Just for Now (38 page)

Easy Chocolate Glaze

1 best-quality chocolate bar (Lindt, etc.): 70-85%
cocoa solids

About ¼ cup half & half or cream

About ¼ cup white sugar, or to taste, depending on how
bittersweet your chocolate bar is

Break up the chocolate bar and add it to a saucepan with the half &
half and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Add more sugar and/or
half & half if it seems necessary. Spoon the glaze over warm cake. Add sliced
almonds if desired.

BREAD PUDDING

4 slices bread (higher-quality is the best. Avoid
thick, chewy crusts or sourdough. Challah or brioche is extra-special!)

2 Tbsp. butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

3 eggs, beaten with a fork

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

2-1/2 cups milk, scalded (very hot). Whole milk is
richest; can use everything down to 1%, but don’t use skim.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish (about 1-1/2
quarts; can also use a 9” baking dish, but it’ll make a flatter pudding) with
cooking spray.

Scald the milk in the microwave (best is with a glass measuring cup;
heat the milk for about 2 minutes, until it’s not quite boiling).

Toast bread slices lightly. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small
bowl. Spread slices with butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon
mixture. Cut each slice in 6 pieces. Arrange pieces sugared side up in your
casserole or baking dish, sprinkle with chocolate chips (in layers).

Mix the eggs, white sugar, vanilla, and salt; slowly stir in the hot
milk. Pour the mixture over the bread.

Put your casserole dish into a larger pan (I use a roasting pan) on the
oven rack. Pour very hot water 1” deep into the larger pan to make a water bath
for your casserole dish. This makes your pudding come out moist. Bake until a
knife comes out clean, about 65 to 70 minutes. (less time if you bake the
pudding in a 9” square pan.) Remove casserole from the hot water. Can be served
warm or cold.

Optional toppings: ice cream, whipped cream.

A few notes about Maori pronunciation:

·
        
The accent is normally on the first syllable.

·
        
All vowels are pronounced separately.

·
        
All vowels except u have a short vowel sound.

·
        
“wh” is pronounced “f.”

·
        
“ng” is pronounced as in “singer,” not as in “anger.”

ABs:  All Blacks

across the Ditch:  in Australia (across the
Tasman Sea). Or, if you're in Australia, in New Zealand!

advert:  commercial

agro:  aggravation

air con:  air conditioning

All Blacks:  National rugby team. Members
are selected for every series from amongst the five NZ Super 15 teams. The All
Blacks play similarly selected teams from other nations.

Aotearoa:  New Zealand (the other official
name, meaning “The Land of the Long White Cloud" in Maori)

arvo, this arvo:  afternoon

Aussie, Oz:  Australia. (An Australian is
also an Aussie. Pronounced “Ozzie.”)

bach:  holiday home (pronounced like
“bachelor”)

backs:  rugby players who aren't in the
scrum and do more running, kicking, and ball-carrying—though all players do all
jobs and play both offense and defense. Backs tend to be faster and leaner than
forwards.

bangers and mash:  sausages and potatoes

barrack for:  cheer for

bench:  counter (kitchen bench)

berko:  berserk

bikkies:  cookies

bit of a dag:  a comedian, a funny guy

bits and bobs:  stuff  (“be sure you get
all your bits and bobs”)

blood bin:  players leaving field for
injury

Blues:  Auckland's Super 15 team

bollocks:  rubbish, nonsense

boofhead:  fool, jerk

booking:  reservation

boots and all:  full tilt, no holding back

bot, the bot:  flu, a bug

Boxing Day:  December 26—a holiday

brekkie:  breakfast

brilliant:  fantastic

bub:  baby, small child

buggered:  messed up, exhausted

bull's roar:  close. “They never came within
a bull's roar of winning.”

bust a gut:  do your utmost, make a supreme
effort

Cake Tin:  Wellington's rugby stadium (not
the official name, but it looks exactly like a springform pan)

cardie:  a cardigan sweater

chat up:  flirt with

chilly bin:  ice chest

chocolate bits:  chocolate chips

choice:  fantastic

chokka:  full

Chrissy:  Christmas

chuck out:  throw away

chuffed:  pleased

collywobbles:  nervous tummy, upset stomach

come a greaser:  take a bad fall

costume, cossie:  swimsuit (female only)

cot:  crib (for a baby)

crook:  ill

cuddle:  hug (give a cuddle)

cuppa:  a cup of tea (the universal remedy)

CV:  resumé

cyclone :  hurricane (Southern Hemisphere)

dairy:  corner shop (not just for milk!)

dead:  very; e.g., “dead sexy.”

dill:  fool

do your block:  lose your temper

dob in:  turn in; report to authorities. Frowned
upon.

doddle:  easy. “That'll be a doddle.”

dodgy:  suspect, low-quality

dogbox:  The doghouse—in trouble

Domain:  a good-sized park; often the
“official” park of the town.

dressing gown:  bathrobe

drongo:  fool (Australian, but used
sometimes in NZ as well)

drop your gear:  take off your clothes

duvet:  comforter

earbashing:  talking-to, one-sided chat

electric jug:  electric teakettle to heat
water. Every Kiwi kitchen has one.

En Zed:  Pronunciation of NZ. (“Z” is
pronounced “Zed.”)

ensuite:  master bath (a bath in the
bedroom).

eye fillet:  premium steak (filet mignon)

fair go:  a fair chance. Kiwi ideology:
everyone deserves a fair go.

fair wound me up:  Got me very upset

fantail:  small, friendly native bird

farewelled, he'll be farewelled:  funeral;
he’ll have his funeral.  

feed, have a feed:  meal

first-five, first five-eighths:  rugby back—does
most of the big kicking jobs and is the main director of the backs. Also called
the No. 10.

fixtures:  playing schedule

fizz, fizzie:  soft drink

fizzing:  fired up

flaked out:  tired

flash:  fancy

flat to the boards:  at top speed

flat white:  most popular NZ coffee. An
espresso with milk but no foam.

flattie:  roommate

flicks:  movies

flying fox:  zipline

footpath:  sidewalk

footy, football:  rugby

forwards:  rugby players who make up the
scrum and do the most physical battling for position. Tend to be bigger and more
heavily muscled than backs.

fossick about:  hunt around for something

front up:  face the music, show your mettle

garden:  yard

get on the piss:  get drunk

get stuck in:  commit to

give way:  yield

giving him stick, give him some stick about
it:  teasing, needling

glowworms:  larvae of a fly found only in
NZ. They shine a light to attract insects. Found in caves or other dark, moist
places.

go crook, be crook:  go wrong, be ill

go on the turps:  get drunk

gobsmacked:  astounded

good hiding:  beating (“They gave us a good
hiding in Dunedin.”)

grotty:  grungy, badly done up

ground floor:  what we call the first floor.
The “first floor” is one floor up.

gumboots, gummies:  knee-high rubber boots.
It rains a lot in New Zealand.

gutted:  thoroughly upset

Haast's Eagle:  (extinct). Huge native NZ
eagle. Ate moa.

haere mai:  Maori greeting

haka:  ceremonial Maori challenge—done
before every All Blacks game

hang on a tick:  wait a minute

hard yakka:  hard work (from Australian)

harden up:  toughen up. Standard NZ (male)
response to (male) complaints:   “Harden the f*** up!”

have a bit on: I have placed a bet on
[whatever]. Sports gambling and prostitution are both legal in New Zealand.

have a go:  try

Have a nosy for…:  look around for

head:  principal (headmaster)

head down:  or head down, bum up. Put your
head down. Work hard.

heaps:  lots. “Give it heaps.”

hei toki:  pendant (Maori)

holiday:  vacation

hooker:  rugby position (forward)

hooning around:  driving fast, wannabe
tough-guy behavior (typically young men)

I'll see you right:  I'll help you out

in form:  performing well (athletically)

it's not on:  It's not all right

iwi:  tribe (Maori)

jabs:  immunizations, shots

jersey:  a rugby shirt, or a pullover
sweater

journo:  journalist

jumper:  a heavy pullover sweater

ka pai:  going smoothly (Maori).

kapa haka:  school singing group (Maori
songs/performances. Any student can join, not just Maori.)

karanga:  Maori song of welcome (done by a
woman)

keeping his/your head down:  working hard

kia ora:  welcome (Maori, but used
commonly)

kilojoules:  like calories--measure of food
energy

kindy:  kindergarten (this is 3- and
4-year-olds)

kit, get your kit off:  clothes, take off
your clothes

Kiwi:  New Zealander OR the bird. If the
person, it’s capitalized. Not the fruit.

kiwifruit:  the fruit. (never called simply
a “kiwi.”)

knackered:  exhausted

knockout rounds:  playoff rounds
(quarterfinals, semifinals, final)

koru:  ubiquitous spiral Maori symbol of
new beginnings, hope

kumara:  Maori sweet potato.

ladder:  standings (rugby)

littlies:  young kids

lock:  rugby position (forward)

lollies:  candy

lolly:  candy or money

lounge:  living room

mad as a meat axe:  crazy

maintenance:  child support

major:  “a major.” A big deal, a big event

mana:  prestige, earned respect, spiritual
power

Maori:  native people of NZ—though even
they arrived relatively recently from elsewhere in Polynesia

marae:  Maori meeting house

Marmite:  Savory Kiwi yeast-based spread
for toast. An acquired taste.

mate:  friend

metal road:  gravel road

Milo:  coffee substitute; hot drink mix

mind:  take care of, babysit

moa:  (extinct) Any of several species of huge
flightless NZ birds. All eaten by the Maori before Europeans arrived.

moko:  Maori tattoo

motorway:  freeway

muesli:  like granola, but unbaked

munted:  broken

naff:  stupid, unsuitable. “Did you get any
naff Chrissy pressies this year?”

nappy:  diaper

new caps:  new All Blacks—those named to
the side for the first time

New World:  One of the two major NZ
supermarket chains

nibbles:  snacks

nick, in good nick:  doing well

niggle, niggly:  small injury, ache or
soreness

no worries:  no problem. The Kiwi mantra.

No. 8:  rugby position. A forward

not very flash:  not feeling well

nutted out:  worked out

OE:  Overseas Experience—young people
taking a year or two overseas, before or after University.

offload:  pass (rugby)

oldies: older people. (or for the elderly,
“wrinklies!”)

on the front foot:  Having the advantage.
Vs. on the back foot—at a disadvantage. From rugby.

Op Shop:  charity shop, secondhand shop

out on the razzle:  out drinking too much,
getting crazy

paddock:  field (often used for rugby—“out
on the paddock”)

Pakeha:  European-ancestry people (as
opposed to Polynesians)

Panadol:  over-the-counter painkiller

partner:  romantic partner, married or not

paua, paua shell:  NZ abalone

pavement:  sidewalk (generally on wider
city streets)

penny dropped:  light dawned (figured it
out)

people mover:  minivan

perve:  stare sexually

phone's engaged:  phone's busy

piece of piss:  easy

pike out:  give up, wimp out

piss awful:  very bad

piss up:  drinking (noun) a piss-up

pissed:  drunk

play up:  act up

playing out of his skin:  playing very well

PMT:  PMS

Pom, Pommie:  English person.

pop:  pop over, pop back, pop into the
oven, pop out, pop in