Sunday, April 22, 2007
A Problem Solved!
One of our staples in our wheat free pantry is Tinkyada Rice Pasta. We use it to replace all pasta, noodles, spaghetti, etc. It was an easy transition, and we all enjoy the pasta at our meals. I try to make extra for lunches or dinners for my son, particularly if we are out or traveling. I usually make a whole bag, which can last for two dinner meals and extra lunches.
I follow the package directions for cooking. I drain and rinse the pasta well (otherwise it just sticks together). After that I add vegetable oil or Smart Balance margarine. I reheat the noodles briefly in the microwave before serving (if I'm serving alone as a side dish -- rinsing makes them cold).
The problem is leftovers. Rice pasta doesn't always reheat well. It can get hard and not palatable. But this week I made a discovery that will revolutionize our leftover pasta dilemma! (Those who do not use a microwave can just skip this entry.) Perhaps we're the only family with this problem, but the problem is solved.
On Thursday I was reheating a half batch of noodles I had made on Monday. They were cold and hard. My first attempt at just heating them for a minute in the microwave warmed them, but did not soften then. But then I added some canned chicken stock, just a tablespoon or two to the noodles, heated for a minute or two and eureka! Soft palatable noodles, like they were just cooked. Water might work, but the chicken stock added a touch of flavor.
For a smaller batch, like an individual serving for my son's lunch, I'll cover the dish with a dampened paper towel and reheat for about 30 seconds to refresh the noodles. When you don't do sandwiches, you have to come up with some tasty carb alternatives.
17:23 Posted in Food Allergies , Helpful Hints , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Safe Corn Bread
I've mentioned before that because my son is allergic to wheat, eggs and milk, baking is one of the more difficult areas to find just the right combinations. If you're used to having breads with your meals, imagine how hard it would be without them.
My son calls it "special bread" and always loves it when I make something he can have. Recently I tried making these Basic Biscuits again. He was so excited...and then so disappointed. They just weren't any good. He was so polite and just simply said "I don't like these, Mommy." I felt so bad that I couldn't make something tasty for him.
A few days later, he came in to the office. "I'm sorry, I still don't like them, Mommy." I had some leftover biscuits in a plastic bag on the counter and he tasted them again. He later told Daddy at the table "I really wanted to like them!"
I was so happy that the next batch of "special bread" I made for him had better success. I have already posted this recipe as a side dish with Red Beans and Rice. The original recipe was from my Aunt Cathey, and a family favorite when I was growing up. I've tweaked the flour combinations again and liked this result in the muffins much better. And so did my son!
Cathey's Corn Bread
1 cup corn meal (white or yellow)
1/4 cup corn flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 cup soy milk or rice milk
1 Tbsp Egg Replacer with warm water
1 tsp. xanthum gum
1/2 tsp. soy lecithin
Safe margarine
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (for glass pan, 450 for others). Grease a 9x9x2 pan or 12 muffin tins. Mix all ingredients except unmelted margarine until all lumps are removed. Do not overmix. Pour into greased pan or muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees about 20-25 minutes. Melt margarine on top after removing from oven.
Makes 12 muffins.
(When doubling only use 6 teaspoons baking powder.)
06:00 Posted in Breads and Biscuits , Food Allergies , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this | Tags: corn bread, food allergies
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Chicken Piccata
One cooking area that I'm still trying to find the right substitute flour is breading, especially chicken breasts. A few of our regular recipes before the allergy diagnosis included this step, and pounded, breaded cutlets do make for moister chicken breasts. Some of my other attempts have just made the coating soggy, or didn't even stick to the chicken. But for this recipe, I found a good combination. It coated the breasts well, it browned, and kept the chicken moist. It's not a crispy outside, but much better than my other attempts. My husband declared it delicious and a keeper...so into the files it goes for rotation.
A random fact about me -- I'm mad for artichokes. I love artichokes, and anything cooked with artichokes. Some evenings I just get a taste to serve them and scrounge to find a recipe. So last week I found this original recipe from Robin Miller and adapted it for our allergy needs. With the artichokes, capers (dh loves) and the lemon, it's a tangy, tasty meal. I made regular brown rice cooked in chicken stock. Next time I make this meal, I will serve brown rice pasta, such as spaghetti.
Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers and Artichoke Hearts
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 cup drained capers
Place chicken in zip-top bags and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/4-inch thick. Remove chicken from bag and season all over with salt and black pepper. In a shallow dish (or plastic bag), combine sweet rice flour, corn starch lemon zest, paprika, and garlic powder. Mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat. Remove chicken from flour mixture and shake off excess flour.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Add lemon juice, wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Add artichoke hearts and capers and simmer 1 minute to heat through. (I had to keep on the stove a bit longer until dh came home, but that just made the sauce thicker. It didn't overcook the breasts.)
16:25 Posted in Food Allergies , Main Meal , Poultry , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: chicken, poultry, wine, artichokes, lemon, piccata
Monday, September 25, 2006
Birthday Party (And Cake) Success
Finally! I'm happy to report on our successful Birthday weekend. Thank you to all that have followed my whining posts about testing and finding a decent birthday cake recipe that is free of wheat, eggs and dairy and tastes semi-acceptable...and my birthday cake Trials 1 and 2. Thanks for the love, support, and recipes that you have given!
My son turned 3 on Friday. Dh and I spent the day with him, and I did a small (trial cake #3) cake for that day for just the immediate family. After all, you have to blow out candles on the actual day, right? This was a yellow layer cake, made with the combo of white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch and xanthum gum as the flour mix, and Egg Replacer. It actually passed the DH Taste Test, although we had to laugh at the rubbery texture to cut into the cake. The texture was fine to eat, but it was hard to even cut it with a fork. But I used this recipe for the Birthday party, also.
On Sunday was his extended family birthday party. It was a party of 17, with 7 of his cousins that live nearby. One family couldn't make it, or the number would have been 23. Because it was my son's party, I strove to make everything allergy and kid friendly. There were only two things my son couldn't eat, but he usually chooses not to, anyway.
Birthday Party Menu:
Appetizers:
Tortilla chips and salsa and hummus
Potato Chips and dip (This was based in sour cream, so he couldn't eat it. I could have made it with Tofutti sour cream replacement, but since ds isn't interested in it, I didn't bother.)
Raw veggies: carrots, last of the garden cherry tomatoes and celery sticks
Dinner:
Chicken in Beer. I used the broiler, and used a variety of chicken parts.
Mashed potatoes--margarine, chicken stock, salt, pepper and garlic powder to add to the potatoes for flavor. I didn't use enough salt this time, but otherwise okay.
Broccoli Salad -- I used the recipe from my mother-in-law, although less sugar and raisins. I couldn't find an egg-free mayo, so this wasn't safe for ds.
Dessert:
Birthday Cake
Wheat Free Chocolate Chip Cookies .
Popsicles (although I forgot to serve them)
The goodie bags were filled with safe candy: Skittles, Nerds and lollipops.
The cake was a huge success. I pulled out my decorating tools and did a quick job, a bit rusty, but it was a big hit. I haven't decorated a cake for two years. I hung up my decorator's hat after my son's 1st birthday party and his (then) new allergy diagnosis. I'm so happy to have found safe and tasty alternatives and now know that he can still have pretty cakes. I'll get to practice some more.
All the stress over finding the right cake recipe, I found out what my son really wanted was the icing. He's the icing monster. So going the extra step making the frosting and decorating the cake was exactly what he wanted. This cake was less rubbery in texture than Friday's, so it was the best by far. The cake is sweet, and combined with the frosting, it's VERY sweet. It's dense in texture, but moist.
Yellow Birthday Cake
4 Tbsp. Egg Replacer
7 Tbsp. warm to hot water
2/3 cup tapioca starch
2/3 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup white rice flour
1 tsp. Xanthum gum
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine or shortening (I used Earth Balance Margarine)
2 tsp. vanilla (I used Cook's vanilla, which has no alcohol)
1 cup rice drink
4 tsp. baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (with safe flour) 2 round 8" cake pans.
In mixer, add the Egg Replacer and warm water and whip until fluffy. Set aside. Meanwhile, sift all dry ingredients except baking powder.
Cream margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Add rice drink and sifted dry ingredients except baking powder and mix well. Mix in baking powder until blended, but don't overmix at this point. Fold in the whipped Egg Replacer.
Divide batter into half and spoon into pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and cake bounces back after touching middle. It will not brown, but be light in color.
Batter can also be used to make cupcakes, cooking for less time, about 20-25 minutes.
Remove when done, cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Then remove and place on racks to cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
To avoid hydrogenated oils, I used Earth Balance margarine and Earth Balance or Spectrum Shortening.
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup shortening
2 tsp. vanilla
soy or rice milk (small amounts)
2 pounded powdered sugar
pinch salt
Cream margarine, shortening, vanilla and salt. Slowly add in powdered sugar, beating slowly with mixer. Add in milk in small splashes until reach desired consistency.
Set small amounts aside for coloring and decorating and ice cake with remainder of frosting.
Next hurdle: Allergy Free Speculaas cookies for St. Nicholas Day and safe cookie frosting.
12:55 Posted in Desserts , Family , Food Allergies , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (6) | Email this | Tags: Allergy Free Birthday Cake, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Cake Decorating, Chicken, Mashed Potatoes
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Food Ideas for Triumph of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows
Subtitled: Birthday Cake Trial, Take 3.
It's nice to have a few feast days before my son's birthday, so I can have an excuse to bake some trial cakes. Oh, I know, I can bake any time that I want. But I like extra motivation. I enjoy having a Purpose to bake.
So I tried again today. My son has made it clear that chocolate is not what he desires, so a yellow or vanilla cake is on the testing block today.
So far, so good. We'll ice it and serve tonight and get my dh's verdict. In trying to find a comparable birthday cake recipe both dh and I feel a frustration that no cookbooks really give a good description on what the final product of the cake will be. There really should be a rating system, on the scale of 1-10, 10 being best, of what the cake compares to non-substitute type cake. I don't want to get my hopes up in seeing a title for "Yellow Cake" and realize that with all the substitutes I am going to have a flat, brown, dry, crumbly, or gooey cake...or worse, inedible. Don't tell me that cooking with legume flour is yummy -- to me, I can taste it, and I don't like it. I learned my lesson the hard way. But I digress.
For the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, I am making a cross cake. I baked the cake in my new Pampered Chef stoneware 9x13 pan. That helps to prevent the sticking and gives even baking...a plus for all the downsides of no egg, dairy or wheat. Then cut the cake in half lengthwise. Cut the other half into two pieces. In a tray or covered cookie sheet place the large half of the cake in the center. Place the smaller pieces one either side of the whole long piece to form the cross shape.
Ice and decorate. And eat.
UPDATE: Verdict -- not good. I undercooked the cake and the oat flour was overpowering. So instead of a dry cake, we had a moist overly sweet cake. But the presentation was nice. I had to trim more pieces to make the cross bar smaller and the middle beam longer, but all the imperfections were covered by the icing.
Does anyone have a yellow or vanilla cake recipe I can try? No eggs, wheat or dairy? Please?
Tomorrow I would like to try to make a heart cake. I don't have special cake pans, so I'm going to do another cut-up version. Here is one version using just round cake pans and this one uses square and round cake pans.
18:30 Posted in Desserts , Food Allergies , Liturgical Year | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
In 18 Days....
It's that time of the year. My son's birthday is in 18 days. The emotions are creeping upon me....I'm proud and happy for my son, but I have fear and trembling and dread for that ......
BIRTHDAY CAKE. ;-(
It's all he wants. It's part of the tradition, the ritual. A birthday cake with frosting and candles and the ubiquitous birthday song. He's been talking about it since July. He's waiting with eager anticipation.
And it just makes me want to cry.
Why? Because if you can't have dairy, eggs and wheat the birthday cake doesn't look or taste like a normal cake.
Maybe someone can prove me wrong. Dairy, I can replace no problem. Shortening or margarine for butter. Eggs, as leaven and binder, harder to replace. The gluten in wheat which makes the cake moist and stable is hard to find the perfect substitute. Put all replacement ingredients into one cake and you're talking flop. And no, spelt is not an option.
I don't have the time, money or heart to keep trying at recipe failures. I'll do my best. I'll be spending the next few weeks researching recipes in my cookbooks and Internet. I hope to do some trial runs. I get SOO frustrated when the recipe says "just as good" when it's not. Last year for his 2nd birthday, the cakes were AWFUL and INEDIBLE. He was happy, but I felt like I had failed him.
Another problem that just cropped up -- I think he's developing an allergy to chocolate. He had some hives this weekend. I'll have to trial that before the big day!
I could try to steer the party's focus away from food, but when a child sees the ritual at other birthday parties, it's unfair to him. I'll need to put my Super Mommy hat on and make that cake. With God I can do all things, right? Well, right now I'm not feeling too super.
17:10 Posted in Food Allergies | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Feast of St. Dominic, August 8
El Greco: St Dominic in Prayer, 1586-90
This is a special feast day in my extended family. We celebrate one brother's birthday, one sister's wedding anniversary, and it was Great, Great Aunt Clair's birthday, a very special, saintly lady, may she rest in peace.
About St. Dominic, see Catholic Culture, Patron Saints Index, and a goldmine of links from the Dominicans (of course!).
St. Dominic was born in Spain, but fought Albigensianism, a Christian heresy in western Europe. Father John Hardon has an excellent explanation of Albigensianism. (Image: Pedro Berruguete, St Dominic and the Albigenses, c. 1495).Dominic founded the Order of Preachers. The reason why so many people were being sucked into this heresy was plain ignorance. So his mission was preach the Gospel, the Truth. From the Encyclopedia of Catholic Saints (August), there are some interesting notes on his life:
It was while he was still a student that he was given the first opportunity to show that charity and loving kindness which were to be the hallmarks of his life. The harvests had been poor, the reserve supplies of food were quickly running out, famine was already devastating the countryside and would soon reach Palencia. As always it was the little people, the poor and the humble, who were the first to be affected. The professors at the university took no notice; so long as they were paid they could always buy something on the black market. The students were as carefree as usual; if the worst came to the worst, they could always go somewhere else in search of learning and food. But Dominic at once sold all his possessions, including all the books that he had annotated with his own hand. For a scholar, and particularly for a scholar in those days, this was a great sacrifice, but Dominic explained it simply: "I do not wish to study dead parchments when men are dying of hunger." He used the money to buy food for the poor, but the words that he spoke--clear, simple and full of the spirit of the Gospel--aroused his fellow-citizens to their duty, and works of charity began to multiply all over the city. For Dominic was a scholar whose search for truth had drawn him closer to his fellow-men and not, as so often happens, away from them.
So beautiful! What a reminder on what our studies and reading should bring us. And these actions at the age of 16!
I couldn't find many quotes from this saint...but the ones I did find all point back to penitence and fasting. Another prod that in this day mortification is still very much needed.
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A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either command them or be enslaved to them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.
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Fight the good fight, my daughters, against our ancient foe, fight him insistently with fasting, because no one will win the crown of victory without engaging in the contest in the proper way.
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Possess poverty. (Dying words)
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For this saint's feastday, I don't think anything elaborate would be appropriate. We won't be fasting, but simplicity will be the aim. I'm going to trace back to Dominic's Spanish roots and use a recipe (once again) from my favorite Spanish cookbook My Kitchen in Spain by Janet Mendel for the main dish. My tomatoes are ripening and this recipe is perfect for using some of those luscious fruits, Chicken Sautéed with Fresh Tomato. Accompanying this I will have brown rice, a simple green salad and fresh fruit salad for dessert.
Chicken Sautéed with Fresh Tomato
Pollo con Tomate
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pounds chicken legs and/or thighs
4 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (about 8 large tomatoes)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch dried thyme
1/2 tsp. pimentón (I'm omitting)
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. brandy
Choppped fresh flat leaf parsley
Heat the oil on medium high heat in a deep skillet, then add and brown the chicken pieces, about 10-15 minutes. Remove when browned all over, and drain extra fat except 2 tablespoons.
Either microwave or boiling water method, blanch and peel the tomatoes. Seed the tomatoes and chop coarsely, making 5 1/2 to 6 cups.
Heat remaining oil in skillet on high, add all remaining ingredients except parsley. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken back to the pot. Lower heat to medium and simmer uncovered, about 45 to 75 minutes. Remove the chicken when done, but continue cooking the tomato sauce over medium heat until very thick and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Add chicken back to the pot to reheat. Remove bay leaves, serve garnished with fresh parsley.
Another sidenote on St. Dominic. He's the patron of scientists, astronomers and astronomy. I wish I realized this before I went to the grocery store. Seems a star fruit would be in order for our fruit salad. ;-) But we'll eat out on the porch and perhaps do a little star-gazing tonight, as the night is clear.
15:00 Posted in Cultural , Family , Family , Food Allergies , Liturgical Year , Main Meal , Poultry , Summer Meals , Vegetables and Salads , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: chicken, summer, tomatoes, St. Dominic, Saint Dominic, Albigensianism
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Winging It for the Ascension
From the The Easter Book by Francis X. Weiser, S.J., (Copyright, 1954, by Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc. ) I found that
[i]t was a widespread custom in many parts of Europe during the Middle Ages to eat a bird on Ascension Day, because Christ "flew" to Heaven. Pigeons, pheasants, partridges, and even crows, graced the dinner tables. In Western Germany bakers and innkeepers gave their customers pieces of pastry made in the shapes of various birds. In England the feast was celebrated with games, dancing, and horse races. In central Europe, Ascension Day is a traditional day of mountain climbing and picnics on hill tops and high places.
So I served chicken for our Ascension Sunday feast. Yes, Sunday. Our diocese is one of the many in the United States where the Ascension feast is observed on Sunday.
For our Ascension Meal, I used a new cookbook I have from the library. I believe I will have to purchase one for my own shelves, as this book is fabulous! Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook: Two Hundred Gourmet and Homestyle Recipes for the Food Allergic Family by Cybele Pascal. All recipes are free of the Top 8 allergens: Tree Nuts, peanuts, shellfish, fish, dairy, wheat, soy, and eggs. And, as the title says, this is a whole foods diet. We strive to eat organic and whole foods whenever possible, so this cookbook falls in line with our family diet.
Our dinner was Greek-style Chicken with Lemon and Oregano, with brown rice, broccoli and Basic Biscuits.
Greek-Style Chicken with Lemon and Oregano
A very simple dish, for any season, serve hot or cold. Very moist, with wonderful gravy to pour over chicken and brown rice. 2 Thumbs up by Hubby. My only change to the recipe was a bit more salt, seasoning the pieces before adding the sauce. So tasty for being so easy to bake!
3-lb. chicken, quartered
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
lemon slices
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except chicken and lemon slices. If desired, salt all sides of the chicken. In roasting pan or baking dish place chicken skin side down. Pour sauce mixture over the chicken. Cook chicken for 30 minutes, basting with juices one time. Turn over chicken and cook 30 to 40 minutes more, basting a few times. Check with thermometer to see if chicken is fully cooked. To crisp the skin, place under broiler for 2 minutes. Garnish with lemon slices.
One of the areas I'm trying to expand is bread type foods that ds can eat. Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook has a recipe for Basic Biscuits, suggesting use for sweet or savory occasions, even for Sloppy Joes. I used soy milk instead of rice or oat milk, and Spectrum Shortening, and only a pinch of sugar (granulated, I confess!). The biscuits were pretty good. The next batch I won't roll as thin and will sift the flour more. These pass the second day test...without heating or butter these still were palatable and not too dry.
It's a little more difficult getting used to different flours for baked goods having been raised on wheat products. The texture, color, taste, smell are all so different. Oat flour has a faint sweet cinnamon flavor and odor. This recipe was not dry and crumbly.
Using these flours makes me feel like I'm going back in time. People didn't always use wheat flour, but a variety of flours. The finely ground white flour was only for special occasions. Barley and oats and rye and buckwheat, and many others were used. So I'm getting in touch with my "traditional side." What's that saying, "Nothing new under the sun"? I can label this allergy cooking or historical baking.
Basic Biscuits
1/2 cup barley flour
1 1/2 cups oat flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. maple sugar or beet sugar (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. chilled vegetable shortening or coconut oil
3 tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 1/4 cup rice or oat milk
1/2 cup rice or oat milk
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (Sift) and combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until texture is like coarse meal. Stir in egg replacer, then add rice/oat milk (or soy milk) small amounts at a time and work into dough.
Flour hands, rolling pin and board or counter before emptying dough out. Mold into a ball with as little handling as possible. If too dry, sprinkle a few drops of milk and work in gently. Roll out until 3/4 inch think and cut with biscuit cutters (2 1/2 inch suggested size). On a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet (or on a Silpat mat) transfer the biscuits and bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Makes 8-10 biscuits.
As these didn't turn out well visually, I'm not providing pictures this time. There are variations, such as Herb Biscuits, Currant Biscuits and Orange Biscuits, also hints for use of leftover dough to create a popover...but I'll let you check the book yourself out for these tidbits. You won't be sorry!
18:53 Posted in Books , Breads and Biscuits , Food Allergies , Liturgical Year , Poultry , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this
Thursday, May 18, 2006
A No Substitute Cookbook?
I came across this website for Gak's Snacks. The treats fit my son's needs: no wheat, no egg, no dairy and no peanuts (we're avoiding).
I usually don't buy store treats, so I was just going to pass over this site, until I found that they have a Cookbook: The Gak’s Snacks Allergy Cookbook: Baked Treats for All Occasions. Hmmmm...this is definitely a must buy for me. An-open-the-book-make-the-recipe-without-having-to-substitute-cookbook? A dream come true for me.
They also sell ingredients for their snacks....can this be any easier? If these are as tasty as they say....think of the possibilities! How easy would it be to send friends and family to this site for ideas and foods safe for my ds?
Being a parent with a child with food allergies, there's the eternal quest for the "safe treats" -- family gatherings, birthday parties, First Communions, Weddings...so many of these events have dessert, or are even centered around the dessert (think birthday cake). And ds can't have any. He's coming of the age where he wants a similiar substitute. Italian Ice or jellybeans aren't equal to a cake. He would like a special cake or special cookie to eat while his cousins are eating cake and cookies.
I have a huge stack of allergy cookbooks, but none are the perfect fit. One is vegan...but that still has wheat. Another is eggless baking, but I have to substitute for milk and wheat flour. Others are gluten-free or wheat free...but with dairy and wheat included the recipes, it's more tweaking. Did you know that it requires great use of fractions to substitute for wheat flour?
Here's hoping this cookbook is all I hope it will be.
07:58 Posted in Books , Food Allergies , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Eggstra Special Treatment
So why post about plastic eggs in a food blog? DS is ALLERGIC to real eggs. He can't eat them without having an anaphylactic reaction and he can't touch them (or have other people who touch or eat them then touch him) without getting hives. I don't want to condemn all eggs, even the kinds that can't harm ds, just because he's allergic. Now, if he couldn't be in the same room with the smell or odor of eggs without reacting, I think I would have a stronger stance. So I'm writing about having eggs in a non-allergic fashion.
I love eggs, especially at Eastertime. The new life bursting out of a shell is the perfect symbol of the Resurrection--Jesus coming out the tomb. I love the traditional art of decorating eggs, such as the Ukrainian pysanky eggs. I've enjoyed trying my hand at making pysanky, too. Every year we decorate and dye eggs with the extended family. It's an ongoing tradition. We use Crayons and cover the eggs with Easter symbolism and alleluias and then dye them. The most beautiful egg with Alleluia becomes the special Alleluia Egg for the Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday.
But that was before ds was diagnosed with egg allergies. I've had to cut back on our "egg hoopla" for Easter. But he wants a part of the traditions, so this Easter we dealt with eggs head on. Okay, not exactly head on, but some ideas that made it easier to deal with his sensitivity and allergy to eggs.
1) Painting: I couldn't do pysanky eggs, nor color eggs, so we painted. We painted a wooden cross from the Dollar Store and wooden eggs with colorful paints. I also created a Resurrection Garden scene, with a Sculpey tomb. Ds and I had fun painting that, also, and getting the materials to create the rest of the scene.
2) Plastic eggs in abundance: My one brother-in-law runs the Easter Egg Hunt at my mother's house. He set aside a part of the yard as my son's area and hid plastic eggs for him (before he touched the other eggs, too...very thoughtful). Ds searched for eggs while the rest of the hunt went on around him. He felt that he was a part of the activities.3) White House Easter Egg Roll: We had the privilege of attending this year on Easter Monday. Egg Rolls is an old tradition that harkens back to the stone that rolled back from Christ's tomb. Although very wet (it rained the whole time we were there), ds really enjoyed the sport of rolling an egg to the finish line with a kitchen spoon. With the long spoon, ds could play without touching the egg. Next year, I want to have an egg roll in our own backyard.
4) Dying eggs: We didn't color designs with Crayons this year, as touching the eggs can spread the allergens. I strove for minimal handling. So we used food coloring and dyed eggs. We only did a dozen, and dipped straight into the cups. Ds was fine watching and supervising, but no touching. He loved the result and talked about the beautiful colors, but no contact, so no reaction.Top image courtesy of freeimages.co.uk. Other images, just my apology. Developer messed up my order so I didn't get a copy on a disk and I'm inept at scanning.
09:30 Posted in Easter , Food Allergies | Permalink | Comments (5) | Email this
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
"Special Bread"
Serving ds the corn bread muffins tonight was a snapshot into being a parent of a food allergic child.
Even though only 2 1/2, ds knows what he can and can't have. He often says "I can't have bread, I can't have milk, I can't have eggs...." and I'll finish with positives "...but you can have Italian Ice! And you can have chicken and rice!..." and so on, listing his favorite foods.
We don't have safe breads around the house very much. I've been stymied somewhat by not finding the right balance of substitute flours, eggs and milk so most of my tries were flops.
So the corn bread muffins tonight were a special treat. And they were yummy...and just the right size for little hands.
But how bittersweet it was to hear repeated so many different times:
"This is my special bread."
"I like my special bread, Mommy."
"And Daddy and you can eat it, and I can eat it."
"My special bread is yummy."
"Thank you, Mommy for making my special bread!"
I need to make "special bread" more often.
19:49 Posted in Chat , Family , Food Allergies | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Continuing Our Easter Joy!
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it, Alleluia, Alleluia!
This Easter I did minimal cooking. Ds was sick most of Holy Week. I chuckle to think I can write about food, and didn't do much in the kitchen! Dh bought a wonderful Italian Easter bread, Columba al Moscato made by the Italian company Albertengo. This is the one we ate -- delicious! A friend shared a Ukrainian-made sausage for our Easter breakfast, we had some store-bought treats for our Easter baskets, and the only food I made for my mother's Easter meal was a Pampered Chef Chocolate Indulgence Cake! I even found lamb-shaped butter sold in the grocery store in Altoona, PA, so I didn't have to mold my own.
But the Easter season lasts for 50 days, until Pentecost. And the first eight days during the Easter season are called the Octave of Easter. During this time the Church considers every day another Easter, with the focus on the newly baptized, celebrating the liturgy of Easter Sunday until the Second Sunday of Easter.
I find it takes an effort d to keep up the joyful spirit and festivity for that long. It's an uphill struggle, since society views Easter as one day!
I thought one way was to keep making some special Easter meals. So I baked an Easter ham this week. Since Jesus came and established the New Covenant, we no longer have to follow the rules of the Old Covenant, which forbade pork. I found that a "safe ham" for ds can be found at Costco, spiral sliced, with bone. I'm still looking for options that don't contain sulfites, but so far the ones I've tried are extremely salty.
The ham is really easy (you'll see that's my constant mantra -- simple but tasty), but I can't use the glaze packet that comes with the ham, as it contains wheat starch. I also don't like sweet glazes on ham...I'm more of tart and spicy gal. So from the classic cookbook, Joy of Cooking, 1975 edition
Spirit Glaze for Ham:
1/2 to 1 cup dry red wine
1/2 to 1 cup bourbon whisky (Maker's Mark is the family preference)
1 cup brown sugar (I use less, as I don't like the "sweet" taste)
6 bruised cloves
2 Tbsp. grated orange peel
Combine and simmer on stove until sugar is melted. The directions call for putting on ham before baking, but I only do it in the last half hour, following the package directions of the ham. Continue to baste it every 5-10 minutes.
The alcohol is burned away, so no one gets tipsy, I promise. I've also made this without the orange peel and it's still tasty. It makes the ham moist and cuts on the salty taste. Everyone asks for the recipe for the glaze!
Ham has been our friend, especially when ds first got diagnosed with the food allergies. I was still nursing, and so also had to follow the allergen free diet. Needing quick-fix higher protein breakfasts was difficult, so having the leftover ham made it easier on me. We use this ham and recipe to cook for other holiday dinners at extended family's homes, so we all could eat together. The leftover ham allows sandwiches for dh for work, and quick lunches for ds. I liked to bake a ham if we had to go on trips. It helped to have some ready-made food for ds. I know it's not the ideal or healthiest meat out there...but when on the road with limited choices, it's a lifesaver.
I always use the leftover ham bone for another meal. But that's another day.
18:05 Posted in Easter , Food Allergies , Liturgical Year , Main Meal , Wheat, Egg and Dairy Free | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Welcome!
Definition of Feria
Welcome to my little cookbook in cyberspace! If you read "About Me" you'll see my aim here is to cook "liturgically" for my family, but many times trying to keep out the food allergens we are avoiding for my son: wheat, eggs and dairy (also avoiding peanuts). It's a daily challenge. When we first got the diagnosis, everything related to food, particularly family gatherings and holidays were just too painful. It's taken a year and a half to accept and adjust to our new cooking lifestyle.
Now that ds is getting older, celebrating the liturgy in the home is becoming more important. I want to incorporate as much traditional cultural recipes that I can adapt for us, but if I can't I will have to be more creative. Food is not just about eating. Throughout the Gospels you can see how large a role meals played in His life, particularly the establishment of the Eucharist with bread and wine at the Passover Meal. The food can become the backdrop to other elements: nourishment, comfort, socialization, teachable moments, family togetherness, incorporating the senses, culture, history and religion.
Every day is an adventure. I'm constantly in search of new ideas and recipes, and continually tweaking and experimenting. This blog is a record of my flops, failures, triumphs and all that comes in between.
14:10 Posted in Food Allergies , Liturgical Year | Permalink | Comments (9) | Email this