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本文作者向我們介紹了一道地道的美國家常菜——焙盤燉菜，就是在砂鍋中加入任何你喜歡的原料（蔬菜、肉粒、豆子等）進行烘烤，然后澆上奶油或醬汁。焙盤燉菜作為“撫慰食品”，經(jīng)常勾起很多美國人美好的回憶。由于制作簡單、攜帶方便，焙盤燉菜也成了美國人聚餐中的“閃耀明星”。

A casserole is a one dish meal that consists of various ingredients combined in a saucepan and then baked.2. 焙盤燉菜是在砂鍋中加入各種原料進行烘烤而成的一道菜。ingredient： 烹調(diào)原料，組成部分；saucepan： 長柄而有蓋子的深平底鍋，燉鍋。It is one of the most popular comfort foods in America and has many different variations.3. comfort food：（指令人心情愉快的）撫慰食物，家常菜；variation： 變化，變種。A comfort food is exactly what it sounds like: a rich, easy meal that often provides sentimental or nostalgic feelings.4.“撫慰食物”正如其名：營養(yǎng)豐富的家常便飯，經(jīng)常能夠引起人們的感傷或懷舊之情。sentimental： 感傷的，多愁善感的；nostalgic： 懷舊的，鄉(xiāng)愁的。Many families have a special casserole recipe, possibly one passed down from generation to generation.5. pass down： 流傳，傳給；from generation to generation： 一代一代地。When thinking about a favorite home cooked meal, many people will remember the casseroles their mothers made for them as a kid. Interestingly enough, many will also shudder as they remember a horrid casserole that their mothers used to insist they eat.6. 有趣的是，很多人一想到小時候母親強迫自己吃下的那些難吃的焙盤燉菜也會不寒而栗。shudder： 戰(zhàn)栗，發(fā)抖；horrid： 極為討厭的，可怕的。

The word “casserole” comes from the French word for “saucepan”. Previously the term referred to any dish cooked in an earthenware vessel for a long period of time, but our modern de finition of a casserole has shifted from that.7. 在很長的一段時間里，“casserole”用于指任何在陶制容器里烹煮的菜，但現(xiàn)代含義已經(jīng)有所變化。earthenware： 陶器，瓦器；vessel： 容器，器皿。Today when we think of a casserole, we think of pieces of meat and chopped vegetables combined with something starchy (such as pasta,rice, or potatoes), topped with a cheesy of crunchy topping, and baked in an oven.8. 如今我們想起焙盤燉菜，就會想到肉片和剁碎的蔬菜加上一些淀粉質(zhì)食品（如面團、大米或馬鈴薯），澆上一些松脆的奶酪配料，放入烤箱里烘焙。chop： 剁，切；starchy： 食物含大量淀粉的；pasta：意大利面； cheesy： 奶酪的，干酪質(zhì)的；crunchy： 松脆的。The new casserole appeared in 1866, when Elmire Jolicoeur (a French-Canadian immigrant) invented the dish. The modern casserole increased in popularity in the 1950’s when new lightweight glassware became available on the market.9. lightweight： 輕質(zhì)的；glassware： 玻璃器皿，玻璃制品。This made it convenient yet sophisticated for housewives of the era. Today, while the dish has lost some of its sophistication10. sophistication： 精致，考究。, casseroles are still popular dishes.

One social event where the casserole really shines is the potluck11. potluck： 聚餐（各家?guī)б坏啦说木鄄头绞剑?。dinner. A potluck is a dinner in which all of the guests in attendance bring one dish for everyone to share. Naturally, casserole was a popular choice as it was convenient to cook and carry. I remember we used to have potluck dinners all the time after band performances. Our band had informal performances quite often, and usually parents would all bring food to share afterwards. It was a great time to socialize with everyone, not to mention to try out a variety of different foods.12. 這是一個交流的好機會，更別說還可以嘗試各種不同的美食。socialize with： 與某人交流、交往；not to mention： 更不用說，此外。I remember one of the parents always brought their famous lasagna, a form of casserole consisting of pasta, ground beef, and tomato sauce.13. lasagna： 意大利千層面； ground：（grind的過去分詞）磨碎，碾磨。It was always a personal favorite of mine.

There are many types of casserole in American cuisine. Some of them, such as lasagna, are pasta dishes.These usually consist of thin sheets of pasta with meat and sauce layered in between.14. 經(jīng)常包括薄面片兒，中間夾上肉末和醬汁。Other forms consist of cooked pasta with sauce poured into a casserole dish, topped with a crunch or cheesy topping,and then baked in an oven. One of the most popular forms of this is macaroni and cheese.While some forms of macaroni and cheese aren’t baked, my favorite is baked macaroni and cheese topped with shredded Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.15. 雖然并非所有的奶酪通心粉都需要進行烘烤，但我還是最喜歡烤奶酪通心粉，撒帕瑪森乳酪絲和面包碎。macaroni and cheese： 奶酪通心粉；shred： 撕碎，切成條狀；Parmesan cheese：（意大利）帕瑪森乳酪；breadcrumb：面包屑，面包中間松軟的部分。The baked topping gives the dish some extra richness, which I really enjoy. Macaroni and cheese was actually the first casserole dish I ever tried to make. I remember not knowing that macaroni and cheese was supposed to be baked, but after figuring it out a world of new cooking possibilities opened up to me.16. 我記得當時我還不知道奶酪通心粉是要烘焙的，當我知道了以后，我就像打開了通往各種新烹飪方法的大門。That is the fun of casserole, you can literally take anything you want to, be it beans or meat or vegetables, and bake it in a dish.17. 焙盤燉菜有趣的地方在于你可以真正隨心所欲地往里面加入任何東西，無論是豆子、肉或是蔬菜，然后焙烤成一道菜。It allows for endless fun combinations. Another one of my personal favorite, which I discovered a few years ago, is shepherd’s pie18. shepherd’s pie： (通常指羔羊肉餡的)肉餡土豆泥餅。. That dish consists of meat covered with a mashed potato crust and baked.19. mash： 搗成泥狀；crust： 外殼，表皮。