablers. I now have several things added to my holiday baking list, and the Ziti recipe will be tried on Sunday.
In return, may I offer a dough recipe? It's traditional German*, VERY easy, and extremely versatile. You can roll it out and make sticky buns, mix your choice of dried fruits and nuts directly into the dough and make buns, pat it into a pan and top it with fruit/streusel, etc. Somewhat similar to Norwegian kringla, you don't actually have to add any flavoring at all. The most intriguing thing about it is that it has the texture of baked goods made with yeast, but neither yeast nor rising is involved. I suppose it's a Continental relative of biscuits and scones? (though much more forgiving where mixing and kneading are concerned)
Basic Quark-Oil Dough
Mix together:
5 oz (150g) Quark, or softened neufchatel cheese, or sour cream (reduced-fat OK)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
Add:
scant 2 cups (300g) flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
Mix together to form dough. It will be moist, but not really sticky. Shape and add toppings/fillings as desired. Bake at 400F (200C) for about 20 minutes.
The recipe can be doubled.
*Often appearing this time of year in the form of 'Weckmänner', shaped figures that are supposed to represent St. Martin, whose special day is November 11.
I have loved Star Trek since its inception (when I snuck back into the hall to watch TOS because it was on past my bedtime), but have to say that my view of many of the characters and plots has changed with (my) age. And that episode of Star Trek of Dune is one I'd pay rent money to see.
"Charlie", 921 and passim. *sigh*
There is indeed a line to be drawn in regards to criticism. So long as it is fair, honest, and well thought out I don't think many people mind it. When it crosses that invisible line of insult versus constructive criticism then I believe that you have a point.
It's about who draws the line, isn't it? If it's my blog, I actually don't have to accept criticism of any kind, no matter how fair etc. It's my prerogative to be thin-skinned, because I define/decide whether the criticism is insulting. And it's the reader's prerogative to give up on me in disgust and take their criticism elsewhere. Pearls before swine, and all that.
I don't believe that all blogs should be required to do anything, but I think those that claim to champion and protect free speech should consider allowing a healthy amount of dissent. You're welcome to believe that and even suggest it, but non-agreement with your definition of 'healthy' and 'dissent' -- for all the excellent reasons which other posters have delineated far more clearly than I can -- Does. Not. Constitute. Censorship.
Marilee @739 -- I know the flu shots can be iffy. Just couldn't resist chiming in on the haiku.
Fragano Ledgister @793 -- hopefully a coincidence. Yikes!
C. Wingate et al. -- old kitchen stuff is great! My prize possession is my grandmother's rolling pin. One finely turned, solid piece of maple. No moveable parts, but works like a dream.
Terry, that's funny about the Rossle garlic press. My (German) husband bought a great press on a business trip to California, which included a pilgrimage to Gilroy. Go figure. There is almost nothing he won't put garlic in. He would be seriously envious of a press that would hold six cloves.
737:
Not influenza.
ML readers mind Jim,
Have gotten flu shots.
Fade Manley @704 -- I've had similar problems with rusting (loaf pans, springform pans, cookie cutters). It has helped to put it/them in a warm oven for a few minutes to make sure ALL the moisture has evaporated before putting them away. Letting them sit on top of a heater would work, too. Although I generally agree that some types of baking utensils shouldn't be washed, sometimes there's a need.
never @293: Schäuble is pretty American in his determination to wiretap everyone anytime, for our own good, of course.
Yeah, right. As if evil, or just plain wrong-headed, practices couldn't possibly be conceived independently by people of other nationalities. Must be the water or something.
In case anyone's interested in what he meant with the Schäuble reference, you can read a couple of articles in Spiegel Online here or here.
Yes, data collection, ownership and privacy are issues everyone is facing, and definitely worth discussion. That's the point. Discuss the issues, don't sidetrack a legitimate debate with accusations of censorship and ill-will. Especially when the accusations are unfounded.
Greg London @341: So, any good beginner-experimenter-bread-making books out there?
I can recommend "The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking". Processes and ingredients are clearly and thoroughly explained. I have the old edition from 1985, but there's a much newer one which has an expanded section on bread machines.
I've always considered the original go bag to be the pillowcase packed by Mrs. R. in The Swiss Family Robinson. She had minimal time to decide and pack, but what she packed turned out to be very useful indeed, and was praised multiple times by her husband. Interestingly, twine and thread were among her priorities (reminiscent of Sam Gamgee's appreciation for a good bit of rope). It is not recorded that a blunderbuss was included. (OK, that was snarky. The rest of her family was armed to to the teeth.)
Back to the present. I may actually pull together a go bag after this post -- already having most of the stuff is motivating -- and keep it in the car. The car is usually where I am, but that's just my lifestyle. Of course the potential temperature swings in a car may be problematic for meds, as well as other contents like batteries, adhesives...hmm. How often do you need to inspect/rotate the contents?
It's amazing what you can do with mirrors.
And a good foundation.
Xopher @77 -- Interesting that that advice comes from an old cookbook. Heaven knows our exposure to processed foods can skew our perceptions, especially of sweetening. Don't know if that closed eyes/conscience thing would still work. And denial still ain't just a river in Egypt.
linnen @58:
Well there is some basis to adding sugar to tomato based sauces, primarily as a way to smooth out the harshness that some tomatoes will add to the sauce. Personally I have not noticed any large difference in taste. But then I tend to use lemon juice to season pasta sauces.
Interesting choice of seasoning. One of my cookbooks* mentions that tomatoes these days are being bred to be sweeter. They went on to say that this has implications for how tomatoes can/should be canned, since the lowered natural acidity means increased danger from nasties like botulism. Can't remember exactly if the recommendation was to add more vinegar when canning or to can differently.
Re: tomatoes in ketchup. My grandmother's recipe, hailing from the '40's at least, calls for 1/2 cup of sugar for 18 ripe tomatoes (plus 3 onions, one green pepper, and spices).
*Sorry I can't put my hands on the right one. I have many.
@98 Xopher -- thanks much for the coding help. When I typed that comment, I was using a US-configured keyboard; now I'm on my German-configured one.
The proper spelling of Scheiße is with the 'e' at the end (strange though it is to use proper and Scheiße in the same sentence) -- lots of usage here. However, whether the 'e' is pronounced does vary.
Heidenei -- do you mean you're heathen or Swabian? It's a great word. The meaning mostly gets conveyed through tone of voice. Very popular with moms confronting misbehaving offspring.
Totally bizarre experience: the online dictionary I used in the link above has some software that provides links related to the word you look up. Yep. Even Scheisse on eBay.
@99 albatross -- my children have spent virtually all their lives over here, and when we visit the States, I have to remind them NOT to say Scheiße etc. in front of the relatives, especially my mom. Not always so easy, because their other grandparents use it, and it just doesn't "mean" anything.
Jakob types faster than I do -- he's right about the pithy and scatalogical quality of German cursing.
Germans use 'Scheisse' quite a lot, and it's socially more acceptable than 'sh*t' generally is in the US. That can lead to some awkward situations; I've known Germans who've proudly demonstrated their use of English and salted everything liberally with swear words, including f*ck and sh*t, not realizing that Americans don't really swear ALL the time in ALL situations. Maybe their impression derives from too many US films?
As Fragano noted, the sense of insults and swear words often can't be translated directly. In southern Germany, calling someone a 'Halbdackel' (literally, half a dachshund) is insulting. And one of my favorite southern German exclamations/mild swear words is "Heidenei!" It means heathenness.
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