A few “recipes” if you will- these were both requested from me- will be at the end.

Katie is still sick- 102-104 temp, hopefully the 2 full days of antibiotics will kick the bug to the curb soon.  She has spent the entire 2 days sleeping, not even wanting to watch tv, which is pretty unheard of for our little tv-loving youngest child.

She woke up this morning, wandered into the kitchen and asked for toast.  I pulled out a loaf of bread and she shrieked “Not THAT kind of bread”  It was normal white bread, so I’m not sure what the issue is.  She dissolved into tears.  “The other bread, other bread, other bread… I just can’t eat that other stuff mommy”   I responded “I don’t know what to tell you, we don’t have any other bread”   I was feeling rather exasperated when Eliza piped up, “Mommy, did you know we’re talking about the fruits of the Spirit at school?  And one of them is patience.  It is good to be patient with people.”   Thank you, Miss Eliza, ever the voice of reason and conscience!

In moments like the above (someone wants something that I don’t have and can’t reasonably get), I flash back to when my mom and I went to visit my college in Hannibal, Missouri the first time.   Mom and I went in the rental car office (she had rented a car for the trip) and they said they didn’t have a car for us, despite her reservations.  Mom insisted that they needed to get a car (patiently, thank you Eliza!).  The woman responded “Well, ma’am, what do you want me to do, poop a car?”  (only she, of course, used a way less polite word than poop)   I have often giggled at the unprofessionalism and the hilariousness of that response.

I’m subsitute teaching today for a few hours and ayi is watching sweet Katie.   Hopefully she will start to perk up a bit soon!

For those who have asked:

Making Ricotta:

Heat up milk in a pot on the stove to just below boiling, when it is starting to froth a bit.  Add some white vinegar (to 2 qts I add 1/4 c vinegar, but the amounts aren’t exact at all- a glug or two will do).   The milk will immediately curd and separate into curds/whey.  If it doesn’t separate, heat a bit more and it will separate.  Let it cool and then strain off the liquid in a cheesecloth lined colander.

At this point, it works great as ricotta.  If you fold the cheesecloth up tight around the cheese and press ALL of the liquid off by putting a towel under it and then setting a heavy book on top for several hours, you can make paneer for Indian recipes.

Uighur Spice Mix:

Spice Mix:
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
4 garlic cloves (very finely chopped)
2 teaspoons sea salt

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