ASL Names

ASL Names

by | Feb 28, 2023 | Yesterday's Tides Articles

ASL Names and How They’re Chosen

What would your name be?

You may have noticed when reading Yesterday’s Tides that each character who interacts with Elsie (who is deaf and speaks American Sign Language) is given a sign for their name…

In the deaf community, names can be tricky things. When first introducing someone or mentioning them, you first have to finger-spell their name…but that would be tedious to do every time a person is mentioned in conversation.

Because of that, signs are assigned to people, usually by the deaf person who is speaking to or about them. But how are they selected?

Sometimes a name has a particular meaning already. For instance Sterling is a word closely related to silver. It makes sense, then, for Elsie to have given him a sign that is basically the word for “silver.”

Many names, however, don’t have so obvious a meaning. In those cases, the namer will usually choose a word that describes the person–thinker, doctor, dancer, beautiful, tall, playful, funny, bright, sweet etc. They will then form their fingers into the first letter of the person’s name and make that sign.

For Louisa, then, who loved princess stories and was always twirling for joy, one would form one’s fingers into an L and then make the sign for royaly, tracing a sash from left shoulder to right waist, but with a loop in the middle.

When I was thirteen, I went on a mission trip to help build an orphanage and school for the deaf community in Montego Bay, Jamaica. One of the highlights of the trip for me was when one of the workers gave us all names. My mom, Karen, was the sign for beautiful, but with fingers forming a K. My sign was an R for Roseanna, but then that same sash sign for royalty that I gave to Louisa. Talk about a compliment to this royalty-loving writer! I have cherished that name ever since.

What characteristics do others say define you? Maybe you’re a writer or a teacher or a nurse. Maybe you’re full of laughter or contemplative or fast. Maybe you’re tall or beautiful or musical. Look up the sign for that thing, put your fingers in the shape of the first letter of your name, and there you go! Of course, sometimes it’s hard to identify those things about ourselves…that’s what it’s so much nicer to give a sign name to others and let them name you. Which makes this the perfect activity to do with your family!

Do you have a sign name? Please share its explanation below!

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Word of the Week – Toilet

Word of the Week – Toilet

by | Feb 27, 2023 | Word of the Week

When we moderns here the word toilet, me may be inclined to wrinkle our noses. But our ancestors of centuries past would have had a far different response.

Toilet has been in the English language since the 1530s, when it came to us from French as “a garment bag.” Yep, that’s right, it was first cloth or net used to protect one’s clothing, from toile, which means “cloth, net.” We still have the word toile for a particular kind of cloth, but thanks to the deviation in pronunciation in English, we may not have made that association.

By the 1700s, toilet referred to the rather complicated process of upper-class dressing. That “cloth to protect clothing” began to be used for a protective cloth laid out upon a dressing table, upon which all the tools of the art were placed. It didn’t take long for it to refer, instead, to the stuff put on that table–the mirrors, pots, combs and brushes, bottles, pins, cosmetics, and so on. As time marched on, both English and French began to use the word to describe the process or ritual of dressing, especially of doing one’s hair.

In the early 1800s, the sense began to shift from the process, to the room in which it happened. A dressing room was referred to as a toilet by around 1819…and of course, the best dressing room would have a lavatory attached. American English can be credited with transferring the word to the porcelain lavatory fixtures, in 1895–probably as an attempt to make it sound prettier than the business warranted. 😉 This euphemism was used for toilet paper by 1884, so it wasn’t unique.

I personally find it interesting that, while we Americans are the ones who first applied the word to the lavatory and its fixtures, we have since begun to euphemize that with “bathroom” for our rooms and even commode (which has a similar etymology) for the fixture, while our friends in England use toilet for the room. As an American, I found it a bit disconcerting to see signs for the toilets everywhere. How uncouth! 😉 Or…very couth, as the case may actually be.

Classic French Baguette

Classic French Baguette

by | Feb 26, 2023 | Bread, Recipes, Yesterday's Tides Recipes

Classic French Baguette

Delicious, crusty loaves made in the traditional fashion.

Printable Version

Servings

12

Prep time:

30 min

Total Time:

14 hours (overnight)

Good For:

Bread

Inroduction

About this Recipe

If there’s anything better than a classic, crusty baguette, I’ve yet to find it. These long loaves are delicious (that overnight rise lets the flavors do some amazing things!), versatile, and provide a sensory experience that softer breads just can’t aspire to. Smother them with butter, broil some deli meat and cheese on them for lunch, dip in spiced olive oil for an appetizer, or top with honey or jam for a sweet treat.

Traditional baguettes are made using a baker’s couche—thick fabric that holds its shape, encouraging the loaves to rise how you want them to without spreading into each other. You can also use shaped baguette pans, or, if you don’t have any of that, just tear off a long piece of parchment paper, leaving plenty of room between each loaf and then pulling the paper up between them. If you have a digital scale, measure your ingredients by weight instead of volume for more accuracy.

The real secret to that crusty baguette, though, is putting a pan of boiling water in the oven with the bread. The steam is the key to the crust!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 500 grams / 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 360 grams / 1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
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  2. Work the dough. Sprinkle a little more flour on the dough so you can work with it, then stretch and turn the dough, folding it onto itself. Flip it upside down. Do this three times over the course of about 90 minutes.
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  3. With the bowl covered again, let it rest on the counter overnight, or for 12-14 hours.
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  4. The next morning, divide the dough into two or three rectangles. Cover with a towel and let them rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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  5. Pre-heat your oven to 500. To get the oven good and hot, start the heat cycle while the dough is resting, especially if you’re baking on a baking stone (which is recommended). You need two oven racks for this process; the top one will hold your bread. On the bottom rack, you’ll be putting a pan filled with boiling water. The steam it makes gives the baguette its classic crust.
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  6. Shape the dough. Stretch each rectangle and fold into a cylinder. Seal the seams and put it seam-down on parchment paper, baguette pans, or a couche. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.
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  7. Score the loaves. With a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts in each loaf.
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  8. Add water to oven. Fill a pan (an 8×8 or loaf pan works great) with boiling water and slide it onto the bottom rack of the oven.
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  9. Bake. Decrease oven to 475 and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the water, decrease temp to 450, and bake another 15 minutes.
Printable Version

From the Books

With her French influence, Evie loves to introduce some Continental favorites into the menu of the inn. Though not mentioned explicitly, you can be sure that French baguettes were a favorite loaf at her table!

Yesterday's Tides

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Ocracoke Fig Cake

Ocracoke Fig Cake

by | Feb 26, 2023 | Dessert, Recipes, Yesterday's Tides Recipes

Ocracoke Fig Cake

An island classic, traditionally using fig preserves made from locally grown fruit.

Printable Version

Servings

16

Prep time:

30 min

Total Time:

1.5 hours

Good For:

Dessert

Inroduction

About this Recipe

Each year on Ocracoke, the village hosts a Fig Festival. During this celebration, locals and visitors alike enjoy all manner of treats made from the locally grown figs. Fig cake always features prominently, made with fig preserves, which can be found in shops all over the island. (If you can’t make it to Ocracoke to get their locally jarred preserves, try Braswell’s!)

Eating lower sugar or sugar free? Substitute the granulated sugar with All Purpose In the Raw or another sugar alternative and enjoy the taste without the calories or the blood sugar spikes! Don’t have buttermilk? Start with a tablespoon of lemon juice and then fill the rest of the 1/2 cup with regular milk and let it sit for a minute to sour.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups sugar or sugar alternative
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups fig preserves
  • 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts (optional)
  1. Prepare. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan, either smooth-sided or fluted.
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  2. Mix wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and vegetable oil and mix well. Pour in buttermilk and continue to mix.
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  3. Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and spices. Set aside.
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  4. Dissolve baking soda in warm water.
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  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Add in baking soda and vanilla. Finally, stir in the fig preserves and nuts.
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  6. Bake for approximately 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely before taking out of pan.
Printable Version

From the Books

Fig cake is mentioned several times in Yesterday’s Tides. As one of the island’s most distinctive recipes, each family has their own favorite version, and Serena at the Ocracoke Inn is no exception!

Yesterday's Tides

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Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

by | Feb 25, 2023 | Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes, Yesterday's Tides Recipes

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Fill them with jam or cinnamon…smother them with icing…and dive in and enjoy!

Printable Version

Servings

12

Prep time:

45 min

Total Time:

12 hours (overnight)

Good For:

Breakfast, Dessert

Inroduction

About this Recipe

 

Is there anything better than an ooey-gooey cinnamon roll? These sweet rolls are fully customizable. Fill them with apple, strawberry, peanut butter, or anything else your little heart desires.

Eating lower sugar or sugar free? Substitute the granulated sugar with All Purpose In the Raw or another sugar alternative and the confectioner’s sugar with Swerve Confection and enjoy the taste without the calories or the blood sugar spikes!

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1 cup milk (whole is best; if you don’t have whole, add a tablespoon of cream to your measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with other milk)
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar or sugar alternative (I love All Purpose In the Raw!)
  • 2 packets or 1.5 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened and in 4 pieces
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4.5 cups (558 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

For Classic Cinnamon Filling

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar or sugar alternative
  • 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon

For Apple Filling

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar or sugar alternative (I like Swerve Brown)
  • 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 2 cups chopped and peeled apples (about 2 medium apples)

For Jam Filling

  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup jam of choice
  • 1 cup chopped fruit of choice (optional)

For Icing

  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar or sugar alternative
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  1.  Making the dough. First, warm your milk either in the microwave or on the stove until it’s warm but not hot, about 95°F or 35°C. Add to the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a dough hook. Sprinkle sugar and yeast over the milk and whisk by hand for a few seconds (if you’re using a sugar alternative, be sure to add at least a tablespoon of regular sugar to feed the yeast–don’t worry, it’ll eat it all up!). Let the yeast sit for 5-15 minutes, until it’s creamy and foamy. Beat in the softened butter on low; it will break up but not totally incorporate. Add the eggs and salt. Gradually add the flour. Once all ingredients are added, increase speed to medium and mix until it turns into a soft dough. Increase speed again to medium high and knead for 6 minutes.
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  2. Proof the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it by hand for a minute, then form into a ball. Put into a grased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. (If your kitchen is cool, turn the oven onto the lowest setting, then turn off as soon as it reaches temp. Slide the bowl into the oven.
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  3. Roll the dough. Grease a 9×12 baking dish. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured work surface and roll to a 12×18″ rectangle. Dough should be smooth and of even thickness.
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  4. Filling. Spread softened butter over the entire rectangle. If you’re using the classic cinnamon filling, mix your sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and then sprinkle evenly over it. If you’re using fruit, spread the fruit (and brown sugar, for the apple) over the butter.
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  5. Make the rolls. Working from the LONG side, roll the dough into a tight log. You want it to be 18″ long when you’re done. Cut into 12 rolls. Arrange them in your baking dish with the cut sides up. Cover and store overnight or for about 12 hours in the fridge.
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  6. Second Rise. In the morning, remove the rolls from the fridge and let rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until they’re puffy.
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  7. Bake. Bake the rolls at 375°F / 190°C for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. (Check them halfway through; if they’re starting to brown too much, cover them with foil.) Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
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  8. Icing. While the rolls cool, mix the icing ingredients in a medium bowl with a wire whisk. Spread evenly over rolls.
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  9. Enjoy!
Printable Version

From the Books

Cinnamon Rolls are featured in several of my books! Mrs. Dawe was renowned for her sweet rolls in the Secrets of the Isles series (as was Polmer’s Bakery!), and the ladies of the Ocracoke Inn in Yesterday’s Tides treat their guests to them as well!

Yesterday's Tides
The Nature of a Lady - Secrets of the Isles, Book 1
To Treasure an Heiress - Secrets of the Isles, Book 2
Worthy of Legend - Secrets of the Isles, Book 3

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