Cooking Attempt #48: Thumbprint Cookies

Two of my nursing buddies and I have been doing our clinical course in an Enfance-Famille program this past year, so when the time came to say good-bye to our preceptors, we decided that we would bake a little something for everyone in the program. I found the recipe for these cookies here, but had to adjust it because the dough was too crumbly during my test run. I added a bit more margarine like the random people on the internet suggested and it turned out better for the actual batch that I presented to the nurses.

I was actually worried a bit, because these cookies aren't very sweet. I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be sweet or not, you see. I mean, all the storebought cookies are disgustingly saccharine (Tim Horton's? Even worse.). I eat maybe two and then I've met my cookie quota for the next month or two until Robert shoves one into my mouth again. So how was I to know if these would satisfy a bunch of middle aged ladies who are probably more knowledgeable in cookie lore?

In any case, they liked them a lot. So much so that they asked me for the recipe. And being an obliging youngster, I promised to e-mail my nurse the recipe, which meant that I had to translate it in French. FANTASTIC.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam

Method

• Cream margarine and brown sugar for about 3 minutes.
• Whip in egg and vanilla extract.
• Mix in salt and flour until formed into dough. Put in fridge for 30 minutes.
• Form small 1-inch diameter patties and lightly press with thumb to make a small well in the centre.
• Fill the well in the cookies with raspberry jam.
• Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet (I use wax paper, which works just as well) at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes.
• Let cool on cookie sheet for few minutes. It makes about 2 dozen small cookies.

These pictures are from my third time baking the cookies.

Brenda made the prettiest patties ever, don't you think?

And these are the cookies I actually presented to the nurses. I was still following the original recipe's instructions to make BALLS and then press your finger, so they have a cracked appearance. They were still yummy, I swear!

And now, the recipe in French that I translated for my preceptor nurse.

Biscuits “Empreinte de pouce”?

Ingrédients
• Beurre – ¾ tasse
• Sucre – ½ tasse
• Oeuf – 1
• Extrait de vanilla – 1 c. à t.
• Sel – 1 pincée
• Farine – 1 tasse
• Confiture – ¼ tasse
• Papier parchemin

Méthode
• Battez la beurre avec le sucre pour 3 minutes.
• Ajoutez l’oeuf et l’extrait de vanille et battez encore.
• Ajoutez la farine et le sel et mélangez. Mettez la pâte dans le frigo pendant 30 minutes.
• Roulez la pâte en boulette (?) et appuyez doucement avec une pouce.
• Remplissez le creux (?) avec la confiture. (J’ai utilise la confiture de framboise.)
• Arrangez les biscuits sur une tôle à biscuit. Mettez au four à 350 degrés Farenheit pendant 12-15 minutes.
• Laissez refroidir pour quelque minutes sur la tôle.

French vocab exercise 008

Exsultate, jubilate,
O vos animae beatae
exsultate, jubilate,
dulcia cantica canendo;
cantui vestro
psallant aethera cum me.

Rejoice, for exams are over!
I had my one and a half day of leisure, which was spent inevitably on cleaning the apartment, which I hadn't been doing for 2 weeks. I still want to scrub down the fridge and it's gnawing away at my brain, but I'll have time enough tomorrow to get that done.

I have to work harder at my French now, because I don't have classes anymore where I can use it. There's a good chance that I might get Francophone clients when clinicals start next week. I hope they're understanding of the fact that I don't really know many medical terms. ^_^;;

About the vocab exercise today, I like to think of it as part of the story between le Dr Maillat and Madame Pompadou. Just a hint of what happened between them before the very first exercise where he left her. I know. I'm goofy and nonsensical.

-accabler: to overwhelm, to overcome
accabler qqn de: to overwhelm someone with
accablant: oppressive, damning, exhausting
accablement: dejection, despondency

-accalmie: lull, temporary improvement

-accaparer: to monopolize, to carry off
accaparant: demanding
accaparement: monopolization

-accéder: to accede to, to give rise to, to reach
accédant à la propriété: a new homeowner

-accélérer: to accelerate, to increase
s'accélérer: to beat faster
accélérateur: accelerating, accelerator
accélération: acceleration
accéléré: fast

De plus en plus, la vitesse de sa parole accélérait et ses pensées sont devenues plus désorganisées. Il n'y avait pas d'accalmie de l'aboiement. Il ne pouvait plus tolérer la tempête de sa mauvaise humeur et il est sorti pour échapper à sa colère accablante. Dehors, ses émotions ont accédé à la décision la plus difficile de sa vie. Il ne pouvait pas permettre à lui de accaparer toute son énergie. Il devait partir.

Translation:
More and more, her speech accelerated and her thoughts became more disorganized. There was no respite from her ravings. He could not tolerate the storm of her temper any longer and he left to escape from her overwhelming anger. Outside, his emotions gave rise to the most difficult decision of his life. He could not allow her to monopolize all of his energy. He had to leave.

French vocab exercise 007

Ooh~ look! It's French vocab exercise 007! This means, of course, that I have to write something James Bond-y. Luckily, the next 10 words seem to work out pretty well for this kind of thing.

-absurde: absurd, preposterous
absurdement: absurdly
absurdité: absurdity

-abuser: to deceive, to mislead
abuser de: to overuse
s'abuser de: to be mistaken
abus: abuse, indulgence, excess, misuse
abusif: excessive
abusivement: unfairly, wrongly

-abysse: abyss

-acabit: type
de cet acabit: of that type
du même acabit: two of a kind

-acacia: acacia

-académicien: academician, academic
académie: academy
académisme: academicism

-Acadie: Acadia
Acadien: Acadian

-acajou: mahogany

-acariâtre: sour, bad-tempered

-acarien: acarid (mite of the Acariae family)

Bond attendait son contact dans un café démodé et douillet sur une petite rue à Caire. En traçant le grain de l'accoudoir d'acajou usé, il s'est rappelé la rendez-vous avec M. Le vieil homme avait été particulièrement acariâtre ce jour pluvieux à Londres. "Quelques bêtises absurdes des arbres d'acacia et des acariens. J'imagine qu'il n'est rien du tout, mais la Station E a demandé que nous l'aidions à enquêter. Tu ferais mieux d'étudier le truc avant que tu partes."

Le Chef d'état-major avait envoyé un gros classeur des espèces importantes d'Acacia en Egypte, mais Bond l'avait rejeté pour réfléchir à l'importance de quelques arbres détruits dans le gros jeu de diplomatie mondiale et d'intrigue internationale.

Bond a été momentanément étonné quand un homme s'est assis à la table sans se présenter. Il avait été complètement discret malgré son habit d'un académicien du tweed léger dans le marché chaud et sec. Bond a décidé que le chef de Station E était un homme qu'on ne devrait pas sous-estimer.

"Pierre de Monts," a dit une voix douce avant d'appeler un garçon pour commander deux cafés turcs simples.

"Bond. James Bond." Il a examiné les yeux verts souriants qui contrastaient le reste de son visage impassible. Bond a essayé de se souvenir des détails dans le dossier de De Monts. Il était né à Cole Harbour, une petite village près de Dartmouth, en face du port de Halifax. Qu'est-ce qui a incité cet Acadien à traverser à l'autre côté du monde et devenir le premier homme pour le Service Secret en Egypte ?

"Alors, êtes-vous au courant de l'acacia, M. Bond ?"

"Si je ne m'abuse pas, les Égyptiens anciens ont cru que l'acacia de Saosis était l'arbre de vie."

"Ah oui, l'arbre dans lequel la vie et la mort sont entourées. Mais je parle des aspects pratiques plutôt que la plante mythologique qui retient les morts de l'abysse."

"Je sais que la gomme arabe vient de l'acacia."

"De deux acabits, en fait : Acacia sénégal et Acacia seyal. La gomme arabe est utilisé dans tout des sodas aux feux d'artifice. Jusqu'à 1990, le Soudan a produit 80% de la gomme arabe du monde, mais il est récemment tombé à moins de 50%. Quand même, ils sont le plus grand producteur et je crois qu'ils veulent maintenir leur contrôle n'importe quoi."

Translation:
Bond waited for his contact to arrive in the old-fashioned, but cozy café on a side street in Cairo. Tracing the grain of the worn mahogany armrest, he thought back to the meeting with M. The old man had been particularly sour on that rainy day in London. "Some bloody nonsense about acacia trees and mites. I daresay it's nothing at all, but Station E has requested that we help investigate. You'd better read up on the stuff before you leave."

The Chief of Staff had sent a thick folder about the major species of Acacia in Egypt, but Bond had tossed it aside to mull over the significance of a few destroyed trees in the high stakes game of world diplomacy and international intrigue.

Bond was momentarily taken aback when a man sat down at the table without introducing himself. He had been completely inconspicuous in spite of his academic's garb of light tweed in the hot, dry market. Bond decided that the head of Station E was a man who should not be underestimated.

"Pierre de Monts," said a mild-mannered voice before calling a waiter over to order two plain Turkish coffees.

"Bond. James Bond." He looked into the smiling green eyes that contradicted the rest of his impassive face. Bond tried to remember the details of de Monts's dossier. He had been born in Cole Harbour, a small town near Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax. What has prompted this Acadian to move halfway across the world and become the lead man for the Secret Service in Egypt?

"So what do you know about the Acacia, Mr. Bond?"

"If I'm not mistaken, the ancient Egyptians believed that the acacia tree of Saosis was the tree of life."

"Ah yes, the tree in which life and death are enclosed. But I'm talking about the practical aspects rather than the mythological plant that pulls the dead back from the abyss."

"I know that the gum arabic comes from the Acacia tree."

"From two types, in fact: Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. The gum arabic is used in everything from soft drinks to fireworks. Until 1990, the Sudan produced 80% of the world's gum arabic, but it has recently dropped to less than 50%. Even so, they are
the largest single producer of the stuff and I believe they mean to maintain their control no matter what."

Notes:
1) I write what I can with those words and this was what came to my mind, so don't blame me if it doesn't make a lick of sense, okay? I had to research the genus Acacia and Egyptian mythology for this thing on top of trying to write a Bond intro in French!

2) There's a line stolen straight from Seinfeld in there. Guess where it is!

3) Bond's contacts are usually people who seem to blend into the environment and stand out at the same time. I had to mention an Acadian in there, so why not describe someone I already know? ^_^ Pierre de Monts was the Governor of Acadia, who established the first French settlement in North America. (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

4) Many thanks to Josh for describing the location of Cole Harbour so succinctly.

5) Bond loves Turkish coffee.

6) All that arabic gum stuff is from some quick research on Wikipedia.

French vocab exercise 006

Two vocab exercises in one day? Gasp!
I just can't seem to study French without getting bored, so I figure this is a distraction that still contributes to my learning.

This composition is a continuation of the first exercise with a dash of the second thrown in. It's very soap opera, but one does what one can with five words.

-absolu: complete
absolument: entirely

-absorber: to soak up, to blot
absorption: swallowing, taking, apsorption, assimilation

-absoudre: to absolve
absolution: absolution

-s'abstenir: to abstain, to refrain
abstinence: abstinence

-abstraire: to abstract
s'abstraire: to cut oneself off
abstraction: abstraction
faire abstracton de: to take no account of, to ignore, to disregard
abstrait: abstract
abstraitement: abstractly

Le Docteur Maillat était absolument absorbé par ses pensées quand l'abbot l'a trouvé dans la chambre d'audience. "J'ai entendu que vous vouliez me voir, mais je ne vous connais pas, Monsieur."
Le Docteur l'a interrompu, "Pardonnez-moi pour avoir venu sans introduction, mais j'ai découvert que vous étiez présent quand Madame Pompadou était mourante."
"Abstenez-vous de continuer votre histoire, Monsieur. Je ne peux pas tromper la confiance d'un âme au supplice, mais je vous offre l'absolution pour vos actions."
Le pauvre homme s'est mis à genoux pour l'implorer, mais l'abbot a fait abstraction de son douleur et est sorti sans un autre mot.
Après quelques minutes de silence, le Dr Maillat a pris contrôle de ses émotions, s'est levé lentement et est sorti de la chambre.

Translation:
Dr. Maillat was completely absorbed in his thoughts when the abbot found him in the audience chamber. "I heard that you wanted to see me, but I do not know you, sir."
The doctor interrupted, "Excuse me for having come without an introduction, but I found out that you were present when Madame Pompadou was dying."
"Refrain from continuing, sir. I cannot betray the confidence of a soul in torment, but I offer you absolution for your actions."
The poor man dropped to his knees to beg, but the abbot ignored his pain and left without another word.
After a few minutes of silence, Dr. Maillat controlled his emotions, stood up slowly and left the room.

Ah, where do I get such stuff? All of a sudden, I want to read Count of Monte Cristo again.

French vocab exercise 005

Health and Physical Assessment exam went pretty well, although I think I could have studied the chapter on breasts a bit better. Ah wellity wellity...

The next exam is French Grammar on Friday, so I think this is a pretty good way to study. Next 10 words from the dictionary!

-abricot: apricot
abricotier: apricot tree

-abriter: to shelter, to house, to shade
abrité: sheltered
abrivent: windbreak
abri: shelter, refuge
à l'abri: in a safe place
à l'abri de: sheltered/hidden from
Abribus: bus shelter

-abroger: to repeal, to rescind, to abrogate
abrogation: repeal

-abrupt: steep, abrupt, sheer
abruptement: abruptly, brusquely, curtly

-abrutir: to turn into an idiot, to stupefy
s'abrutir: to turn into an idiot
abruti: idiot
abrutissant: mindnumbing
abrutissement: mindless state

-abscisse: abscissa - x-coordinate of a point

-abscons: abstruse

-absenter: to be absent
absence: absence
absent: absent or absentee

-abside: apse
absidiole: apsidiole

-absinthe: absinthe

J'ai tombé sur l'abruti abrité sous un abricotier. Il était mort ivre à l'absinthe. Je l'ai secoué par les épaules et il s'est réveillé abruptement. Le pauvre rustre serrait un papier jauni par le temps dans ses mains tremblants. Il a dit, "Ont-ils abrogé la loi contre des pirates? Monsieur? Aidez-moi." J'ai pris le papier, qui était une carte d'un église. Une abside était marqué d'une croix rouge à côté de laquelle quelqu'un avait gribouillé, "Mais où est l'abscisse?" J'ai rendu le papier à l'homme qui marmonnait tout seul. J'ai cueilli un abricot de l'arbre en prenant une petite bouteille de ma poche. J'ai tapoté quelques gouttes de la liquide qui sentait l'amande sur le fruit que j'ai donné au fou. Il l'a englouti à toute vitesse. Peu après, j'étais tout seul sous l'abricotier dans le champ jaune.

Wow. I really don't mean for these things to be so bloody bleak. It started off like a pale imitation of Alphonse Daudet, with the rustic atmosphere and such. A better imitation would be, you know, better written and probably in passé simple, which I don't know how to use quite yet. Ah well. Perhaps another time.

Translation:
I came across the fool, sheltered under an apricot tree. He was dead drunk from absinthe. I shook him by the shoulders and he awoke abruptly. The poor brute held a piece of yellowing paper in his trembling hands. He said, "Have they repealed the law against pirates? Sir? Help me." I took the paper, which was a map of a church. An apse was marked by a red X next to which someone had scribbled, "But where is the x-coordinate?" I handed the paper back to the man who was now muttering to himself. I plucked an apricot from the tree while taking a small bottle from my pocket. I tapped a few drops of the almond-smelling liquid on the fruit and gave it to the madman. He gobbled it up quickly. It was not long before I was all alone under the apricot tree in the yellow field.

French vocab exercise 004

On continue avec les 10 mots qui suivent dans la dictionnaire. Je remercie Lilian pour l'expression "de jour en jour". ^_^;;

-aboucher: to butt, to join up
s'aboucher avec: to get in touch with...

-abouler: to hand, to give over
s'abouler: to come along

-aboulie: aboulia - a symptom of mental disorder involving impairment or loss of volition

-aboutir: to succeed
aboutir à: to end at/in, to lead to, to result in
abouti: successful
aboutissement: outcome, result

-aboyer: to bark
aboyer après/contre: to yell at

-abracadabrant: bewildering

-abrasion: abrasion, wearing off
abrasif: abrasive

-abréger: to curtail, to cut short, to shorten
abréger les souffrances de qqn: to put an end to someone's suffering
abrégé: summary, abstract, epitome

-abreuver: to water
abreuver qqn (d'insultes, d'éloges) : to shower someone (with abuse, with praise)
abreuvoir: drinking trough, watering place

-abréviation: abbreviation


Un rapport par une infirmière dépourvu de tact:
La cliente souffre de la démence sérieuse qui s'aggrave de jour en jour. Une de ses symptomes est l'aboulie, à cause de laquelle une infirmière doit être présente pour tous les repas et l'aider à manger. La disposition de la cliente peut changer dans un instant et son comportement peut devenir tout à coup abrasif. Il y avait plusieurs occasions où elle a abreuvé l'infirmière d'une collection abracadabrante d'insultes. Son humeur empire chaque fois qu'elle s'abouche avec sa famille. Une abréviation de la dernière rencontre entre eux est comprise dans sa courbe. L'infirmière a dû abréger la visite, parce que son fils a dérangeait tout le monde dans l'institution. Après que sa famille est partie, l'infirmière en chef a parlé à la cliente au sujet de réduire la nombre de leur visite. La cliente a aboyé contre l'infirmière en chef, mais on a finalement abouti à la convaincre de s'abouler.

A report by a tactless nurse:
The client suffers from severe dementia which worsens day by day. One of her symptoms is aboulia, due to which a nurse must be present for all meals and help her to eat. The mood of the client can change in an instant and her behaviour can become abrasive suddenly. There have been many occasions when she has showered the nurse with a bewildering array of insults. Her mood worsens every time she comes into contact with her family. An abstract of their last encounter is included in her chart. The nurse had to cut the visit short, because her son was disturbing everyone in the institution. After her family left, the head nurse talked to the client about reducing the number of visits. The client yelled at the head nurse, but we finally succeeded in convincing her to come along.

You just know there's an incidence report somewhere that's written like this and it's very sad.

French vocab exercise 003

Wow, these compositions are bleak, aren't they? This is what you get when all your words start with the Latin prefix of "a" or "ab". Go go Latin and Greek in Scientific Terminology! (U of T CLA 201 for those of you who are interested. Professor Traill is an awesome man.)

On utilise 15 nouveaux mots aujourd'hui.

-abhorrer: to loathe, to abhor

-abîmer: to spoil, to damage
abîme: chasm, abyss
s'abîmer la santé: to ruin one's health
s'abîmer dans (ses pensées, le désespoir): to be lost in thought, to be plunged in despair

-abjection: utter humiliation, vileness

-abjurer: to recant

-ablation: removal, ablation
ablette: bleak

-ablution: ablution

-abnégation: self-denial
avec abnégation: selflessly

-aboiement: bark, ranting, raving

-abolir: to abolish

-abominable: abominable

-abonder: to be plentiful
abondant: abundant

-abonner: to subscribe
abonné: subscriber

-aborder: to accost, to walk up to
abord: manner
abordable: reasonable, affordable
abordage: boarding

-aborigène: aboriginal

-abortif: abortive

Si le personnage Jackie Chiles était français:
"J'abhorre ce qu'on fait aujourd'hui dans ce tribunal! Mon client, un humble aborigène, est accusé de troubler l'ordre public! Il a été soumis à l'abjection! Il s'est abîmé dans le désespoir! C'est abominable que l'accusateur a abordé mon client, un sûr abonné du journal, dans un bibliothèque où il se délectait de l'abondance des livres! Mon client a été soumis à l'aboiement de l'accusateur, qui est atrocement libre! Il n'est pas accusé de troubler l'ordre public! Il n'affronte pas une période d'abnégation ablette pendant que mon client est au bord d'un abîme! L'ablation de mon client du domaine public montre que notre société a désespérément besoin d'une ablution. Nous devons abolir cette soi-disant justice, qui est difforme, abortive, prématurée, absurde! L'accusateur doit abjurer, renoncer et abroger! Nous devons punir le vrai criminel! Merci."

Translation - A speech of Jackie Chiles (from Seinfeld) in court:
"I abhor what we are doing today in this court! My client, a humble aboriginal man, has been accused of public disturbance! He has been put through utter humiliation! He has been thrown into the depths of despair! It is abominable that the accuser would accost my client, a faithful newspaper subscriber, in a library where he was reveling in the abundance of books! My client has been subjected to the raving of the accuser, who shockingly stands free! He has not been accused of public disturbance! He does not face a period of bleak self-denial while my client stands on the edge of an abyss! My client's removal from a public domain shows that our society is in desperate need of an ablution. We must abolish this so-called justice, which is malformed, abortive, premature, preposterous! The accuser must recant, abnegate and abrogate! We must punish the real criminal! Thank you."

This was really hard, because I had to make the writing as flamboyant as possible while using all these negative words I happen to be blessed with today. The thesaurus came in very handy and Josh helped me word the sentences properly so that it's as close as possible to the real thing. I bolded and italicized certain words so that you could get a sense of how the character talks. Yay, it's done! Whee!!!

French vocab exercise 002

I'm a bad person. I skipped French today, because it was windy and cold and I didn't fancy going all the way there just to roll my eyes while other students ask endless questions about points of grammar that aren't all that complicated. Am I conceited? Well yes. But plusque parfait isn't the most difficult of conjugations, okay? Just sayin'.

As a penance (skipping right ahead before someone beats me over the head for my insolence), I'm going to use 10 words instead of 5 today.

-abat-jour: lampshade

-abattre: to cut down, to knock down
abatis: (Québec term) land being deforested for cultivation
abattage: slaughtering, felling
abats: offal, giblets
s'abattre: to collapse

-abbaye: abbey
abbé: abbot
abbesse: abbess

-abcès: abscess
crever/ouvrir/vider l'abcès: to make a clean breast of things

-abdiquer: to abdicate, to surrender

-abdomen: abdomen
abdos: abs, stomach exercises

-abécédaire: primer, alphabet book

-abeille: bee

-aberrant: deviant, ridiculous, absurd
aberration: aberration

-abêtir: to dull the mind of
s'abêtir: to become mindless or half-witted


L'abbé regardait l'abeille qui bourdonnait doucement sur l'abat-jour. En ce moment-là, il enviait l'abeille, qui ne s'inquiétait pas de la guerre et l'abattage dans le pays. Le roi avait refusé d'abdiquer il y a trois jours, et les rébelles avaient abattu le palais en représailles. Ils ont capturé le dauphin, un petit enfant qui étudiait l'abécédaire encore, et l'a poignardé dans l'abdomen pendant que sa mère regardait. La reine s'est abêtie de l'épreuve. En ce moment même, les rébelles brûlaient le roi en effigie et l'appellait un abcès du pays. L'abbot a été écoeuré par leur prétention. C'était un aberration dans l'ordre des choses. Il s'est levé de la chaise et a écrasé l'abeille entre ses doigts.

Translation:
The abbot stared at the bee which buzzed softly on the lampshade. For a moment, he envied the bee, which was unconcerned by the war and slaughter in the country. Three days before, the king had refused to abdicate and the rebels had torn down the palace in retaliation. They captured the crown prince, a small child still learning his primer, and stabbed him in the stomach while his mother watched. The queen had gone insane from the ordeal. Even now, the rebels burned effigies of the king and called him an abscess of the country. The abbot was disgusted by their claims. It was an aberration in the natural order. He rose out the chair and crushed the bee between his fingers.

I guess I was inspired by the "A Game of Thrones" series. ^_^

French vocab exercise 001

Alright, I need to work on my vocabulary a lot and right now, I'm not getting a chance to learn more of it. So I must rely on the old-fashioned elementary school spelling homework exercises. I'm going through my brand spanking new Larousse and writing a brief paragraph using 5 new roots every day. I'll try my best to be entertaining (when am I *NOT*, I dare you to tell me).

Here are the first 5:

-abaisser: to lower, pull down, let down
abaisse: piece of rolled-out pastry
abaisse-langue: tongue depressor

-abandonner: to abandon
s'abandonner: to let someone go, to open one's heart

-abaque: abacus

-abasourdir: to stun

-abâtardir: to cause to degenerate

La dame a laissé tomber son abaque avec incrédulité. Elle a été abasourdie quand le Dr Maillat l'a abandonnée. Il l'avait charmée avec son gentil emploi de l'abaisse-langue et elle s'était abandonnée librement. La trahison a abâtardi sa santé et elle est morte, en maudirant son nom.

Translation:

The lady dropped her abacus in disbelief. She was stunned when Dr. Maillait abandoned her. He had charmed her with the gentle use of his tongue depressor and she had opened her heart freely. The betrayal caused her health to degenerate and she died, cursing his name.

Not bad, huh?

Cooking Attempt #11: 비빔밥 (Bibimbap - Korean "mixed rice")

I suspect that bibimbap was invented by a Korean who was too lazy to bother lifting up his chopsticks to pick up dainty portions of Korean side dishes to go along with every mouthful of rice, because it is essentially rice with lots of side dishes dumped on top of it and then mixed vigorously like you can't trust your stomach to do the churning up for you. (I fear the French version of this post will be a grammatical disaster.) You can't just mix anything though. The side dishes have to be very mildly flavoured. When I say mildly, you have to take it with a grain of salt, because it's Korean food we're talking about and Koreans love their kimchi which is about as subtle as bonking someone over the head with a sledgehammer to get their attention. (Seriously, my sentences are getting dangerously flamboyant for a multilingual post.) Unless of course, it's a Seoul-style kimchi. Those sissies.

Je soupçonne que bibimbap a été inventé par un coréen qui était trop paresseux et ne voulait pas soulever ses baguettes (that's chopsticks in French) pour ramasser portions délicats avec des bouchées de riz. C'est essentiellement du riz avec beaucoup de plats d'accompagnement posés dessus et puis mélangé vigoreusement comme si on ne peut pas compter sur son estomac pour le barratter tout seule. On ne peut pas mélanger n'importe quoi. Les plats d'accompagnement doivent être assaisonnés légèrement. Je dis "légèrement", mais la nourriture coréenne est relativement piquante, sauf laquelle de Seoul. Les gens de Seoul sont les vraies mauviettes.


Anyhoo, my main vegetables were spinach and bean sprouts, but you can add pretty much any veggies you like: zucchini, mushroom, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, etc. Just make sure that they're very lightly cooked, so that they don't lose their texture.

En tout cas, j'ai utilisé des épinards et des germes de soja, mais on peut ajouter n'importe quel légume qu'on veut: la courgette, les champignons, les pommes de terre, les oignons, les concombres, etc. Il faut les cuisiner légèrement pour qu'ils ne perdent pas leur texture.


Ingredients!

Spinach
Bean sprouts
Crushed garlic
Salt
Carrot
Thin beef slices (like in teriyaki)
Korean hot chili pepper paste
Sesame oil
Kimchi (cut into bite-size pieces)
Rice
Egg


Les ingrédients!

les épinards
les germes de soja
l'ail écrasé
sel
une carotte
les tranches fines de boeuf
la pâte de piments coréene
l'huile de sésame
kimchi (coupé en petits morceaux)
du riz
un oeuf


The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make vegetable side dishes on their own to eat with rice. They can also be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. I bought one bunch of spinach and a 500g package of bean sprouts, which should last awhile.
Spinach and bean sprouts are tricky to cook, because if you cook them too long, they get too soft. First you put water on the stove with some salt. As soon as it starts to boil, dip the spinach (or bean sprouts) in the water, swirl it around and then fish it out (Is this blanching?). Rinse very quickly with cold water and drain. Then you put some crushed garlic (I like to put a lot, because I love garlic) and mix it thoroughly. And that's it!
Other vegetables should probably be cooked on a frying pan very quickly after being cut into bite-size pieces (Potatoes should be julienned.)

J'aime cette recette parce qu'on peut cuisiner les légumes tous seules pour manger avec du riz. On peut les faire en avant et les mettre dans le réfrigérateur. J'ai acheté une botte des épinards et un paquet des germes de soja. Ils peuvent durer un long temps.
Les épinards et les germes de soja sont difficiles à faire, parce que si on les cuisine pour un long temps, ils deviennent trop doux. On met de l'eau sur la cuisinière avec du sel. Dès que l'eau commence à brouiller, plongez les épinards (ou les germes de soja) là-dedans, tournoyez-les et repêchez-les. Rincez-les rapidement avec l'eau froid et égouttez-les. Mettez un peu de l'ail écrasé et mélangez. C'est tout!
Des autres légumes doivent être cuisinés dans une poêle très rapidement après qu'ils sont coupés en petits morceaux. (Il faut qu'on coupe pommes de terres commes les alumettes.)


I couldn't be bothered to julienne the carrots, so I cut it into slices like I normally do and cooked it with the beef in teriyaki sauce (and a dollop of honey).
Finally, I fried an egg sunny side up.
Put cooked rice into a bowl. Add little amounts of the side dishes (including kimchi) and the egg. Add as much chili paste as you like and sesame oil. Mix well. Eat with just a spoon like the lazy person that you are.

J'ai coupé la carotte et je l'ai cuisiné avec du boeuf dans la sauce teriyaki avec une cuillerée du miel.
Finalement, j'ai frit un oeuf sur le plat.
Mettez du riz dans un bol. Ajoutez les petites portions des plats d'accompagnement et l'oeuf frit. Ajoutez la pâte de piments coréene et l'huile de sésame. Mélangez bien. Mangez avec une cuillère comme le fainéant que vous êtes.



There's rice under there. After mixing...

Cooking Attempt #10: 오무라이스 - Japanese fried rice with egg blanket

I made omu-raisu (omelet-rice, get it?)! It's a Japanese recipe. Basically fried rice with an egg blanket.

1 small carrot
1 small potato
1 small onion
1 celery stalk
1/2 yellow pepper
10 small peeled shrimps (Instead of shrimps, you can use chopped up ham, Spam, tofu or beef.)
2 servings of rice
salt and pepper
2 eggs
ketchup

오무라이스 만들어봤어요!

조그만 당근 1
조그만 감자 1
조그만 양파 1
샐러리 줄기 1
노랑색 피망 반개
새우 10개 (새우 대신 잘게 썬 햄, 스팸, 두부나 쇠고기를 써도 됩니다.)
밥 2인분
소금, 후추
달걀 2개
케첩

J'ai fait omu-raisu! C'est une recette japonaise. Au fond, c'est du riz frit avec une couverture d'oeufs.

1 petite carotte
1 petite pomme de terre
1 petite oignon
1 trognon de céléri
1/2 poivron jaune
10 crevettes (Au lieu de crevettes, tu peux utiliser du jambon, du Spam, du tofu ou du boeuf.)
2 portions du riz
le sel, la poivre
2 oeufs
ketchup

While the rice is cooking, chop up the vegetables into small pieces. Put some oil into a frying pan and cook the vegetables and shrimps at medium heat.
밥을 하는 동안 채소를 잘게 다지세요. 후라이팬에 기름을 두르고 중간 불에 채소와 새우를 볶으세요.
Pendant vous faites du riz, coupez les légumes en morceaux. Mettez un peu d'huile dans la poêle et faites frire les légumes et les crevettes au chaleur moyen.



When they're almost cooked, put in the cooked rice and stir very well. Put in salt and pepper. I had some donkatsu sauce left over, so I put that in as well.
거의 다 익으면, 밥을 넣고 잘 저으세요. 여기에 소금과 후추를 넣습니다.
돈까스 소스가 남아서 그것도 조금 넣어 봤어요.
Quand la mixture est presque toute cuite, mettez le riz frit et tournez bien. Mettez du sel et de la poivre. J'ai la sauce pour donkatsu qui reste, alors j'ai mis ça aussi.


When the fried rice is ready, set it aside in another dish. Put some more oil in the frying pan. Whisk the eggs and cook slowly on the frying pan without stirring.
When it's cooked, put a serving of fried rice on half of the circle and fold the other half on top of the rice.
볶음밥이 다 되면, 그릇에 따로 놓고 후라이팬에 기름을 두르세요.
달걀을 휘저은 다음에 후라이팬에 천천히 익혀요.
다 익으면, 볶음밥을 동그라미 반쪽에 얹고 나머지 달걀으로 덮으세요.
Quand le riz frit est tout prêt, mettez-le dans un autre plat. Mettez plus d'huile dans la poêle. Battez les oeufs et cuisinez dans la poêle sans tourner.
Quand c'est cuit, mettez une portion de riz frit sur une moitié du cercle et pliez l'autre moitié sur le riz.



When my mom used to make omu-raisu, she wrote our names in ketchup. I tried it too, but I was a bit clumsy. I blame it on the big nozzle on the ketchup bottle. But it was still super yummy!
엄마는 이걸 만드실 때 케첩으로 이름을 쓰셨거든요. 저도 한번 해봤는데, 너무 서툴렀어요.
그래도 엄청 맛있었어요.
Quand ma mère faisait omu-raisu, elle a écrit notre noms avec du ketchup. J'ai essayé de faire le même, mais j'étais un peu gauche. Je rejète la responsabilité sur la bouteille de ketchup. C'était délicieux en tout cas!

Cooking Attempt #9: Mashed potatoes and Donkatsu (Japanese breaded pork cutlet)

I've been learning new recipes since I started living alone in September. I tried before, but I think I was too ambitious and it ended up being a dismal failure. (If I think about the vegetable cream soup I made then...urgh.)

I've been craving mashed potatoes since last night, so I made it with donkatsu when I came home after my exam. My parents brought me the frozen donkatsu from a Korean market. I ate it with salad and black rice. Yum~

Mashed potatoes
2 medium size potatoes
Margarine 1.5tbsp
Milk 1/2 cup
Salt 1/2tbsp
Pepper to taste

Peel and cut the potatoes into largish chunks. Put them into boiling water with salt. They should be fully cooked after about 15 minutes. Turn off the stove and drain the water. If you put the pot back on the stove with the potatoes, the remaining moisture will evaporate even without the heat on. Put the rest of the ingredients and use a fork or a whisk to mash the potatoes.
If you want it to be creamier, put more margarine or milk.

For donkatsu, heat up some oil in a frying pan at medium heat and cook the cutlets slowly. If it's too hot, the breadcrumbs might burn before the meat cooks fully.




9월에 혼자 살기 시작했을 때부터 열심히 요리공부를 하고 있어요.
전에 한번 시도해 봤는데요, 손이 너무 많이 가는 음식을 해서 실패한 것 같아요.
(그때 만든 야채크림수프를 생각하면, 욱~)

어제부터 mashed potatoes가 생각나더라구요. 그래서 오늘 시험끝나고 집에 와서 돈까스랑 한번 만들어봤어요. 돈까스는 부모님이 한국식품에서 사다주신 거에요. 샐러드와 흑쌀과 함께 먹었습니다.
음냐~

Mashed potatoes
중간 사이즈 감자 2개
마가린 1.5tbsp
우유 반컵
소금 1/2tbsp
후추 간맞춤

감자는 껍질 벗기고 큼직한 네모로 잘라서 끓는 물에 넣으세요.
거기에 소금도 넣구요.
15분쯤 끓이면 다 익었겠죠?
불을 끄고 물을 따라주세요. 감자가 들은 냄비를 다시 스토브에 얹으면 불을 다시 안 켜도 남아있는 수분이 날아갑니다.
나머지 재료를 넣고 포크나 달걀 휘스크 같은 도구로 잘 으깨주세요.
더 부드러운 걸 좋아하시면 마가린이나 우유를 좀 더 넣으세요.

돈까스는 후라이팬에 식용유를 두르고 중간 불에 서서히 익혀주세요.
너무 뜨겁게 하면 고기가 익기 전에 빵가루가 타거든요.


J'avais appris des nouvelles recettes depuis septembre quand j'ai commencé à habiter toute seule. J'ai essayé avant, mais je pense que j'étais trop ambitieuse et c'était un échec lamentable. (Quand je pense à la soupe crème de légumes que j'ai fait à ce moment-là...pouah!)

J'avais terriblement envie d'avoir la purée de pommes de terre depuis la nuit passée, alors je l'ai cuisiné avec donkatsu quand je suis rentrée chez moi après mon examen. mes parents m'ont apporté le donkatsu gelé d'un marché coréen. Je l'ai mangé avec une salade et du riz noir. Miam miam~

La purée de pommes de terre
2 pommes de terres moyens
Margarine 1.5 grand cuillerée (GC?)
Lait 1/2 tasse
Sel 1/2 grand cuillerée
Poivre

Pelez et coupez les pommes de terres en gros morceaux. Mettez-les dans l'eau brouillant avec du sel. Ils seront complètement cuits après environs 15 minutes. Éteindez la cuisinière et égouttez l'eau. Si vous mettez la casserole sur la cuisinière avec les pommes de terre, la humidité qui reste s'évaporera. Mettez les autres ingrédients dans la casserole et utilisez une fourchette ou un fouet pour faire une purée.

Si vous la voulez un peu plus crèmeuse, mettez plus de la margarine ou du lait.

Pour le donkatsu, réchauffez un peu d'huile dans une poêle au chaleur moyen et cuisinez les côtelettes lentement. Si c'est trop chaud, la panure peut brûler avant la viande est cuite.

A new challenge! - 새로운 도전! - Une nouvelle challenge!

When I was just 9 years old and just starting to get a grasp of English in Toronto, my mother decreed that I should write my diary in three different languages. It didn't matter, she said, if they weren't grammatically perfect as long as I tried. (Can you tell she's a teacher?) Well, she expected my Korean at least to be spotless. My Korean is still awesome (and I'm damn proud of it too), but I'm starting to lose some words, so I'm going to be bringing back the trilingual diary entries in this blog. The entries will not be exact translations of each other, because that is impossible, as I've stressed many times before. However, I will do my best to not slack off in the translation. Oh and hey, you can always put the translations into Babelfish for a good laugh!

내가 토론토에서 처음으로 영어가 귀에 들어오기 시작한 꽃다운 아홉살이었을 때, 엄마가 일기를 세가지 언어로 쓰길 바라셨다. 엄마는 문법이 틀려도 괜찮으니 그냥 열심히 쓰면 된다고 하셨다. (선생님이셨다는 게 짐작가지 않는가?) 그래도 한글만은 완벽하길 강요하셨다. 내 한글은 아직도 거의 완벽하지만 (엄청 자랑스럽게 생각하고 있다) 단어들이 서서히 지워지는 것 같아서 다시 삼개 국어 일기를 시작한다. 내가 전에 몋번이나 강조했듯이, 완벽한 번역은 무가능하지만 할 수 있는만큼 뜻이 맞게 써보겠다. 바벨피쉬에 넣어보면 재미있지 않을까?

Quand j'avais 9 ans et commençais à comprendre l'anglais à Toronto, ma mère a décrété que je devrais écrire mon journal en trois langues. Ça ne fait rien, elle a dit, si la grammaire n'est pas parfaite pourvu que j'essayais. (C'est evident qu'elle étais une professeur, n'est-ce pas?) Eh bien, elle a demandé que mon coréen au moins d'être parfait. Mon coréen est encore impressionant (et je suis très fière), mais je commence à perdre les mots, alors je vais restaurer les notations trilingues dans ce blog. Les notations ne seront pas de translations exactes, parce que c'est impossible, comme j'avais dit plusieurs fois. Toutefois, je vais essayer de ne pas relâcher dans les translations. Hé, vous pouvez les mettre dans Babelfish pour rigoler!

L'endoctrinement continue.

La fin de semaine passée, j'ai regardé Le Seigneur d'Anneaux en français. Pendant le troisième film, il y avait une scène qui me faisait avoir peur pour ma santé mentale.

Eowyn: Courage, Merry. Ce sera bientôt fini.
Merry: Dame Eowyn, vous êtes belle et courageuse. Vous avez tant de raisons de vivre et de gens qui vous aiment.
Judy: Merry a utilisé une intervention de la modèle McGill! Il a rappelé à Eowyn qu'elle a des forces qui la donne un sentiment de contrôle. C'est tellement important pour sa santé!

Vous saviez déjà que je suis folle. Maintenant, vous avez plus de la preuve.

Mon peau est trop sensitive.

J'ai reçu la vaccine pour le polio lundi matin, et maintenant j'ai un contusion sur mon épaule. Ce n'est pas une nouvel événement. Je trouve plusieurs contusions au hasard, mais celui-ci est vraiment dégoûtant. C'est bleu, avec des points violets. Un photo est compris, parce que Robert me l'a suggeré. Voilà!

J'ai eu une rêve en français.

Je ne peux pas me souvenir tous les détails, mais je pense que c'était une situation dangereuse. Il y avait quelqu'un avec moi, qui essayait de trouver la solution (peut-être quelque chose avec une machine? - je pense que je regarde trop de Battlestar Galactica) et je l'aidait. C'était très obscur tout autours, et à l'étroit. Il y avait trois étages pour réparer la problème. Je ne sais pas s'il y avait du conversation en français, mais je suis sûre que toutes mes pensées étaient en français. C'est drôle, non? Je ne peux pas parler en français sans penser un peu en avant, mais je peux rêver en français, si je le pratique un peu avant de m'endormir?

Mais voici, ma première poste en français. J'ai besoin de beaucoup d'encouragement!