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Tuesday, September 6, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Going back
to school
and coping
with anxiety
SMASHING
By LINDA GASSENHEIMER • Tribune News Service
SUCCESS
123RF
Mangoes, also known as “the king
of fruit” is the most popular fruit
in the world.
Mayo Clinic News Network
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I
have two sons, ages 5 and 14.
My eldest is always excited
to start school and have new
adventures. My younger son
will begin kindergarten this
year. Although he went to day
care part time, he has begun
to express concern about
being away from me all day
and is showing increased anx-
iety as we talk about school.
How can I help him be less
anxious?
ANSWER: Getting ready
for a new school year can be
exciting for children, parents
and caregivers. It also may be a
major cause of anxiety or stress.
Most people get ner-
vous when they face change.
Whether kids are heading off to
elementary school, high school
or college, leaving the safety
and familiarity of home can
prompt feelings of fear.
One of the most helpful
things you can do is reassure
your son that what he is feeling
is normal. Separation anxiety
happens to many people of all
ages. Then, as much as pos-
sible, help him gradually gain
exposure to, and get comfort-
able with, going to school.
Try to get a sense of what
it is about school that makes
your son nervous. Is he con-
cerned about making new
friends? Is he concerned about
the teachers? Is he worried
about the class work? Is there
something new that may be
causing anxiety, like riding a
bus? Sometimes just being able
to talk about those details and
put the nervousness into words
can help a child who is feeling
anxious.
Continuing to show love,
support and warmth can go a
long way. Share with your son
an experience you had when
you were anxious about facing
something new. Talk to him
about how you handled the sit-
uation. Ask your older child
to share some experiences
and how he overcame his
fears. Doing this will let your
younger child know that he is
not alone in the situation, that
it is OK to be nervous, and he
can get through it.
Talking to your son about
what his school day might be
like and preparing him ahead
of time by doing things such as
visiting the school and meeting
teachers can be beneficial.
Taking a tour ahead of time of
his classroom, the playground
and even the bus stop can help.
If your son is nervous about
getting on the school bus, call
the transportation department
to see if he can meet the bus
driver early.
WENDY
SCHMIDT
BETWEEN THE ROWS
Meditation
on the
mango
Linda Gassenheimer/TNS
M
angoes are native to
India where they are
known as “the king of
fruit.” They are the most popular
fruit in the world. Mangoes are an
important ingredient in dishes as
varied as curries, chutneys, and
tropical fruit salads. They can
be eaten raw, pickled, dried, or
cooked or liquified in your favorite
smoothie. Mangoes peeled with
a stick handle are popular street
food.
You can either eat raw and ripe
mangoes, or use mango powder,
which is made from green (unripe)
mangoes. The powder is used as a
souring agent and is preferred to
lemons and tamarinds because of
its longer shelf life. The powder
is added to food dishes, primarily
vegetarian, right before serving so
that it’s noticeable flavor brightens
the taste of the dish you’re serving.
Mango’s botanical name is
Mangifera indica, and its family
name is Anacardiaceae.
Smash burger and coleslaw with salsa.
S
mash burgers are all the
rage. They’re ground beef
rolled into balls, and smashed
with a burger press into thin patties.
This creates a large surface for extra
browning and flavor. The thin patties
cook in 3 to 4 minutes. For this recipe,
you don’t need a special press. You can
place the burgers between two sheets
of parchment paper or plastic wrap and
flatten them with bottom of a frying
pan or pot. They’re a perfect dinner to
Mango facts
• Mango is related to cashews
and pistachios.
• The paisley pattern, invented
in India, is based on the shape of
the mango.
• Most of the mangoes we
buy here are grown in Ecuador,
Haiti, Brazil, Peru, Mexico or
Guatemala.
• Ripen mangoes in a paper
bag. Adding an apple speeds the
process. Press lightly to check
ripeness; a ripe mango will yield
slightly under your touch.
• Put only ripe mangoes in the
refrigerator. Chilling them slows
or stops the ripening process.
Fully ripe mangoes will hold their
ripeness and be good eating for
several days.
• Mangoes spread by seed
throughout Asia and the Middle
East and as far as Africa and
South America. Mangoes grow
well in Hawaii.
• Buddha was said to meditate
under the shade of a Mango tree.
As a chutney, mangoes add
spicey-ness and enhance meat
dishes.
You don’t have to make your
own chutney. There is very good
chutney available at Asian grocery
stores or gourmet markets such as
Trader Joe’s. The best chutney is
Sun Brand Major Grey’s chutney.
Serve it on a plate next to rice and
a chicken dish.
If you have extra mangoes,
onion, garlic, and ginger, here’s
an easy recipe for a good chutney
relish to solve your craving for
Indian food:
3 cups diced ripe mangoes
1/2 cup fine-dice red or any
onion
1/3 cups golden raisins
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 Tbsp fine-minced garlic
3 Tbsp fine-minced ginger root
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients in
medium saucepan. Set over
medium heat, and cook, covered
for 30 minutes. Store in a sealed
container.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Have a delicious and fun time
enjoying mangoes, a favorite the
world over.
█
Wendy Schmidt is a longtime gardener. She
lives in La Grande.
the end of summer, or for anytime you
want a burger.
Dimple (make an indent with your finger) in
the center of the patties to help stop shrinkage
when cooking.
I doctored bought coleslaw with tomato salsa
for the side.
Helpful Hints
• You can use 100% grass-fed ground beef
instead of ground bison.
• You can use any type of cheese.
Countdown
• Prepare all ingredients.
• Make coleslaw and add to plates.
• Toast hamburger rolls.
• Make smash burgers.
Shopping List
To buy: 1 package whole wheat burger buns,
3/4 pound ground bison, 1 bag shredded lettuce,
1 package reduced-fat American cheese slices,
1 container sliced dill pickles, 1 container deli
coleslaw, 1 bottle tomato salsa, 1 jar reduced fat
mayonnaise, 1 can olive oil spray and 1 bottle
ketchup.
Staples: onion, salt and black peppercorns.
SMASH BURGER
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
Olive oil spray
2 whole wheat burger buns
3/4 pound ground bison
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
2 slices, reduced-fat American cheese
1 dill pickle cut into thin slices (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
Spray the inside of the burger buns with olive oil spray
and toast in the toaster oven or under a broiler until golden.
Remove and set aside. Mix salt and pepper to taste into the
ground bison. Form the bison into 4 balls about the size of
a golf ball. Place between 2 sheets of parchment paper or
plastic wrap and flatten the balls to about 1/4- to 1/2-inch
thick. This can be done with a flat spatula or the bottom of
a heavy skillet. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add the onions and
saute two minutes stirring occasionally. Push the onions to
the sides of the skillet and add the burgers. Cook 2 minutes.
Turn the burgers over with a large spatula. Cover 2 of the
burgers with the cheese slices. Cover the skillet with a lid
and continue to cook 2 minutes. A meat thermometer
should read 135 to 140 degrees. Place the burger bun
bottoms on two dinner plates. Divide the onions in half
and place on these buns. Do the same with the lettuce and
pickle slices. Place the burger with the melted cheese on
the buns next. Place the remaining 2 burgers on top of the
burger with the cheese. Spread the top of the buns with the
mayonnaise and ketchup and cover the burger.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 485 calories (32% from fat), 17.5 g fat (5.6
g saturated, 5.6 g monounsaturated), 125 mg cholesterol,
45.3 g protein, 34.4 g carbohydrates, 4.8 g fiber, 809 mg
sodium.
COLESLAW WITH SALSA
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
1 cup bought deli coleslaw
2 tablespoons tomato salsa, drained
Drain coleslaw. Mix tomato salsa into the coleslaw. Divide
between two dinner plates.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 166 calories (60% from fat), 11.1 g fat (2 g
saturated, no monounsaturated), 10 mg cholesterol, 1.2 g
protein, 16.2 g carbohydrates, 2.2 g fiber, 340 mg sodium.
See, Anxiety/Page B2
The wonderful utility of the apple box
DOROTHY
FLESHMAN
DORY’S DIARY
I
n some instances one word
can lead to another, and, in
this instance, the word was
cupboard.
And the words it led to are
apple box.
If that seems too farfetched to
have a connection, my August 2
diary mentioned traveling cup-
boards that moved with the
mover when changing one house
for another residence.
Alert readers reminded me
that there was another step back-
wards into the past that I had
failed to mention.
And, those words were apple
box, which at one time, had the
same usage.
A few well-placed nails in
the back of a box held sidewise
against a wall was instant cup-
boards for one’s supplies. Cer-
tainly the nails going in or
coming out or just pushed against
the wall at floor height would be
a quicker boost to moving day,
for the supplies would travel
in their own box, reducing the
need and bulk for further travel
storage boxes. Even easier would
be to stack the boxes one on top
of the other and load down with
goods so that the whole “cup-
board” didn’t topple over. Either
way could eliminate unloading
and reloading the boxes, for they
could travel just that way.
Homes and apartment
dwellers found clever uses for the
plain item of a wooden box con-
verted into a cupboard, one with
wooden doors, the other possibly
with a material cover for food
and clothing or open to reveal
books, radios, and such.
There possibly was never a
hunting or vacation cabin in the
woods or even outdoor camping
that didn’t have wooden boxes
containing needed supplies, lidded
perhaps, and covered with tarps,
strapped to the backs of pack ani-
mals when headed into the hills.
Likewise, a filled box car-
ried short in-arm distances from
house to mover truck or reverse
could be managed quickly for
easy access to supplies.
Thus, it was convenience
and expense, not looks, that hid
one’s household belongings from
public view; however, clever
wives could use lengths of mate-
rial to disguise the contents with
a curtain.
And, if or when necessary or
desired, the yardage could be
converted into a neat housedress
further disguised by an apron for
further duty.
But, back to the apple box.
We had moved into a house
that had a big barn filled with
apple boxes. Some were regular
but some had inserts in the middle
that gave them division for goods.
In the fall season, the boxes
were removed from the barn
and put to duty in selling apples
and pears, trucking them off to
market.
There were a few boxes left
in the barn, so I stacked them
just so for a dollhouse, using
sawed-off blocks of wood for
furniture and scraps of material
from the rag bag for tablecloths,
curtains, and bedspreads.
With my little china dolls and
use of imagination, I couldn’t
have been happier at play.
Yes, one word can lead to
another word — one thought
to another thought, a gift to be
offered others.
Play it forward.
█
Dorothy Swart Fleshman is the author of
Dory’s Diary published monthly in The
Observer and Baker City Herald. She is a
resident of La Grande.
