Do It Yourself Orthodontics

         I am a midwife and have seen my fair share of bodily events that should have turned my stomach and didn’t.  I’m also a mom of four children and between the midwifery and motherhood I’ve been drenched in solids and liquids galore without any ill effects.  I’m the one in the family on the lookout for pimples and blackheads and a chance to surprise attack pop them on anyone who will sit still (under my crushing weight) long enough to let me.  I soak fingers in salt water and do minor surgery for the splinters, dig out the ingrown toenails, carefully spoon the wax out of my children’s ears using tiny Chinese ear spoons, letting them examine the ‘barbeque’ themselves.  I happily dressed the puncture wounds from a snow leopard’s bite on the neck of our poor puppy (before said creature devoured him a month later).   I can calmly look at my three year old’s cheek that is split open to the bone and think, ‘wow, I’ve never seen a bone from this angle.’

The one thing I don’t like is mouths or anything dental.  “I don’t do mouths.”  Any mouth complaint is immediately referred to my husband, aka Dr. Sahib.  A child who runs in screaming with a bloody mouth gets a cold washcloth and spot on my lap facing outward so I don’t have to see it and gives me a chance to practice the visualization and deep breathing I used while giving birth.   Anything beyond a little teeth brushing I start feeling that warm flush and ringing in my ears which precedes passing out.  This gives me compassion (instead of my typical response of, ‘wuss!’) for those who pass out at the sight of blood and birthing and placentas, and it gives me a good reason to pass all such cases to Dr. Sahib. 

However, dental crises do not cooperate with Dr. Sahib’s schedule.  He is not home this week and yesterday our daughter started complaining about pain from the space maintainer her orthodontist put in the top of her mouth.  That device is like the St. Louis arch on the roof her mouth, anchored between some of her back teeth (or that’s what I guessed it was like, never having looked at it for above reasons).  She wanted me to check it so I did and could see it had snapped off one of the back anchors on one side and that loose side of the arch was cutting into the sweet li’l roof of her mouth, poor darling.  

We live 2 days tortuous  travel (one way) from her orthodontist, and 1 day tortuous travel (one way) from any quack orthodontist.  My kids and I get carsick on these roads.  Dr. Sahib is not coming till next week.  How can I help my little girl?  I consult with Dr. Sahib and he capably suggests just snipping off the other end of the arch and taking the whole arch out.  Easy enough for him to say, and would be easy enough for him to do.  He can do anything, my Dr. Sahib, with confidence and skill.  But we’re talking about me…will I even be able to see the thing for the fuzzy singing stars in my eyes as I gaze on the raw roof of her mouth? 

I put that possibility out of my head.  Then, as if my mouth has a mind of its own, I tell her what Dr. Sahib suggests and she is all for it.  She encourages me, “Mommy, you won’t hurt me, you can do it.”  I’m thinking, “Oh girly, if you only knew!  I could make a huge mess of all this, might puncture the roof of your mouth right up to your sinuses!” I don't know why she trusts me or believes in me, but it does give me strength.

I dig through the tool box and grab the wire cutters.  My only experience with wire cutters is making wire sticks for roasting marshmallows, or cutting wire to make the skeletons of paper mache swords.  She opens wide and I stick the wire cutters in the general direction of the wire and realize I’m going to have to really look, to make sure I’m cutting the wire, not her gums.  Oh geeeee (well, that’s the polite version of the words in my head).   

I locate the connection point between the arch and its anchor, open the wire cutters and then close them hard and yank them out of her mouth as if they might burn her.  She is calmly lying on the couch, looking out the window, studying the patterns of snow on the Himalayas.  I fiddle with the wire and it comes out in my hand.  I sliced her gums next to the wire a little bit but she says it doesn’t hurt much and feels much better to have it all out. 

I collapse, shaking and feeling like I’m going to puke and she reassures me, “I’m fine, mama, you did great.”  All those clamoring fears of maiming her are silenced.   

And just like that there is a sense of triumph in me.  A sense of Divine provision for what I could not do by myself.  A realization of the gift of grace that I actually didn’t faint on top of her.  It’s a good beginning to the day to see that My Provider is again giving what we need, putting courage in my fearful heart, bringing healing to raw places, turning my eyes away from, “I just can’t do THAT” and re-orienting me to Love.  The Deliverer Of My Fears gives me strength to prefer another instead of staying stuck in my own limitations. High time some of this happened, not just in her mouth.

Pumpkin!

 

I have plans for non-food related posts to come soon, really my life and blog is not alllllll about cooking and eating, but here is one more food post. 

Fall is my favorite season, and one thing I love about it is the different fruits that are in season.  We get many pumpkin style gourds throughout the year, but the biggest and best are found now.  This pale green one is very common and it is just so beautiful.

Processing a pumpkin is such a satisfying job because it yields so much goodness and the peel is the only part we don't eat.  We start by splitting it into two pieces.

Then my little pirates hunt for gold (the seeds) in this treasure chest.

I peel the chunks and cook them on the stove till they are tender.

And roast the seeds with olive oil and salt for a snack.

This day our electricity was out so I couldn't use my blender to make pumpkin puree.  My good ol'fashioned food mill came in handy and the boys loved taking turns too.

Homemade pumpkin puree tends to be a bit watery, fine for soups and smoothies, but I like to strain what I'll use for baking.  I hang it in a cheesecloth for a while, then I package it in two cup servings to freeze because that's a common amount for a recipe.

Mmmmmm.  I forgot to take any pictures of the best part of all this pumpkin: pumpkin chocolate chip bars, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup, pumpkin ricotta gnocchi. 

Veggies Indian Style

Indian cooking takes a little getting used to, but once you are in the groove, it is quick and easy and can even be healthy if you don't pour on a ton of oil. This is the basic procedure for making any kind of vegetable Indian style. For longer cooking starchy veggies like potatoes or if you like all the healthy stuff cooked out of your veggies, you can boil them before cooking them like this. We prefer a stir fry texture to our veggies. 

Basic recipe:
2T oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1" ginger, minced
1 chili, finely chopped
1 t each: cumin seeds, salt, garam masala, coriander powder
1/2 t each: chili powder, turmeric
1-2 lbs vegetables

First, chop an onion or two.  You can also mince a clove or two of garlic and/or a bit of ginger root.

Put about 2T oil in large pan, heat it and add 1t cumin seeds.  When they dance, add the onions, garlic, and ginger.  You can also chop and add jalapenos or chilis at this stage.  Cook at medium-high or high heat until the onions begin to brown and then stir in all the powdered spices and cook a minute.  If it sticks to the pan you can add more oil or a little bit of water.

While your onions and spices are cooking, wash and cut whatever vegetables you want to cook.  The day I took these pictures I was cooking those giant green pod thingys, one of our favorites.  The beans inside are PINK and PURPLE (and if you know the English name for these, please do tell me!!!).  Toss them in the pan with the onions, stirring well.  Add a little water, cover, turn down the heat, and cook until they are done, stirring often. 

When they are cooked, serve with rice or flatbread and ENJOY!!!  I often squeeze a lemon over the finished veggies for a little tang and that is yummy.  If your family doesn't like one of the spices I have in the basic recipe, just leave it out.  If you don't like spicy food, leave out all the chilis and chili powder and you'll have flavorful but not hot veggies.

Comfort food Indian style

All members of my family except my one li'l picky guy looooove this dish.  It is called Kadhi Pakora, pronouced Curdy Pakorda.  No one understands my reasoning but I like to call it Indian Chicken and Dumplings Without the Chicken or the Dumplings.  To me it makes perfect sense...lumpy yumminess in a yellow sauce (but the taste has no similarity).   I recently made this for lunch and served my two littlest guys peanut butter sandwiches while Mark and I enjoyed Curdy Pakorda.  My 3 year old was indignant when he saw the grave injustice, "Hey, why do you get that yummy stuff and I only get a sandwich?"  I cracked up and gave him the choice and he devoured his plate of 'yummy stuff'.  You probably recognize the carrots and cuke on this plate, the other green stuff is pickled fiddleheads. 

This dish has two parts, the Curdy and the Pakorda.  It is easy to make, is gluten free, and you can make it as spicy or mild as you want.  It has no curry in it, the 'Curdy' refers to plain yogurt, which is called 'curd' here.  The only outlandish ingredient called for is chickpea flour, also called 'besan' and available in Indian/Asian grocery stores or at a store like Whole Foods.

To make the Curdy:
Combine and let sit for at least half an hour, or a few hours:

• 2c plain yogurt (the more sour the better, this is a great recipe for yogurt that is going off!)
• 4c water
• 1c chickpea flour

After at least 30 minutes of sitting:

• In a large pan, heat 2T oil and fry 1 t each: cumin seeds and coriander seeds until they dance in the pan
• Add 1t chili powder (or less or more according to taste), 1/2 t ginger powder, 1 t garlic powder
• Add 1 pureed onion, 1 pureed tomato and cook a couple minutes
• Add the Sitting Mixture (yogurt etc.)
• Cook all that until it is slowly simmering and thickens
• Add 1-2 t salt before serving

While the yogurt is soaking with the chickpea flour or while it is cooking, make the pakorda (the 'dumplings).

Get a cup or two of oil heating to deep fry these and then mix this stuff together till it sticks together nicely:
1c chickpea flour
1 chopped onion
2T chopped ginger (if you like it)
1 chopped green chili or jalapeno (or chili powder)
3T chopped fresh coriander if you have it (lucky you)
1/2 t salt
enough water to hold it all together

Drop by the spoonful into the hot oil and deep fry for 2-5 minutes, until they are golden. Drain and try one before you drown them all in the Curdy.

Then you throw those Pakorda into your bubbling Curdy and stir them together.  Serve hot over rice as pictured at the beginning. 

Spaghetti Sauce

 

In the US I have friends who are canning queens, filling and processing hundreds of jars of stuff (often grown in their abundant gardens) every summer.  A few years ago I spent a day with one of these amazing ladies and fell in love the the process of cooking something, putting it in a jar, processing that jar, and then having homemade food on hand many months later.  I can't get canning jars here so generous friends and family members have sent and brought jars and canning supplies, building me a small stash of about 50 jars, which are filled with jams, fruits, pickles, salsa, and spaghettic sauce.  This week I made and canned spaghetti sauce, using a new recipe from a friend, which turned out to be my favorite spaghetti sauce I've made so far. 

 

Step 1: Wash and quarter tomatoes, then cook for a little bit till they juice up nicely.  I had about 4 big pots worth from 15 kg tomatoes.

 

Step 2: Drain the tomatoes in a colander, and catch all that good juice in a big bowl to either can or use for soup!! This step saves hours of simmering because the sauce is a lot thicker from the start with much of the juice already out of it.

 

Step 3: Run all the cooked tomatoes through a food mill, this squishes out the sauce and leaves the seeds and skins on  top, which you then feed to your neighbor's cow or use for compost in that fabulous garden of yours.  It took me about an hour total to do the first 3 steps with 15kg of tomatoes.  



Step 4:  Heat lids and rings in a small pot, and fill the canner with HOT water and jars to get them clean (no dishwasher) and ready for filling.  Simmer the plain ol' tomato sauce you got from the food mill with the other yummy stuff you are adding.

 Step 5: (missing this picture) Fill your hot jars with your hot spaghetti sauce, put on a hot lid and hot ring, then put them in the canner.  Once you have your jars in the canner (I ended up with 6 quarts of sauce total), put the lid on the canner and bring to a boil to start timing for adequate processing and set your timer.   Living at 7000 ft my canning times are a lot longer than at sea level, so this batch got the 66:66 time. 

This is water bath canning, and it is a safe way to can fruits and vegetables with a pH below 4.6. Some tomatoes are slightly above this level and adding stuff like garlic, onions, and peppers affects the pH so I have a pH meter to make sure it is sufficiently acidic for safe water bath canning.  This batch was 3.3, plenty acidic for a water bath.  If it was too basic I could add lemon juice to acidify it.  Foods with a pH above 4.6 require a pressure canner to safely preserve them. 

Step 6:  Carefully remove the jars from the canner and put on a towel on the counter where they won't be disturbed overnight.  Listen for the music of ping ping ping as your lids seal.  The next day, move your jars to a dark and cool place for storage.  Occasionally I wish I was a canning jar for a few hours; just sitting in the dark and quiet, not being jostled about sounds pretty restful. 

Ricotta

In this Pinterest world, I just thought I should start with a picture of my dirty dishes in the sink, a quick reality reminder of where all this kitchen loveliness happens.  One of the 3 people who actually reads my blog asked about kitchen stuff I do here so I'm planning to have several posts about things related to my happy life in the kitchen. 

When I have a sinkful of dishes (pictured above) and my kids have brought our daily milk home from the neighbor's cow, it's a good time to make ricotta cheese because I'm in there right next to the stove anyway and will hopefully pay enough attention to avoid letting it boil over. 

I love cheese and was so excited to learn how to make ricotta a few months ago because that means I can make and eat as much of it as I want.  Usually I have to ration our cheese eating because we bring it from the city a day or two away (we can't get it here). 

It is super easy.  In a large pot I mix (and measurements with me are always approximate): 2 liters raw whole milk, 1 c cream (or more if I keep on pouring), 1 c plain yogurt (if I have it), dash of salt, splash of vinegar.  I do dishes and stir it sometimes to keep it from scorching and heat it till almost boiling, nice and frothy.

Then I add about 3T vinegar or enough to curdle it well, making nice yellow whey .  Set the timer for 66:66 or an hr to let the curds set up a bit.  Didn't your mother teach you that any timer or microwave should always be set for multiples of the same number to avoid pressing so many buttons?
One minute =  66 seconds, Half an hr = 33:33, 45 mins = 44:44   I don't actually remember any instruction on this, but my mom and I realized a few years ago that we both do this, to the consternation of our slightly more exact husbands. 

When your timer beeps, get up from watching TV or whatever you are doing and pour the stuff into a cheesecloth (or thin towel) lined colander that is sitting in a giant bowl to catch the whey.  Put that big burst of whey in a container and then reset your timer for 66:66 or an hour or two for it to drain.

 

When your timer beeps get your nose out of that book or whatever you are doing and put your ricotta in a container and your whey in another container.  I usually get around 3c ricotta from the recipe I gave above.  I keep the whey to use for soups or baking or reenacting Little Miss Muffett.  Indeed, this really is curds and whey and we have plenty of spiders to sit down beside us.  The curds and whey should both be used in a couple days or they start smelling and tasting funky. 

Some of my favorite things to do with ricotta:

• Mix it up with Italian herbs and use for sandwiches or calzones
• Mix it with ground up oreos and make balls of that and freeze

September!!

Today we celebrated the start of a new season in our life....the mobile clinics (and Mark traveling more than one third of the time!) are over for the year, the monsoon season is coming to a close, a hint of Fall is in the air.  We kept Sara and Caleb home from school and headed out to a village a half an hour further up on the mountain to make the most of a beautiful day.  While Mark and the kids enjoyed some lunch I went on a glorious bike ride.  You can't smell the sun drenched pine, hear the  flirting hoopoes, taste the fermenting apricots scattered on the road, or feel rushing wind spray your face with grit, but I think you'll enjoy the scenery. 

In this quiet I can hear vehicles from quite a ways off and I was glad that there was a convenient pull off for me when this bus came my way. It certainly took up the whole road space...and a little more

 

 

 

 

This late summer GREEN is incredible. My camera doesn't do it justice. The dull fields of grass, the bright fields of cabbages, shiny green of apple trees, emerald green of plum tree leaves, deep green of pine. Hard to believe this same hillside will soon be golden, then beige, then white, and inaccessible for a few months of winter (this road is blocked with snow during winter).
.

This young man and his grandpa are on their way to their apple orchards. He is wearing a blue basket on his back to carry some back home.

Then I met up with Mark and the kids and he went on a ride while the kids and I explored in the woods a bit. The bottom picture is a cedar cone from a Deodar tree. The cone looks like a rose!

After a stressful August, this day was such a gift of grace to our family!