Seasoned Chicken Tenderloins

Next time, I am going to make this with "skin on" chicken pieces, which will require more baking time.

Ingredients (for about one pound or so)

1 pound chicken tenderloins
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup grated romano
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning*
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Melt the butter in a shallow dish, then add the oil. Mix the grated cheese and seasoning ingredients on a plate or on a piece of parchment paper or foil. Coat chicken with melted butter/olive oil, then roll in dried mixture. Arrange the chicken on the baking sheet and bake for about half an hour (or until done). 

 * Adobo seasoning is a type of Puerto Rican/Latino seasoned salt, easily available in supermarkets, although perhaps in the "Hispanic/Latino Foods" section. Ingredients vary somewhat, but generally it includes, at a minimum, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, dried oregano.

The seasoned chicken tenderloins served with mashed potatoes and chicken gravy and cottage cheese.

WORD HISTORY:
Chicken-This common word "apparently" is a Germanic invention going back to Old Germanic "kiuk," in imitation of the sound made by fowl. From this came the expanded "kiukinan," a diminutive form meaning, "young fowl," "perhaps" initially more with that general meaning, before taking on the specific meaning "chicken." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cicen," meaning "chicken," the spelling which came to prevail a few hundred years later, and which has continued to the present. ^ The other Germanic languages have: German and Low German Saxon "Küken," also spelled "Kücken," in southern dialect (chick, young chicken or fowl), Dutch "kuiken" (chicken, chick), Danish and Norwegian "kyllinge," Icelandic "kjuklinga." Neither West Frisian nor Swedish use modern forms, but North Frisian ^^ has "schickling/schückling." All of these forms mean either "chicken," "chick," or "young fowl."   

^ Interestingly, the Old Germanic "-inan" suffix, and its "-en" descendants, were diminutives, and all really meant "young fowl, or young chicken;" however, English developed the shortened form "chick" to mean "young chicken." Likewise, German developed "Küchlein," "young fowl, young chicken, chick." "Likely" there was a disconnect with the original Old Germanic form and meaning, thus making people feel they needed new forms to express "young" for the birds.

^^ North Frisian is a dialect of the overall Frisian language. It has perhaps 30,000 plus speakers in northern Germany, including several German islands in the North Sea. It is closely related to English. 

Some More Questions To A Republican

"Hello folks! This is Dan Ratherbe, in Philadelphia. Today I once again have Republican George Owen Pappenstiel here to speak out on the issues confronting the nation and his Republican Party, no holds barred."

DR: "Well Mr. Pappenstiel, it's been a little while since I first interviewed you." *

GOP: "Yeah, that was back when that Bomma guy claimed to be president."

DR: "That's Obama."

GOP: "Yeah right, tryin' to be Irish.... 'O' bomma... haha.... about as Irish as the rest of them people from them places in Africa."

DR: "But he IS part Irish. Don't you remember he visited Ireland?"

GOP: "Visitin' a place don't make ya from that place. I cun visit Massichew... Masseshoe... that place where Boston is, but that don't make me no Democrat, an' that's fer shur."

DR: "So what do you think of Donald Trump's first couple of months in office?"

GOP: "It's a breath o' fresh air! Finally gettin' some truth out, 'cause Ole Donald tells it like it is. That's what's gonna make America great agin, truth tellin.' Just like with that Bomma listnin' in on Ole Donald talkin' on his own private phone in his own private buildin'."

DR: "But there's been absolutely no proof that any such thing ever happened."

GOP: "That's what you librals in the media want folks ta believe. There is proof.... Ole Donald said it, didn't he? That's proof! He the president of the UUUNited States, ain't he?"

DR: "Well I assume you support the wall the president wants to build on the border with Mexico?"

GOP: "Oh now, truer words was never spoke. All them folks south of the Rio Grande is jus' what Ole Donald said 'bout them. They er murderers and rapists. Then they come up here and want US to speak Mexican."

DR: "You mean Spanish."

GOP: "No, I mean Mexican. They ain't from Spain."

DR: "So what do you think of the Republican failure to repeal Obamacare?"

GOP: "That's jus' plain terrible! Don't know what's becomin' o' this country. Wantin' ta give health care to ever'body. An' this law from Bomma helpin' to give care to millions. An' that Bernie Sanders guy... he the worst, even worse than Bomma hisself. He ain't no Christian, that fer shur."

DR: "Ah, Bernie Sanders is from a Jewish family."

GOP: "See, told ya he ain't no Christian. They jus' like those Mooselims... all from over yonder there in the Middle East. All them folks need to jus' stay over there. Ole Donald messed up there, he needs to ban people from all them countries, not jus' a few. All we do is give money to them people over there, includin' Izrel. Never knew any good people from that part of the world, not a one."

DR: "Ah... Jesus Christ."

GOP: "An' don't be takin' the Lord's name in vain, ya hear?"

DR: "Well, our time is up, Mr. Pappenstiel."

GOP: "Ya got that right, if we don't do what Ole Donald wants an' you keep takin' the Lord's name in vain. Jus' ask Pat Robertson!"


* The first "interview" was in May 2013 and this is the link:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/05/asking-republican-few-questions.html

WORD HISTORY:
Ode-This word "seems" to go back to Indo European "aweid/e-weid," which had the notion, "to make (voice) sound, to speak, to vocalize." This gave Ancient Greek the transliterated "aeido," which meant, "to sing, to give praise in song." This gave Ancient Greek "aoide/oide," a noun, "song, poetic song." Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "oda," then "ode," the form taken by Latin-based French. English borrowed the word from French, likely with reinforcement by Latin, in the late 1500s.

Eggs in Hades

This is a simple recipe that will awaken the taste buds of anyone. Serve with good bread, toasted or with just butter.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
2 cloves minced garlic
2  16 ounce jars chunky salsa (mild or hot)
1  14.5 ounce can tomato sauce
1 or 2 hot chili peppers (jalapenos, serranos, or cayennes, if using hot salsa, skip this unless you like    food hot as... ah... Hades)
2 teaspoons oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
parsley or basil leaves for garnish

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium low heat and saute the garlic and chili peppers (if using) for a couple of minutes. Add the salsa, tomato sauce, oregano, salt and black pepper, mix well. Heat sauce until it lightly bubbles, then add each egg separately, leaving some space between the eggs. You can cover the pan and let cook for a few minutes until the whites are firmly set, or you can cover the pan briefly, until the whites are set, but still not completely cooked, then complete their cooking with the pan uncovered. I first tried covering a smaller skillet, using just 2 eggs in sauce. Interestingly, one yolk ended up almost completely cooked, while the other was runny, which is the way I wanted both, so I next covered the skillet briefly, then left it open to finish cooking the egg whites. This gave me the runny yolks I wanted. Sprinkle on some parsley or basil before serving.  

WORD HISTORY:
Hades-This word for "the infernal regions, the place of torment for those who have lived wicked lives," goes back to the Indo European negating suffix, "n," which was rendered in Greek as "á/áv" (related to Germanic "un-"), and to Indo European "weid/uyd," which had the notion "to see;" thus also, "to know how to go, how to proceed." "Hades" is distantly related to English "wit" (both noun and verb), to "wise" (noun, verb and adjective forms, although the verb form is not as common anymore, except in "wise up"), and to "wisdom," all of these words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "advice" and to "advise," both Latin-derived words borrowed by English via French. The main Indo European form gave transliterated Ancient Greek "eídesthai," which meant, "to be seen," and with the negative prefix, as 'a' + 'idein'= "unseen, invisible." Together this gave Ancient Greek a couple of forms, depending upon dialect, one being the transliterated "Haídes," meaning, "place unseen;" thus, "the underworld;" thus, "place for the dead." The place name was also applied to the Greek god of the dead. English borrowed the word from Greek, circa 1600.      

Indian Vegetable & Yogurt Salad: Raita

"Raita" (pronounced as if, "rite-ah") is a common refreshing salad side dish in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is often served to "cool" the palate and stomach after spicy dishes have been eaten. The main ingredient in a raita recipe is yogurt, with various vegetables or fruits, plus often some herbs, spices or other seasonings like onion and garlic added. This recipe below is a vegetable raita, but there are a multitude of variations in the Indian Subcontinent. 

Ingredients:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup seedless cucumber, chopped
2 green onions, chopped (including green)
1 tablespoon carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon coriander leaves

Stir the yogurt well so that it is smooth and not clumped together. Typically, the cucumber is peeled, but I leave a couple of little strips of the peel on, but I wash the cucumber well before doing so. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Chill the raita before serving.

WORD HISTORY:
Bangladesh (Bengal)-This name for the country founded in 1971 from then East Pakistan literally means "Land of Bengal." It is a compound, with the origins of the "bangla" part "perhaps" being from the name of an ancient god, and in Bengali "bang(a)la," and meant, "Bengal," the region.^ The "desh" part goes back to Indo-Iranian and Sanskrit ^^ "desha," which meant, "part, land, region, nation."

^ Bengali is a language from the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo European languages; as such, it is related to English, German, Dutch and others from the Germanic branch of Indo European.

^^  Sanskrit is an ancient language from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European. It is still in use to some degree, especially in India. 

Portuguese-Style Beef Pot Roast/Stew (Alcatra)

This very easily prepared Portuguese recipe, called "Alcatra" ("rump steak") in Portuguese, is from the Azores (Portuguese: Açores, see Word History below), more particularly from the island of Terceira, one of the nine islands in the Atlantic that form the Azores, which lie more than 800 miles from mainland Portugal. The Azores compose a part of the Portuguese Republic. I read over a number of recipes for this dish and some called for white wine, some for red wine and some had either. I used white wine, because I already had a bottle! The next time, I will use red wine. All but one recipe used either chuck roast or rump roast, which was then cut into chunks, but the one used already cut stewing meat, and that's what I chose to use also. From what I read, rice is often served with this dish, although a couple of recipes served it with potatoes cooked with the meat, including one that kept the skins on. The dish is traditionally cooked in a clay pot in Portugal. As I've noted many times before, I'm a mashed potatoes guy, so that's what I had with this beef dish.  

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef stewing meat chunks
5 strips thick sliced bacon, cut into smaller pieces (you can trim some of the fat off, if you'd like)
2 large onions, sliced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil (not extra virgin)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cloves
10 black peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups white (or red) wine
2 tablespoons butter
water, as needed (or enough to cover, see below)

Heat oven to 375 F. Use the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan or ovenproof dish you will be using. Add the pieces of beef, bacon, onion and garlic. Mix things around, so that the bacon, onion and garlic mix in with the beef. Add the bay leaves, the ground cloves, the peppercorns and the salt, then pour in the wine, and add water to make sure the beef is covered. Float the butter on top. Cover and bake for one hour fifteen minutes, then reduce heat to 325 F, bake until meat is tender, likely "at least" another 90 minutes, but well worth the wait, even if it takes two more hours. You can take the lid off for the last half hour or so of cooking, if you'd like, even if the meat is no longer covered in liquid. 

WORD HISTORY:
Azores-This word for the Portuguese islands in the Atlantic, the first part of which is distantly related to "edge," with the second part distantly related to "feather,'' with a closer relationship to "pen" (writing implement), goes back to Indo European "ak," which had the notion of "sharp, pointed." This gave Latin "acies," meaning, "point, edge," which provided a form for the first part of Latin "accipiter," which meant "hawk." The second part of "accipiter" goes back to Indo European "pethr/pethn," which meant "feather." This gave Italic "petn," meaning "feather, wing feather," and this provided Latin with the "piter" part of "accipiter." This gave Portuguese "açor," meaning, "hawk, goshawk" (a more specific type of bird of prey, literally, "goosehawk"). The plural in Portuguese, "açores," came to be applied to the islands in the 1500s, "supposedly" because the birds were often seen there. This was borrowed by English with the spelling "Azores."   

What's In A Name: Ferdinand, Ruth

Ferdinand-This name originated in Germanic as a compound, but the first part is hard to pin down. It "might" be related to English "fare." * The Old Germanic ancestor of "fare" meant, "to go, to travel." It "might" also mean "peace" (brought by strong defense against force of arms; thus, "protector, guarantor"), and this would make it related to English "frith" (or "friþ," as it was once written), a word overtaken by the borrowing of the word "peace," a word derived from Latin. The second part of the name goes back to Old Germanic "nanthiz," which meant, "a venture, a risk," which then gave Old English "neðan" (=nethan), a verb meaning, "to be daring, to be bold." Thus the name "Ferdinand" "could" mean "daring or bold traveler," or "bold protector." Germanic tribes entered Iberia and the name caught on there initially as "Ferdinando," later usually contracted to "Fernando." Several kings in Spanish history have been named "Fernando," and in Portuguese history, Ferdinand (Fernão) Magellan, the explorer, is famous. World War I was ignited by the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the spelling in German and English are the same). Not a terribly common name in English, except for men of German heritage, and Fernando is more common among American men with heritage from Spanish speaking countries, or with heritage from Portuguese speaking countries, especially Portugal or Brazil, which is the largest Portuguese speaking country. 
 
Ruth-From a Hebrew name which was derived from the transliterated Hebrew word "reut/re'ut," which meant "friend, companion." The name is, of course, well known from the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament of the Bible. "Ruth" was not a very common name among people connected to Christianity until the Reformation and thereafter. The popularity of the "Baby Ruth" candy bar, developed by an American candy company in the early 1920s,* could only have given a boost to the name, as the company "claimed" the candy was named after the daughter of former president Grover Cleveland. Ruth Cleveland had been well known to the public during her father's presidency, which was unfortunately reinforced by her early death from diphtheria, when she was only 12, a few years after Grover Cleveland left office. "Perhaps" some good marketing by the candy maker helped the sales of "Baby Ruths," as the candy bar also was thought by many to be named for baseball player, Babe Ruth, who was becoming ever more famous when the candy bar came onto the market. The candy proved to be a "home run" in sales, "perhaps" boosted by the association with both Babe Ruth and Ruth Cleveland. I must admit, when I was a kid, I thought the candy bar was named for Babe Ruth, and to my recollection, I never heard about the former president's daughter until decades later. 


I consulted the following, so for more information on any of the names see, "A World Of Baby Names" by Teresa Norman, published by Perigee/Penguin Group, New York, 2003. Also, "BabyNamesPedia."

* For the history of "fare," here is the link: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2008/10/taxing-question.html

WORD HISTORY:
Soap-This word, related to "sieve," "seep" and "sift," goes back to Indo European "seip," which had the notion, "to flow through, to drip, to trickle." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "saipon," which meant, "plant or tree resin," also "soap." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sape," meaning, "reddish or reddish brown resin or salve, soap." This then became "sope," before the modern version. The other Germanic languages have: German "Seife," Low German Saxon "Seep," West Frisian "sjippe," Dutch "zeep," Danish "sæbe," Norwegian and Swedish "såpe," Icelandic "sápe." Long ago, Latin borrowed a form from Germanic, giving the Latin-based languages forms of the word too.  

Sleuth, Laurence Olivier & Michael Caine Star

I first saw this 1972 film on television at some point during the second half of the 1980s. An acquaintance, who did some acting in local theater, had previously mentioned the stage play to me. The film stars Laurence Olivier as Andrew Wyke, an eccentric writer of crime mysteries and a lover of games, and Michael Caine as Milo Tindle, a half-Italian, half-English hairdresser, who is having an affair with Andrew's wife. Both stars were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1973, but lost to Marlon Brando for his role as "Vito Corleone" in "The Godfather." Joseph Mankiewicz was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director that year for "Sleuth," losing out to the director of "Cabaret," Bob Fosse, and the Music score for "Sleuth" was also nominated for an Academy Award. If you've never seen this film before (or the stage play), you likely will need to see it more than once to really follow it, and to further appreciate the great performances of Olivier and Caine. Be aware, this article deals with the entire film and it's ending!

The film is a bit deep, symbolized by its opening scenes, as we see a lifelike painting of a mansion, which then changes to real life, and as the film progresses, you'll find that telling what is real can be difficult. Then in another symbol of what's to come, we see Milo's car pull up in front of the mansion, which we eventually learn belongs to Andrew. Milo then walks into a maze made of large hedges on the grounds of the mansion. He walks and walks, but cannot find his way through to the center, finally asking Andrew, who is in the center of the whole maze, for help. The two later go inside and we see a house filled with all sorts of games, toys and mechanical dolls. Andrew tells Milo that he knows Milo wants to marry his wife, Marguerite, and that he wants to be rid of her, but he's fearful that Milo doesn't have the financial means to keep her happy, and that she'll end up coming back to him. The film is much about class status, ego and revenge. As for status, when Milo says his father was an Italian immigrant to England, but he wanted himself and his family to "become English," this prompts Andrew to repeat the words as a question ("Become English?) and in a condescending way.

Andrew tells Milo that he has a large collection of very valuable jewels in a safe in the mansion, and that he wants Milo to steal the jewels, so he will have enough money to support Marguerite, thus making sure she will not return. Since the jewels are insured, Andrew says he won't lose anything, but, in order to convince the insurance company and the police that a robbery has occurred, he wants Milo to wear a disguise and actually break into the mansion through an upstairs window. Milo dresses as a clown with long floppy shoes, climbs up a ladder, cuts out a glass panel, reaches in and unlocks the window, then enters the house, although not before first falling down the ladder. The whole thing is hilarious. Throughout the whole "robbery," Andrew, the fiction writer of crime, is giving Milo instructions on what to do to make it all look completely real for when the investigators come later. Andrew rigs up a small explosive charge to the wall safe for Milo and the safe is blown open. Milo triumphantly gets the box of jewels. Andrew says the two need to scuffle and he gets a gun, because he wants the gun fired, so the police will think it went off during the scuffle. Things then turn very serious, when Andrew points the gun at Milo, and tells him, "I'ma gonna killa you," in a mocking Italian accent. He then proceeds to unleash anti-Italian and class bigotry abuse on Milo. Andrew tells the terrified Milo that he has the perfect set up, a man dressed in a clown suit, who has just robbed his house. The gun goes off and Milo, dressed in the clown outfit, tumbles down the staircase.

A couple of nights later, with Cole Porter songs playing on a phonograph, and as Andrew prepares to bite into some caviar on toast wedges, the bell rings and an overweight, balding man is at the door, who introduces himself as Inspector Doppler, from the local constabulary. He tells Andrew he is investigating the disappearance of Milo Tindle. Andrew plays down his knowledge of Milo, telling Doppler he hadn't seen Tindle for "some months." The inspector shows Andrew a note he found at Milo's house, which Andrew had sent to Milo, inviting him to his manor. Andrew admits Milo had been there. Doppler then says a passerby had heard shots fired the night Tindle had been there, but Andrew says the shots were all part of a game the two had been playing that night. Andrew finally tells the inspector what had really happened that evening, and that he had "shot" Tindle with a blank, which caused Milo to faint, but that a short time later, Tindle left. He tells the inspector he had done everything to humiliate Tindle, not to kill him. Doppler finds some dried and even damp blood on the staircase, which shakes Andrew, especially when the inspector follows that by telling Andrew he saw a mound of fresh dirt on the manor grounds. On the way back from the mound of dirt, we see Milo's car hidden in some hedges and vines, something not observed by the two men. Back inside the house, Doppler finds Tindle's clothing in a closet. When the inspector asks if Tindle had left Andrew's house while naked, Andrew tells him that Milo had changed back into his clothes, the very clothes found in the closet. When Doppler lays out the evidence he has and tells Andrew he must take him in to headquarters, Andrew runs off, only to be caught by the inspector, who then peels away his disguise to reveal that he is really Milo. As Milo cleans up, Andrew tells him he was only playing along with Milo's own game, and that he likes the Inspector Doppler character Milo has invented.

Andrew thinks the two are now even with one another, but Milo tells him that is not really the case, as he really thought he was witnessing his own last moments when Andrew pointed the gun at him and then pulled the trigger. He tells Andrew that he really killed Andrew's mistress, something Andrew does not believe, but when he calls her house, he's told that she has been murdered. Milo tells him that he has planted clues around the room, clues that point to Andrew as the killer of his own mistress. Further, he tells Andrew that he has already called the police, and that they are due there in a matter of a few minutes. Andrew scurries about the house, trying to find the four clues, at times seeming to be totally taken by the whole thing, game player and fiction writer though he is. Given hints as to the whereabouts of the clues by Milo's riddles, Andrew finds all the clues just after Tindle tells him the police are coming up the driveway. As Andrew struggles to make himself appear composed to meet the police, we find out there are no police, as this has just been another game by Milo, who has shown himself to be above Andrew at game playing, even though Andrew has considered himself to be the master of games. Milo turns the humiliation on Andrew, telling him that he really talked with Andrew's "supposed" mistress, who told him that Andrew is "pretty much impotent," and that she was more than happy to participate in the deception of Andrew about her "death." As Milo goes upstairs to get Marguerite's fur coat, Andrew loads a pistol, all the while speaking aloud of the plan he has to justify Milo's death, just as if he were writing one of his mysteries. When Milo comes downstairs, he is confronted by Andrew, who tells him he can't let him leave, now that he knows humiliating information about him, and that this time, the gun has real bullets. Milo explains that he really did talk to the police, and that they know of Andrew's games of humiliation and possible homicidal tendency. Milo walks toward the door and Andrew shoots him. Milo falls to the floor, but we hear the sound of a motor, the motor of an approaching vehicle. Andrew opens the door to see the police pulling in. He goes inside, locks the door and sees wounded Milo crawling along the floor. As the we see the flashing blue lights of the police car through the windows, Milo tells Andrew, "Be sure to tell them it was all just a bloody game." With the police pounding on the door, Milo grabs the switch to the mechanical dolls and toys and pushes it, making all of Andrew's collection laugh, spin, flash. Milo then dies. Which man is crazier?

Photo is of the Umbrella Entertainment 2015 DVD 

WORD HISTORY: 
Sleuth-The origins of this word are unknown, but English borrowed the word in the late 1100s from Old Norse^ "sloð" (ð=(e)th), which meant "track of a person or animal." Where Old Norse got the word is unknown. English applied the word to a bloodhound as, "sleuth-hound," obviously for a bloodhound's super sense of smell and it's ability to track something. By the 1800s (mid?), the hound part had largely been dropped, leaving "sleuth," and the meaning "investigator." The less used verb form developed from the noun and means, "to investigate, to act like a 'sleuth'."

^ Old Norse is from the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages, and it, or its most prominent descendants: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, influenced, and was/were influenced by, Low German, Frisian and English. Old Norse speakers, collectively called "Danes" by the English, landed and often settled in northern and parts of eastern England beginning in the 800s AD, eventually leading to a number of words being borrowed by English, which often already had similar, related words.

Tandoori-Style Chicken, An Indian & Pakistani Dish

The name of this dish comes from a particular type of oven used on the Indian subcontinent, called a "tandoor" (see Word History below), a large vase-like oven usually made of clay. The ovens, with coals and wood in the bottoms, can reach temperatures of between 800 and 1000 degrees F. These ovens are also used to bake the famous "naan bread," which is why the bread has little charred spots on it. Of course, many Indian restaurants worldwide use these ovens too. You won't have to send for this oven, however, as your own oven can do the work, it will just take a little longer for the chicken to cook. I've read where the chicken will cook in like 8 to 12 minutes in a tandoor. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds of chicken parts (legs and thighs, or you can use all the same, if you'd like)
1 teaspoon salt
juice of one lemon
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoon paprika (plus more for dusting)
1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (1 teaspoon will not add much heat)
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon garam masala (a spice mix common in India and Pakistan, available in many supermarkets)
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil (this is needed only if you skin the chicken)
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
lemon or lime wedges for serving

In India and Pakistan they use chicken pieces without the skin, but I kept it on and it turned out great.* Cut some slits in the meat clear to the bone, so that the marinade will penetrate and it will also help the chicken to cook quickly. I used all thighs and I cut three 1 1/2 inch slits in each. Mix the spices, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and yogurt in a bowl. I used large freezer bags to marinate the chicken. Put the chicken pieces into the bags, then add the yogurt/seasoning mixture. Close the bags and "squish" the marinade around to coat all of the chicken well. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but 12 to 15 hours is better. Remove the bags from the refrigerator and let sit about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 550 (F). Take the chicken pieces from the bags and place them in one layer on a foil lined baking sheet.** Sprinkle each piece with a fair amount of paprika, but not to cover it. Bake for 30 minutes on middle rack. Use a knife or fork to see how close the chicken is to being done. I baked mine for a total of 40 minutes and it was perfect, but all ovens vary, and the size of the chicken pieces will also matter for cooking time, especially thighs, and I left the skin on too. The skin was crispy and marked with red from the paprika, and with some charred spots. Yummy! The meat itself was very tender and I could taste the wonderful spices, but not much heat from the cayenne. After removing the chicken from the oven, I let it set for about 5 minutes. Of course, there will be melted chicken fat on your tray, so be careful when taking it from the oven. Serve with lemon or lime wedges and naan bread if you have access to it.

* I looked at about a dozen recipes for this chicken and all but two removed the skin.

** Only two recipes mentioned wiping off the marinade, so I left it on, then sprinkled on the paprika. 

Click to enlarge the photo

Tandoor-This word seems to go back to the Semitic language family, more particularly, to Akkadian, a Semitic language of the Middle East that died out in about the 2nd Century A.D. Akkadian had the transliterated "tinuru," which meant oven, with the "nuru" part being derived from Semitic "nar," meaning "fire, heat." This was borrowed by Persian, an Indo European language related to English, further down the family tree, as "tanur," and this spread into Hindi and Urdu, both Indo European languages of the Indian subcontinent. Exactly when the word was borrowed into English is tough to say, but perhaps it was borrowed as early as the mid 1600s, due to England's trade and developing colonial interests in India, which then included modern Pakistan and Bangladesh. Certainly by the 20th Century the word had become somewhat more common in English, again from Britain's ties to the Indian subcontinent, but also because of Indian immigrants, not only to Britain, but also to North America. 

The Desert Fox, The Movie & History

I first saw this 1951 movie in the 1960s on NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies, which showed movies for their first time on television. The film was based upon a popular book, "Rommel: The Desert Fox," * by British officer Desmond Young, who served in North Africa with the Indian forces stationed there during World War Two (India was still a British colony at that time). German General/Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, has enjoyed a popular and respected place in the history of the world's worst war, as even the British and Commonwealth forces that opposed him heaped praise upon him at times, and this movie does much the same (remember, this movie was made just six years after the war ended). After a few decades of praise for Rommel, historians turned to scrutinizing the former field marshal's record, and such scrutiny was not a bad thing, in my opinion. The thing is, like many Germans, including those of the German officer corps, Rommel's association with Hitler and the Nazis is not always easy to untangle. In essence, all were tainted to some degree, including highly respected senior general Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. Rommel was much liked by Hitler, probably somewhat because he was not from the German nobility, another segment of German society with a mixed record with the Nazis. He also became a favorite of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels during the war. As for Rommel's association with Hitler, early in the war, the fanatical furious Führer chose Rommel to lead his escort battalion, a highly trained army (not SS) unit that provided security for Hitler. 

Like American general, George Patton, Rommel was insubordinate at times, but like Patton, he was also known for appearing anywhere on the battlefield. In the movie, one of Rommel's subordinate commanders in North Africa, General Bayerlein (pronounced as if, "buyer-line"), played by George Macready, tells the headquarters staff, after repeated attempts to reach Rommel in the field, that he wishes they had a commander with at least a little bit of cowardice about him, so he would report back to his headquarters occasionally. The biggest "plus" to the Allied view of Rommel's record was his "participation" in the plot to kill Hitler in 1944, although the extent of Rommel's involvement is still debated and likely it will never be truly known in great detail. The movie shows Rommel's anguish as he gradually comes to terms with the need to rid Germany of Hitler. At first he makes excuses for Hitler and he blames the crowd around Hitler for Germany's growing prospect of defeat. To be quite honest, the movie's portrayal of Rommel's participation in the plot is probably close to what it actually was; that is, Rommel certainly knew of the plot, but he didn't report it, which indeed made him complicit in it, although admirably so. Any further role Rommel had with the plotters is just not completely known; after all, everything had to be very secret, lest the Gestapo and other Nazi agents find out about it, so few written records were kept, but the fact that Hitler wanted Rommel dead speaks volumes as to what the Nazis knew, or, at least, thought they knew.    

The movie deals with Rommel's life from about the time of the decisive Battle of El Alamein in Egypt, which began in the summer of 1942. Rommel, played by James Mason, is first seen returning a salute from captured British Lieutenant-Colonel Desmond Young (played by himself). Young tells how, after the war, he decided to find out what had actually happened to Rommel, since the Nazi line had been that the renowned field marshal had died from wounds he had suffered during the battle in Normandy, in July 1944. He mentions that to compile the story, besides using Rommel's papers and official records in Germany and England, he talked with Rommel's son Manfred, his widow Lucie, with Germans who had served with him and with some who had served under his command, and with British troops who had fought against him. 

The scene shifts to the British offensive at El Alamein, with Young noting that Rommel was in Germany recovering from nasal diphtheria at the time of the attack, but that he immediately returned to North Africa to take command.** There is a lot of actual World War Two combat footage incorporated into the movie for the large scale battle scenes. Rommel finally admits that his forces can't keep up the fighting, and that they need to retreat to fight another day. Meanwhile, Hitler (played by Luther Adler) sends a message that there is to be no retreat, only "victory or death." At first Rommel seems inclined to obey the order, as it is from Hitler himself, but then Bayerlein tells him that obeying would double the madness, and that it is an order to throw away an entire army. Rommel gives the order to retreat. The movie quickly moves to the surrender of the German and Italian forces in North Africa in May of 1943, but with the explanation that prior to the surrender, Rommel had again returned to Germany due to illness. 

We next see Rommel in the hospital in Germany, visited by his wife Lucie (played by Jessica Tandy), his son Manfred (played by William Reynolds) and the Lord Mayor of Stuttgart, Dr. Karl Strölin (played by Cedric Hardwicke), who is on the Gestapo list to be "watched." After Rommel tells Strölin that Hitler knows that none of the Allies will negotiate a peace settlement with him, Strölin says that "abdication" is the answer, but Rommel bristles at the idea, and Lucie brings the visit to an immediate end to relieve the tension. When Strölin leaves, he is followed by a Gestapo agent, but Strölin manages to lose him. 

Rommel checks the German defenses in France and then meets with the commander-in-chief of the German forces in western Europe, Field Marshal von Rundstedt (played by Leo G. Carroll).*** Von Rundstedt, known for his little quips and bluntness, tells Rommel that neither of them will really be in charge of much of anything when the Allies invade, because "the Bohemian Corporal himself is assuming sole and total command of this operation."**** He also tells Rommel to be wary, as he will be under constant observation by "friends of the management." 

Rommel returns home and receives another visit from Strölin, ***** who tells Rommel there are some very respected people, military, religious, labor, and government, who want to end Hitler's rule. Rommel immediately throws up the "soldier's duty is to obey" defense, prompting Strölin to tell Rommel to stop hiding behind his uniform. When the Field Marshal orders Strölin to leave, he tells Rommel that he knows his true feelings about Hitler and the war, because Lucie has told him. This stuns Rommel.  

The Allies successfully invade France and Rommel and von Rundstedt confer. The old field marshal tells Rommel that Hitler believes the real invasion is yet to come and that Hitler is following his usual pattern of hold at all costs, no retreat and "victory or death." Von Rundstedt says he wishes he had a free hand and that the Allies would know they had fought an army, "not a series of stationary targets. He'll never lets us, of course. You know how firm corporals are." (That is such a GREAT line!) Rommel discusses with von Rundstedt the idea of overthrowing Hitler, and asks the respected commander, if he would receive any of the plotters, if they asked his advice, to which von Rundstedt replies, "Oh no, it's too late." Rommel assumes he means the war is so far gone that even an overthrow of the Nazi government couldn't save Germany, but the Field Marshal corrects him, and tells him he means that it is too late for himself, as at his age (the picture says 70, but he was 68 at that point), "I'm too old to revolt. Too old to challenge authority, however evil." After telling one of  Hitler's staff generals, Field Marshal Keitel, "make peace, you idiots" (German: "den Krieg beended, ihr Idioten"), he says to Rommel that he's not too old to wish him and "his friends" the best of luck in their plans. (Historically, after that remark, von Rundstedt was fired by Hitler the very next day, although von Rundstedt was brought back in a couple of months.) 

Rommel goes to meet Hitler personally at Margival, France, and the meeting shows Rommel the nutcase Hitler really is. While on the road in Normandy on July 17, 1944, Rommel's car is strafed by a British plane and he is seriously injured (historically, fractures to his skull and facial wounds). Just three days later the plot to assassinate Hitler was carried out, with a bomb carried into a military conference by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. The bomb exploded, but failed to kill Hitler, who was only injured. He took quick revenge.****** This is all depicted in the movie. In October, with Rommel still recovering at home, he receives a call from Keitel to receive a couple of officers being dispatched to him. Rommel assumes it is about a new command. When the officers arrive, they tell Rommel there is substantial evidence against him for treason. At first he wants to fight the charge in court, but is told, "the verdict is already in." He is also told that they have brought a quick acting poison and that if he takes the poison, his wife and son will be taken care of and it will be announced that he died of his wounds. While reluctant, concern for his family matters more, and he accepts the "offer." He says goodbye to his wife, and then to his son (but doesn't tell him he will be dead in a few minutes). He gets into the car with the officers and it drives off. The movie ends with film and a description of his most famous exploits and then a quote of Winston Churchill honoring Rommel.  (Note: Richard Boone appears several times in the film as Rommel's military aide, Captain [German: Hauptmann] Hermann Aldinger, who indeed was his historical aide.)   

* The Desert Fox, in German der Wüstenfuchs, and the German compound word is closely related to English "waste" (see Word history below), although English tends to use "wasteland" to equal "desert," and of course, German "Fuchs" is English "fox." For the history of the word "fox," this is the link to the article: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2011/08/german-question-part-one-hundred-forty_20.html 

** In Rommel's absence, General Georg Stumme, who had commanded a corps on the Eastern Front, was sent to North Africa. On the day after the opening of the British offensive, Stumme apparently suffered a heart attack while in the field, as his body was found with no wounds, after his staff car had come under attack. 

*** Three things: first, the movie makes numerous mention of "Berlin" sending orders, but in reality, after Hitler launched the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, he and the key officers of the German High Command were seldom in Berlin, as Hitler preferred his military headquarters near Rastenburg, in northeastern Germany (East Prussia), or his villa in southern Germany above Berchtesgaden. Second, the film shows von Rundstedt, Rommel and other high ranking officers giving the Hitler salute to one another. This most certainly did not happen; at least, not at that point in the war, as the traditional military salute was used. After the bomb was placed in Hitler's headquarters in July 1944, the Nazi salute was mandated, but I don't recall if that included between officers. Of course, the Nazi salute had always been part of the SS, a Nazi organization. Third, while Rommel and von Rundstedt were both field marshals, von Rundstedt was the senior commander and in western Europe, Rommel was subordinate to von Rundstedt, and the movie correctly shows that relationship. 

**** Hitler had been born on the border of Austria and Germany, in an area near the Czech lands of Bohemia, once a part of the Old German Empire. During World War I, Hitler served in the German army and rose to the rank of corporal; thus, von Rundstedt referred to him, derogatorily, as "the Bohemian corporal" ("böhmischer Gefreiter") a term he likely learned from Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, the late president of Germany, who used the term to describe Hitler in the early 1930s.    

***** It should be understood, Karl Strölin was a longtime Nazi and an official in the Nazi Party, but he began to become disenchanted during the war. While suspected of being involved in the bomb plot against Hitler in 1944, the Nazis could not obtain evidence against him, but he was dismissed from his position in the party. 

****** For more detail on the bomb plot, here are two links: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/07/heroes-against-hitler-overview.html

 http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/07/heroes-against-hitler-colonel-klaus-von.html

Photo is from the 2003 20th Century Fox DVD

WORD HISTORY:
Waste-This word, with noun, verb, and adjective forms, and distantly related to "vast," goes back to Indo European "euehst," which had the notion of "empty, lacking, absent, alone, abandoned, desolate." This gave its Old Germanic offspring the verb form "wostijanan," which meant, "to make desolate, to ruin, to ravage." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "westan," with the same meaning. The Indo European form also gave West Germanic the noun "wosti," which meant "a waste(land)." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "westen," meaning "waste(land), wilderness." In western Europe, the Germanic tribe the Franks had the related "wostijan," which was borrowed into Old Northern French as "waster" ("to ruin, to spoil, to lay waste to"). When the Normans went to England the existing English word and the French word merged. The same thing happened with the noun. German has the verb "wüsten" (to waste, to squander), also the verb, "verwüsten" (to ravage, to lay waste, to devastate) and the noun "Wüste" (desert, desolate area); Low German Saxon "Wööst" (desert, wasteland); Dutch has the adjective "woest" (bleak, desolate, also fierce, savage, from the notion of making things desolate) and the noun "woestijn" (desert); West Frisian "woastine" (desert).

Chicken Cacciatore, a Not So Classic Version

Way back in 1966 we visited my paternal uncle, his wife and his two youngest kids in Connecticut. We all spent one day in New York City, where we stopped at an automat, a restaurant concept, apparently developed in Berlin, Germany, where customers bought the prepared foods they wanted from vending type devices, with little windows showing each dish. Money was inserted and the customer could open the window and take out the dish. If I remember right, all dishes were separate; that is, if you wanted chicken cacciatore, which I took (hey, you should have known there was a story here), you inserted the money, opened the window and took the cacciatore, then if you also wanted mashed potatoes, which I did, you went to that window and went through the same process, and if you also wanted a salad, same process, and then if you wanted pie or cake for dessert you did the same. I believe it was also that way if you wanted bread and butter. Well that chicken cacciatore was the best I've ever had, and I still remember it to this day, but I've never found it duplicated, and my mother was a great cook. Whenever I hear the words chicken cacciatore, I think of that automat in 1966. It's a simple Italian dish. This recipe is as close as I've come to duplicating that version from so many years ago. Many recipes for chicken cacciatore I've seen over the years are more like very tomato-y pasta sauce, but the type at that automat was more of a broth with some tomatoes in it. I bake my chicken cacciatore, rather than cooking it stove top.

Ingredients:

8 pieces of chicken, mixed light and dark meat, barely dusted with flour
3 tablespoons regular olive oil (plus more to initially brown the chicken)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1  14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes, "barely" drained; that is, still with a little juice
1 large green pepper, cut into fairly large pieces
1 large onion, roughly cut into big pieces
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1  14.5 ounce can chicken broth (low fat/low sodium is fine)
3 tablespoons dry white wine (not sweet)
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Preheat oven to 350 (F). Meanwhile, lightly brown the flour dusted chicken in a little olive oil in a skillet. Put all ingredients, except chicken, into an ovenproof pan or casserole dish. Stir to mix. Add chicken pieces, cover the pan and bake until the chicken is tender.  

With mashed potatoes, just as I had in New York City, but I added some cottage cheese for this serving

WORD HISTORY:
Cacciatore-This word, related to both "chase" and "catch," is a base word "caccia," with a suffix, "tore." The suffix goes back to Indo European "tor," a suffix used to show a person or thing that participates in the activity expressed by the base word to which it is connected. This gave Latin the suffix "tor," with variations in ending forms depending upon usage, and the same was passed onto Italian, and to Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan as "dor," and onto French as "(t)eur." The base word goes back to Indo European ""kahp," which had the notion of "seize, grasp, take." This gave Latin "captio," with the same meanings, as well as "to understand;" that is, "take in knowledge." This then produced Latin "captiare," meaning "to grasp for," which then gave Italian "cacciare," meaning "to hunt, to chase." When the parts were combined for a noun, it produced "cacciatore," meaning "hunter." English borrowed the word in the 20th Century purely from the Italian dish typically served with chicken or rabbit. 

Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce

Probably many younger people only know that Robert Downey Jr. played Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law played Doctor Watson in a couple of movies just a few years ago, and very well, too. But way back in the late 1930s, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce played Holmes and Watson, respectively, beginning a series of fourteen films the two British actors made using the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a basis for the movies' scripts. The film versions updated many of Doyle's stories to modern times (then the 1940s), especially about World War Two, as Holmes did his part to fight the Nazis and to thwart their plans to win the war. Other movies in the series made extensive use of automobiles and electronic technology of those times, as opposed to the original stories that were set in the latter part of the 1800s and into the early 1900s.

Probably the most famous of the Rathbone/Bruce series was the first movie, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," released by 20th Century Fox in 1939. Like Doyle's story, which also was very popular, the film was set in the latter part of the 1800s. The story centers around a supposed curse on the Baskerville family dating back a couple of hundred years, which involves a huge and vicious hound that kills members of the family, whose estate is located in the moor of Devonshire (now known as simply "Devon"). The heir to the estate, Sir Henry Baskerville (played by Richard Greene), is coming to England and the family doctor, Dr. Mortimer (played by Lionel Atwill), goes to Sherlock Holmes to tell him of his fears for the heir, and to tell about the history of the curse. Holmes does not believe in the curse, but he realizes there is something wrong, and he sends Watson to the estate to oversee the safety of Sir Henry. With attention diverted from him, Holmes disguises himself and goes to stay on the moorland near the estate to see if he can find out anything on his own. Meanwhile, we meet neighbor John Stapleton (played by Morton Lowry), as well as the butler, (Mr.) Barryman (played by John Carradine) and his wife (played by Eily Malyon). The latter couple's behavior draws attention to them as possible suspects. Holmes eventually finds out that Mrs. Barryman's brother, an escapee from prison, is hiding on the moor. His sister secretly gives him food and some clothing worn by Sir Henry (thus the uneasy behavior by Mrs. Barryman and her husband). The man is then attacked and killed by the Great Dane (they also have Great Pastry, some with prunes, which can help you .... ah... with a medical condition). Holmes finds the pit where the hound is kept, but in order to throw off the real culprit, Holmes tells everyone he is going back to London, thus setting the stage for an attempt on Sir Henry's life. Holmes heads back to the moor, where Sir Henry is about to be attacked by the hound, which has been set loose by John Stapleton, who, it turns out, is a relative of the Baskervilles trying to eliminate Sir Henry, so he can claim the estate. The hound is killed and Stapleton gets away from the house, but Holmes assures everyone that police have the area covered and that Stapleton will be arrested.

Other films in the series featured various characters, including: the infamous Professor Moriarty (played in three different films by George Zucco, Lionel Atwill, and Henry Daniell), Inspector Lestrade (played by Dennis Hoey), Mrs. Hudson (the landlady, played by Mary Gordon), the Creeper (played by Rondo Hatton, whose face in real life had been terribly deformed by a medical disorder), the Spider Woman (played by Gale Sondergaard) and Sebastian Moran (played by Alan Mowbray). Of course, if there had been a typo, it could have been "Sebastian Moron."

There were some memorable scenes, as the producers had the series set in the World War Two era in England, and Sherlock Holmes was used to fight the Nazis and rally people against the Nazi enemy: During an attempt to find Nazi spies, a woman gives a sort of speech to a group of disinterested working class Englishmen in a dimly lit pub. She tells them how they need to help, because "this is for England!" In another movie, Holmes and Watson go to the United States to find and protect secret microfilm wanted by the Nazis. At the end, the two drive down the street in Washington, D.C. toward the capitol building. Holmes quotes from a speech given by Churchill to Congress about how the United States and Britain will cooperate to win the war. And at the close of another film where Holmes fights the Nazis, he quotes a few lines from Shakespeare's "Richard II," after Watson notes, "This little island is still on the map:" Holmes says, "This fortress built by Nature for herself ... This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."  

Photo is from the MPI Home Video DVD set (I can find no date on the discs or on the box, but I've owned this for several years, and I believe they have new packaging for it now).

WORD HISTORY:
Detect-This prefixed word goes back to Indo European "do," with the notion of "toward;" thus, "away from," which then gave Latin "de," frequently a Latin prefix, and distantly related to English "to," and ‎ meaning “away from”, thus also "take away," "take off" "undo"). The base word, distantly related to English "thatch" and "deck," goes back to Indo European "(s)teg," which meant "to cover." This gave Latin "tegere," which meant "to cover." Coupled with the prefix, this gave Latin "detegere," meaning, "to uncover;" thus also figuratively, "to discover, to bring to light." It's participle form was "detectus" ("uncovered"), and from this English borrowed the word as "detect," circa 1400. 

A Friend in West Virginia, Part Eighteen

This is from one of my friend's emails after he turned on me, "why are you doing this," and then, "you are not a good person you are not friend maybe one of these days when you've gotten rid of enough people in your life u will realize what you are doing wrong as a human being." And then, "my blood pressure everything else does not need this kinda of stupid grade school drama.." I answered by reciting some of the things he'd told me he did to others, lies, deceit and actions, then I asked him, "And you say I'M not a good person?"

WORD HISTORY:
Off -This common word, closely related to, and indeed, a variant of, "of," goes back to Indo European "apo," which had the notion of, "away, away from." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "aba/abo," with the same meaning. This then gave Old English "áf," which meant, "away," and then "of." By about the 11th Century a more stressed adverb form of the word "of" had emerged, which came to be spelled "off," with the "away from" meaning, also, "removed in time or space." The word also gained in meanings, like: "off from work or operation," "the cancellation of some event," "the odd sight or smell of something," etc.

For the history of the word "of:"  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-friend-in-west-virgina-part-seventeen.html  

Randy & Some Spanish Sailors

Way back in 1981, I believe it was, I left a baseball game early at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium one evening. As I walked up W. 3rd Street, a group of about ten guys came over to me. One guy asked me a question in broken English, a question I no longer recall. Anyway, I asked the guys where they were from, and the spokesman answered, "Spain." He explained their ship was docked  right by the stadium at the Port of Cleveland and that they were out to see a little of the town before heading back to the ship. Well four or five of the guys decided to go along with me, while the others chose to return to the ship. I took them to a few places and they had a good time and when the time came for them to get back to their ship, they asked me to come along. Maybe I was daring, I don't know, but I accepted, although I thought, "Randy, you're going to end up at a bullfight in Barcelona." These guys were great. They gave me some type of Spanish melon and some Spanish cheese, and what else but some Spanish beer, the word for which is "cerveza" (see Word History), since they taught me the word that night. It was a great experience. They all were very friendly and one guy they teased a little, because he was from Basque country in Spain, up in the north of the country, on the border with France, in the region of the Pyrenees Mountains. All of these years later, I still think of these guys on occasion.    

WORD HISTORY:
Cerveza-This word for "beer" goes back to Indo European "krhem," which had the notion of "heating liquids." This gave its Old Celtic offspring "kormi," meaning, "heated or brewed liquid." Borrowed by Latin from some form of Celtic, where it had come to mean, "beer" (Welsh and Irish had such forms). In Latin it was "cervisia/cervesia," and meant, "beer." In Spanish, a Latin-based language, it was "cerveza," and North American English has essentially borrowed the word, as there are imported brands of beer from Spanish speaking countries, especially Mexico. 

Greek Style Baked Lima Beans (Gigantes Plaki)

This is a vegetarian Greek dish, often served as an appetizer. The Greek name, "Gigantes Plaki," means "giant or large beans."

Ingredients:

1 pound dried lima beans
2 onions, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
 2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cups tomatoes (chopped or diced with juice)
15 grape tomatoes, halved
2/3 to 1 cup water
 
Put the dried beans into 7 cups of hot unsalted water, bring the water to a rolling boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let sit for 1 hour. Rinse the beans. Put the beans into a casserole dish or baking pan. In a pan, use some of the olive oil to saute the onion, carrot and celery, then after a few minutes, add the garlic. Saute just another couple of minutes. Keeping the pan on the heat, now add the mint, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and the rest of the olive oil. Stir well. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and the grape tomato halves. Add 2/3 cup water, mix well. Bring the mixture to a simmer for just a couple of minutes. Heat the oven to 350 (F). Add the sauce mixture to the beans and stir well. Bake for one hour, stir the beans. Bake another 35 minutes, stir lightly and see if more water is needed; if so, add 1/3 cup water and stir. Bake another 35 minutes, check to see if the beans are tender. Much, but not all, of the liquid should be absorbed. If the beans need more time, do so; otherwise, remove beans from oven for about 10 minutes before serving. You can drizzle a little olive oil over each serving.

You can click on the photo to enlarge it...

WORD HISTORY:
Kudos-This word goes back to Indo European "(s)keue," which had the notion, "be alert to, to pay attention, to recognize." This gave Ancient Greek the transliterated "kydos," then "kudos," meaning "fame." English borrowed the word in the very late 1700s, and the meaning gradually changed from "fame" to "the praise given to make someone famous, or to those already famous." While likely thought by most English speakers to be a plural form, the "s" ending is singular and is just a typical Greek word ending.

Sloppy Joes

There are similar sandwiches from around the world, but they naturally don't use this name, which "seems" to have become common in the 1930s and 1940s in the U.S.  

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck
1 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil or as needed
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups ketchup (or more*)
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
hamburger buns

While it will be an extra skillet to clean, it is best to use two skillets. One skillet can be used to brown the ground beef with a little oil and then you can pour off the excess fat, while you can use the other skillet to saute the onions in some oil, to which you can then also add the garlic. Then, with the heat on low, the meat can be added to the skillet with the softened onions and garlic. Add the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt and pepper, mix well. Now add the ketchup and mix very well to coat all of the beef. Stir in the thyme leaves. The mixture should be lightly simmering for a little while, and you should give it an occasional stir it to prevent sticking. I heat the hamburger buns in the microwave oven for a few seconds (like just 8 to 10 seconds) before adding the meat mixture to each.

* You can use more ketchup, if you'd like, but if you add a great deal more, you might want to also add some more of the seasonings too. 

 

WORD HISTORY:
While-This word goes back to Indo European "khwylo," which had the notion of  "to rest, to be still, to be at peace." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "hwilo," "rest period, period of stillness;" thus also a later progression to simply, "period of time." This gave Old English "hwil" ("hwile," accusative and dative), with the same meanings, and later the "h" was dropped from the spelling for the modern form (the ending "e" of "hwile" was pronounced as "eh."). The  verb form, meaning "to spend time with no particular task," came from the noun, and remains closer to the original noun meaning, "period of rest or stillness." The other Germanic languages have: German "Weile" (noun, "while, period of time") and "weilen" (verb, "to spend time in a place"), Low German Saxon "wieldes" (conjunction, "meanwhile, while") and "wielt" ("during a period of time, while") and "Wiel" (noun, "while"), Dutch "wijl" (noun, "while, time period"), Icelandic "hvíla" (Noun, "rest, bed") and same spelling for the verb ("to rest, sleep"), Swedish "vila" (noun, "rest"), same spelling for verb form ("to rest, to lie down"), Danish and Norwegian "hvile" (noun, "rest"), same spelling for verb ("to rest, to pause"), West Frisian has "wile" (?) but also "wylst," just as English has "whilst," a surviving older form, but it is still in use at times. Old Frisian had "hwile."