liturgical ignorance.

i come from a mostly non-liturgical background. well, from a christian perspective. jews have a fairly sophisticated and well-developed liturgy. but my church background never really featured things like incense, ashes, holy water, altar boys, etc.

however, since i've been working for a church, i've had to venture into the scary world of church supply websites.

i don't think i've seen so many words i don't know since i was learning how to read.

the following are a list of words currently categorized under the "wtf?" label (yes, i can click and see pictures, but they are still wtf):

Ambry
Ciboria
Monstrance
Ostensoria
Paraments
Patens
Pyxes

another one that gave me pause was "Cruets" but at least i know what a cruet is.

i think it's off to my favourite online resource for new words

v-day

home alone on valentine's day.

he's out spinning at a gay club tonight.

somehow, i don't think anyone reading this is surprised.

what's for dinner?

with roasting chickens, organic leeks, and potatoes all on sale last week, the stage was set for a perfect winter dinner.

step 1: roast a whole chicken

step 2: strip the meat off the bones and store for future use (chicken salad, chicken soup, chicken fried rice, etc)

step 3: simmer the carcase with an onion and a carrot in water until all the water becomes a rich stock. strain out the bones, gelatinous bits (ew!), vegetables and discard.

step 4: rinse the sand out of the leeks carefully and peel the potatoes. cut the leeks and potatoes into thin slices.

step 5: heat butter and oil in a pot until over medium-high heat until fragrant. saute the leeks and potoatoes

step 6: when the leek slices are wilted and the potatoes are beginning to brown, pour in enough chicken stock to make a good soup. add a bay leaf or two and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

step 7: pour the soup into a blender and puree until smooth, thinning with a little milk or white wine if too thick. return to heat and simmer again.