DEFINITION: Immersion Blender

immersion blender

noun

1. a handheld electric appliance for blending or grinding food with a protected blade that can be submerged in the food being processed — also called hand blender, stick blender

More here:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immersion%20blender

DEFINITION: Parchment Paper

parchment paper

A heavy, grease- and moisture-resistant paper with a number of culinary uses including lining baking pans, wrapping foods that are to be baked en PAPILLOTE and to make disposable PASTRY BAGS. Parchment paper is available in gourmet kitchenware stores and many supermarkets.

More here:
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry/?id=3806

DEFINITION: Roast

roast
v. roast·ed, roast·ing, roasts

v.tr.
1. To cook with dry heat, as in an oven or near hot coals.
2. To dry, brown, or parch by exposing to heat.
3. To expose to great or excessive heat.
4. Metallurgy To heat (ores) in a furnace in order to dehydrate, purify, or oxidize before smelting.
5. Informal
a. To ridicule or criticize harshly.
b. To honor at or subject to a roast.

v.intr.
1. To cook food in an oven.
2. To undergo roasting.

More here:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/roast

When you roast something, you are cooking it with dry heat, and the heat surrounds the food. Roasting is different from steaming or braising because you don’t want to add moisture to the food. For instance, a pot roast is actually a braised dish, because you add moisture and cover it to moisten and tenderize the food. Roast beef, on the other hand, is cooked without adding moisture.

roasting tips

In roasting, the food is cooked from the outside in, and the heat surrounds the food. Originally, roasting meant putting a chunk of meat on a spit and setting it over an open fire, and turning it frequently so that the fire seared and cooked the entire cut of meat. Now, most of us do our roasting in a conventional or convection oven.

More here:
http://www.seekingsources.com/how_to_roast_anything.htm

DEFINITION: Food Processor

food processor
 
noun

1. an electric appliance with interchangeable blades within a closed container into which food is inserted for slicing, shredding, mincing, chopping, puréeing, or otherwise processing at high speeds.

More here:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/food+processor

DEFINITION: Mixing Bowl

mixing bowl

Noun

1. mixing bowl - bowl used with an electric mixer

Often of stainless steel, can be glass or, less commonly, copper or plastic

bowl - a dish that is round and open at the top for serving foods

More here:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/food+processor

DEFINITION: Casserole

cas·se·role

  casserole pronunciation [kas-uh-rohl] noun, verb, -roled, -rol·ing.

noun

1. a baking dish of glass, pottery, etc., usually with a cover.
2. any food, usually a mixture, cooked in such a dish.
3. a small dish with a handle, used in chemical laboratories.

That last one came as a surprise to me.

More relevant to those of us who cook:

A casserole refers to both a baking dish and the ingredients it contains. Casserole cookery is extremely convenient because the ingredients are cooked and served in the same dish. A "casserole dish" usually refers to a deep, round, ovenproof container with handles and a tight-fitting lid. It can be glass, metal, ceramic or any other heatproof material. A casserole's ingredients can include meat, vegetables, beans, rice and anything else that might seem appropriate. Often a topping such as cheese or bread crumbs is added for texture and flavor.

More here:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/casserole

And here:
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry/?id=1738

DEFINITION: Eggplant Caviar

Eggplant Caviar

n

A thick, pureed mixture of roasted eggplant, tomato, onion, olive oil and various seasonings. It's served cold or at room temperature as a dip or spread.

As mentioned in DEFINITION: Eggplant, eggplant is not an egg. In this case the name is doubly deceitful since caviar generally refers to fish eggs. Despite the double reference to eggs, there are no eggs in it.

DEFINITION: Mousse

Mousse

n: /mo͞os/

1. Any of various chilled desserts made with flavored whipped cream, gelatin, and eggs: chocolate mousse.
2. A molded dish containing meat, fish, or shellfish combined with whipped cream and gelatin.

More here:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mousse

DEFINITION: Egg Wash

An egg wash is a coating applied to some baked goods and other foods to create a distinctive finish. Especially in the field of baking, an egg wash is often added to breads and sweets to create a glazed look. Egg brushed bread will also have a slightly more crispy, flaky crust, which is sometimes a desired texture in baking. As one can imagine, there are several different types of egg wash, all of which have a different end impact on the food.

A very basic egg wash is made by simply lightly beating an egg and brushing it onto the food. Other ingredients such as milk, water, or salt may be added for a specific finish, and eggs are also frequently separated to make an egg wash. Some recipes specify which type of egg wash should be used, while others allow the cook to decide which would be best. In any case, the eggs used in an egg wash should be as fresh as possible.

More here:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-egg-wash.htm

DEFINITION: Egg Ring

Egg Ring

n

A round, bottomless, stainless steel ring, sometimes with a vertical handle, in which an egg can be poached or fried. The ring keeps the egg perfectly round during cooking. It's removed before the egg is served. See an example in REVIEW: Egg Rings for Breakfast Sandwiches .

More here:
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry/?id=2397

DEFINITION: Trick or Treat

intr.v. trick-or-treat·ed, trick-or-treat·ing, trick-or-treats

To engage in the practice of asking for treats on Halloween and threatening to play tricks on those who refuse.

The likely origin is the medieval custom of dressing in disguise and going door to door begging for food or coin. In some areas the begging was accompanied by threats to cause mischief.

The first recorded example in North America was in 1911, where a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported it in the Scottish form of "guising".

More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

DEFINITION: Halloween Costume

Halloween costumes are costumes worn on or around Halloween, a festival which falls on October 31. The Halloween costume has a fairly short history. Wearing costumes has long been associated with other holidays around the time of Halloween, even Christmas.[1] Among the earliest references to wearing costumes at Halloween is in 1895, where "guisers" are recorded in Scotland,[2] but there is almost no mention of a costume in England, Ireland, or the United States until 1900.[3] Early costumes emphasized the pagan and gothic nature of the holiday, but by the 1930s costumes based on characters in mass media such as film, literature, and radio were popular. Halloween was originally promoted as a children's holiday, and as a means of reining in the licentious and destructive behavior of teenagers. Early Halloween costumes were aimed at children in particular, but after the mid-20th century, as Halloween increasingly came to be celebrated by adults, the Halloween costume was worn by adults as much as children.

More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_costume

DEFINITION: Halloween

Noun: hal·low·een/ˌhaləˈwēn/

The night of October 31, celebrated by children who dress in costume and solicit treats door-to-door.

Halloween is traced back to many harvest and "end of summer" celebrations. It is a mishmash of many different traditions. From the Roman feast of Pomona, the Celtic festival of Samhain, and the Scottish custom of souling custom (which involves carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory).

All Hallows Eve is first recorded in 1556 as a celebration the night before All Hallows Day (a much older tradition).

More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

CoE Linky Party Calendar

We recently added a new feature to the CoE blog. Every Friday, the CoE blog now hosts a 'Linky Party.'

A Linky Party is a blog post on which you may very easily participate by clicking a button, filling in a form and adding YOUR link to the 'party' which gets listed on the blog post.

You may get a back link from this (i'm still testing that) and when other people visit the blog, they may click on your link and visit your site from the link you added to the 'Linky Party' in the blog post.

In the beginning, we will leave the party open for about a week. If we get a lot of links, we'll start to limit the time period you may add your link. The amount of time left is displayed below the links or it will say that it's closed.

Each CoE Linky Party has some info on the linky party, the topic of the week and a few rules to follow to remain on the Linky Party. We set ours up with the 'Like' button so that you have a chance to remain on the top of the list by getting the most clicks on the Like button. Just have your family & friends visit and 'Like' the link you provided!

We have plotted out some topics for the next bunch of weeks. If you'd like to come back and add a link to your blog post, we'd love to host your 'Conservation' posts!

10/21 Halloween
10/28 Composting/Egg Shells
11/4 Fall Related
11/11 Veteran's Day
11/18 Holiday Shopping - beat the rush, shop all year long (start 4 2012)
11/25 TG - what to do w/leftover turkey
12/2 Kitchen appliances - use parts in other ways
12/9 Winter related
12/16 Decorations
12/23 Yule - food related
12/30 Save Gift Wrapping for various things

Some Conservation Ideas for 2012, in no particular order...

Old jeans - insulation, crafty stuff (lots)
Motion - kitchen triangle / egg slicer vs. cutting w/knife
Batteries
Recycle - paper, cans, glass, electronics, etc.
Donate your craft stuff to schools
Paper
Old photos/parts of photos
CDs DVDs - lots of different things you can do with them!
Charity
Ebay

MONTHS - loosely plotted out so far...

JAN 2012
TV Shows like Trash to Treasure, Junk Brothers, etc.

FEB 2012
things to do w/love?
Heart crayons

MAR 2012
Spring Cleaning

APR 2012
Earth Day Every Day!!!

YOUR IDEA HERE!?! Is there a topic YOU want to write about and add to a 'Linky Party'? What would YOU like to party about?

Just leave us a comment and we'll consider your idea. Remember, tie it into "Conservation" or something you've seen on the blog, or ask us if it will be applicable somehow.

Thanks for playing!

DEFINITION: Eggplant

Noun: egg·plant/ˈegˌplant/

1. 1. An Indian plant (Solanum melongena var. esculenta) cultivated for its large edible, ovoid, glossy, usually purple-skinned fruit.
   
   
   2. The fruit of this plant. Also called aubergine, melongene.


2. A blackish purple color like the typical skin of this fruit.

While vaguely egg shaped, this fruit is obviously not an egg.

More here:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eggplant

DEFINITION: Egg Timer

Noun: egg tim·er

A device for measuring the time required to cook a boiled egg, traditionally in the form of a miniature hourglass. Modern Egg Timers are mechanical or electronic and have an alarm that goes off when the time is done. See an example in REVIEW: Egg Timer.

More here:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/egg+timer

DEFINITION: Springform Pan

This type of pan looks like a cylinder with a buckle when it is put together. It consists of a flat base and a separate ring that has a latch. The latch tightens the ring so it can grip the base lightly. It is usually used when you want a cake with clean straight sides. When you are done baking, you unlatch the ring and it expands by about an inch. This lets you easily lift it from the cake and leaves the base as a handy way of carrying the cake until you are ready to plate it.

More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springform_pan

DEFINITION: Bundt Pan

Bundt pans are cake pans that bake up a cake that isn’t quite like anything you can get from another pan. They are usually 10 or 12-inches in diameter and are up to 5 inches deep, with a hole in the center that ensures that the deep cake bakes evenly while it is in the oven. The sides of a bundt pan are almost vertical and the pans, which are typically made of cast aluminum, have fluted or ridged designs that make the finished cake look very impressive. Over the years, the pan style became so popular that manufacturers started to branch out into more creative designs, not limiting themselves to the traditional ridged round cakes. You can also now find bundt pans in silicone and other materials.

Bundt pans were derived from ceramic German Kugelhopf pans, which bake tall, round and (usually) yeasted sweet breads or cakes. The cast aluminum version was trademarked in 1950 by the founder of NordicWare, the largest and certainly most well known maker of bundt-shaped pans. The pans were not popular with bakers at first, but after the Tunnel of Fudge cake – which was baked in a bundt pan -won 2nd in the 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off, sales of the pan took off and it is now one of the best selling pans in North America, with over 60 million sold. It is easy to see why, because the cakes are very stylish and, unlike layered cakes, look impressive without needing a drop of frosting. There are tens of thousands of recipes out there calling for bundt pans, and you won’t find another pan that can do the job as well.

More here...
http://bakingbites.com/2010/02/what-is-a-bundt-pan/

DEFINITION: Thermometer

noun /THərˈmämitər/ 
thermometers, plural

1. An instrument for measuring and indicating temperature, typically one consisting of a narrow, hermetically sealed glass tube marked with graduations and having at one end a bulb containing mercury or alcohol that expands and contracts in the tube with heating and cooling

More here...
Google Search

DEFINITION: Egg Whisk

A whisk is a cooking utensil used in food preparation to blend ingredients smooth, or to incorporate air into a mixture, in a process known as whisking or whipping. Most whisks consist of a long, narrow handle with a series of wire loops joined at the end. The wires are usually metal, but some are plastic for use with nonstick cookware. Whisks are also made from bamboo.

More here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisk