Wordy Wednesday

Welcome to Wordy Wednesday, where we learn and love together. Today you are in for a special treat with our word selection. Not only is there a fantastic dinosaur tie-in, but we delve into the Greek dictionary as we explore origins! As we all know, the Greek make everything more fun. If only I had some horrifying mythology to share with you. Sadly, I don't.

The word: Brontide

Definition: A low muffled rumbling, similar to distant thunder, and is often heard along coastlines and over lakes. Some think the noise to be caused by earth tremors.

Enter, the Greeks. The root of the word is in fact of Greek origin, bronte meaning 'thunder' and the suffix 'id' which translates to 'offspring of'. Therefore, brontide means thunders offspring, or a sort of kin to the grumbling we hear before lightning strikes. Interestingly enough, brontosaurus shares the the same root. Exploring this a little more, the meaning of 'saurus' is lizard. Now put it together and what do you have? Bibbidi bobbidi boo!

If you nothing else, you've learned the proper term for one of the most popular dinosaurs. Thunder Lizard.

You're welcome.

Wordy Wednesday

An interesting (or maybe not-so-interesting) fact about myself - I enjoy words I can add suffixes to. 

The word: Ballyhoo

This week's selection is doubly satisfying because I am able to add 'ed' to the end to make ballyhooed, or 'ing' to create ballyhooing. It would only be that much better if I could add 'er' to the end and call someone a ballyhooer. Sadly, some words simply don't exist yet. 

I would be lying if I told you I didn't choose 'ballyhoo' mostly because of the way sounds. Go on, say it. Out lout. Now, tell me it didn't make you smile. Every time I say it, my brain conjures up this extravagant scene of a big top circus with bears in bowler caps and monocles juggling Chihuahuas and pineapples as intoxicated ballerinas dance for portly penguins. Wild and extreme. 

Here's the interesting part that actually makes me feel a bit like a numpty. I only 'kind-of' knew what the word meant. Yes, I understood it was a clamour or extravagant exhibit of sorts, but I didn't realize this ruckus was created on purpose for promotional purposes to gain clients. The most common cases of ballyhoos are when directors and actors create media stunts in order to promote their movies. Like when the footage of Deadpool was leaked at Comic-Con and the internet went crazy. 

Now I am wondering if I was simply interchanging hullabaloo and ballyhoo. The two words are closely related, cousins - if not siblings.

Another word in this chaotic family: hoopla, which also happens to be a really fun Cranium game. 

And don't even get me started about brouhaha. 

On a side note, ballyhoo is also a fish and a punk/reggae band.

If you ask me, the fish is cute. 

 

Wordy Wednesday - And A Recipe

Rough days can only be resolved by something delicious. I bake to relieve stress. Not to excellent for the waistline, but it keeps the Sidekick happy ... ish. Before I've even had a chance to type this post he's already downed three of my new creation.

The word: Heavenly

This could even apply to the band (the British one, of course) and their twee-pop-alicious melodies. But alas, I am actually talking about the delectable recipe I crafted this evening. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. No, not quite like Reese's. Some might even say they are better. Some being me, and the Sidekick. He has to agree with me or else the deliciousness will stop.

The word 'heavenly' is enjoyable to me, especially when describing things I love, like hot baths, cool beds, and edibles that make my thighs bigger.

Because I am a sharer, here is the recipe for these (vegan) treats.

Heavenly Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Makes 12

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup - Melted margarine (Earth Balance for the win!)

1 Cup - Sugar (white)

1 Tsp - Vanilla

1 - Flax Egg (1 Tbsp ground flax to 2 Tbsp warm water)

1/2 Cup - Peanut Butter (creamy or crunchy, it doesn't matter)

1 1/2 Cups - Flour

1/2 Tsp - Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp - Salt 

3/4 Cup - Chocolate Chips 

1. Before you start, spray down a muffin tin with cooking spray. Melt margarine, then combine with peanut butter, flax egg, vanilla and sugar. Here's where I always dip my finger in to taste. It never disappoints. 

2. Add salt, baking soda and flour. Combine, but don't over mix. Over mixing is bad. Not sure why, but that's what I've gathered from all these years of baking. 

3. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Divide the dough evenly and put into the muffin pans and pat down.

5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Watch them, though. Ovens are finicky creatures and if yours bakes faster you might burn them. Take them out. Cool them for ten minutes, then remove from the pan. If you are having troubles getting them out, just slide a knife around the cup and dump it upside down on a cooling wrack. 

Here's a secret that I haven't shared before. Put all baking into a container right away and put the lid on. It will prevent them from getting too hard. It's a little trick I always find helps in the quality of my baking. 

Now eat them. Tell me they aren't heavenly. I dare you.