Emmenthaler

Closely related to another fun word - fondue!
While the jury is still out in many places regarding the pronunciation of the final "er" in Emmenthaler, most can concur that the "th" is silent.

This delicious swiss cheese with adorable little holes, can be melted down and mixed with kirsch and garlic for bread dunking, or sliced thin for sandwiches, or cut into chunks and served with wine and pears.

Plus, it makes you sound so fancy at Trader Joes when you say you are looking for the "emmental"

Easy fondue - rub a garlic clove in your fondue pot (you know you have one somewhere - you stole it from your parents, or you thought they looked cute at Bed Bath and Beyond). Melt some butter (2 Tbsp). Add the same amount of flour. Stir to cook. Add a cup of white wine, and slowly add in grated "emmental" and gouda. When it's all melted in, add a 1/4 cup of kirsch. Serve with day old chunks of italian bread. He who looses bread in the cheese gets teased! And he who realizes that the cooked on cheese at the bottom of the pan is super yummy is the big winner!

Fartlek

I know, kind of an obvious one, but still...

Saturday night, the other half and I were enjoying dinner with some friends, when the OH was introduced to a "fart app" for his iPhone toy.  Hilarity ensued, for everyone except me, who was busy anticipating the iPhone fart orchestra concert awaiting me...(the laugh is on him, though - one of his students swiped his phone in class today, and gave him a concert!  ROTFLMAO, as the kids say)

However, a fartlek is not, in fact, related to the old "pull my finger" world that turns grown men into giggling 10 year-olds.     It is instead, a Swedish word for "hellish training run."  

When just running along the beach, or around the track, or where ever you choose to run has become dull, or you feel like you could be running faster, rather than shooting out some methane in a juvenile attempt to propel you forward, try a fartlek.  

Basically, run along at your usual pace for a decided upon period of time or distance.  Then, run faster, stronger, for a decided upon period of time or distance.  Then, do a brisk recovery walk for a decided upon period of time or distance (don't cheat and just walk home now!).  

Lather, rinse, repeat.  

The usual pace running time/distance should be longer than the faster, stronger running time.  

And if this doesn't make you faster, I suggest a rocket-propelled backpack and a helmet!

Ostrich

Have you ever fed an ostrich?  

And before we get into a deep philosophical discussion about ostriches, their habits and their contributions to society, let's ponder their moniker.

Oss-tritch.  I think the "itch" part is the part that really gets me giggling.  Kind of like "twitch" or "snitch."   Say it a few times and ponder.  The other half calls it a fricative lateral.  I love linguistics!

Back to ostriches...Nasty critters.  Elegant eyelashes, and in their own way, supporters of the burlesque.  Destined to donate their feathers to rougeshly dyed boas, in teal and hot pink, and yet never to grace the stage themselves, despite their alluring necks, due in part to thier off putting feet (two VERY ungraceful toes with big, horn-like toenails/claws).  Not to say that their zaftig bodies aren't desired in the animal kingdom (specifically by other ostriches and hungry lions not afraid of being kicked by above-mentioned feet).   

I recently had the opportunity to visit OstrichLand USA in Buellton, CA, and let me tell you, the best $5 I have ever spent was on a dust-pan full of ostrich pellets and a half hour of ostrich feeding, which included, but wasn't limited too, the fear of having my fingers pecked, my eyes pecked, loosing the dust-pan itself to the aggressive beak of "Rosamunde," pondering the awesomeness of the ostrich egg (in the gift shop) and deciding that I liked emus much better than ostriches.  

Did you know that one ostrich egg is equivalent to TWO DOZEN chicken eggs?  Yikes!  I'm thinking quiche.   

So, in the end, not only is the word ostrich hilarious, ostriches themselves are pretty weird.  I always wondered how such a bizarrely shaped animal had survived the Darwinian process.  Turns out, they are just plain mean!

Arugula

A-roo-gu-la

That peppery, delicious, vitamin-packed leafy green.  Rich in vitamin C and potassium and hailing from the lands of the Mediterannean.  And what a name...a-roo-gu-la.  It just rolls off the tounge.  To my ear, it doesn't sound as healty as it is.  The "oo" sound and the "gu" sound just make it sound creamy and cheesy (though, I think mac and cheese with arugula probably isn't that tasty...).  

It also sounds like the sound an old tugboat makes pulling out of the harbor in the misty morning, off to do tugboat work.  It doesn't mind that it's up early, out the door.  It also doesn't mind that it's making such an insanely loud noise that it wakes up all the poor folks living in badly insulated apartments down by the boatyard.  "A-ROO-GLA!"  

There is a street nearby called Romaine.  The other half and I keep looking for Arugula St. to be nearby.  And maybe Radicchio Ave. Endive Way should be just around the corner, right?  

Something about this leafy green's name just makes it more than itself, IMHO.

And actually, this green is so awesome, that it has not just one amazing name, but two.  Known as rocket in Jolly Old, among other places.  Rocket?  Like blasting off into a delicious world?  Destined to be the first leafy green to be discussed by the G-20?  How awesome is that?  

My favorite arugula/rocket salad is so easy.  Amazing with steak, or anything else in need of a bossy green.  Just toss your a-roo-gu-la with a little extra virgin olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper, and some tasty sea salt.  If you must sully the beauty of the greens, a little parmesean cheese shaving and some cherry tomatoes don't gild the lily too much.  

Happy crunching!

Squirrel

Ever come across a word in your daily life that just makes you giggle?  And the more times you look at the word, it just gets funnier?  And after a while, you start trying to come up with reasons to use the word in general conversation, going so far as to force topics for discussion that you think might allow you to use that word, just for a chance to see if other people find it as funny as you do?  

Ok, maybe not, but I sure have.  If your brain works like mine (my sympathies!), you already think you know the word I'm thinking of, because the word that makes you giggle is soooooo obvious!

Well, you might be right, if the word you are thinking of is.....

SQUIRREL!

That's right.  Squirrel.   Not only is it fun to say, they are funny creatures.  Furry tails, always getting into mischef...

Say it five times in a row....I'll wait.  Try saying it quickly.  Try again, really savoring the "squi" sound.  Then again while trying not to giggle too hard enjoying the "irrel" part.  

My friends and I used to play this game where we dremt up gourmet roadkilll snacks.  One of our favorites was squirrel 'sedilla.  Quesidillas can be stuffed with anything, why not squirrel?  Cheesy deliciousness spiked with tasty bites of gamey goodness.  Mmmm.

Squirrel is apparently making a comeback on the menus of England, as the sweet, tufty eared English squirrel is being forced out of its habitat by newcomer, new world squirrels imported for some reason or another.  Trapping is up, and squirell sausage is making a comeback.  Yum!  Just watch out for the bones.