Happy New Year everyone-- I imagine a great year with lots of new adventures and fun awaiting me and my family. And--let's make a difference this year.

Ours was a lovely New Year's Eve--our house, friends, fun, food and fireworks courtesy of NYC. Very very nice. made my chicken drummys recipe--and hike up the heat to 400 degrees for that first 30 minutes! I will change on recipes, but really need to get it higher faster.

Thinking about the new year and trying to establish the parameters of what makes quality of life so different for food-allergic people: lack of control over environment (as much as we try) loss of choice, ineffability of the allergy--that absolute hard and fastness of the allergy as it stretches across time and into every space...

Well, that wasn't exactly uplifting! enough for now--out into the almost snowy very cold day.

two days after Christmas-- wow had a great one, and now, it's Sunday and back to work, allergist appt and nutritionist tomorrow, and who knows what that brings. I get anxious that the doctors will take away a food or suggest that I don't use something I now cling to. Once I had to eliminate peas from our diets--and once it was chickpeas. the list narrows... --and who am I to talk--i just have to cook. If the list narrows any more, it's my son who suffers.

but perhaps we will find out that the numbers support lesser worrying about accidents--that if he ate a piece of meat that had touched cheese he would be ok.

been baking -- my usual lame baking, a small one layer cake with frosting that tastes really good, even a day or two old. and some Cherybrook Kitchen brownies--that I make as a chocolate cake, which I was just told is "too chocolatey"! oh well

Happy New Year to all- let's make it a good one.

It's Christmas Eve--I love Christmas, growing up I had wonderful Christmases. Family.Big Seven fishes feasts with immediate family and my uncle Peter coming to check what kind of tomatoes my mother was using-- they never used the same type and always mock-argued about it. My mother was a phenomenal cook-- squid sauce, clams oreganata, fried calamari-- my mother could fry like noblody's business. Fried broccolli, fried smelts fried cauliflower... wow

Christmas Eve this year we are going out to dinner at a French bistro in our neighborhood with brothers -in-law--their neighborhood too, since all three of my husband's family lives in a three-block radius. ahh NYC. We love it.

No fish tonight, and probably just as well, since my cooking isn't up to that kind of task. It's in my blood, but not in my heart tonight. Tonight, maybe I'll have a token fish--

the reason by the way for fishes was that in Italain-Catholic (OK I;m not a Catholic, but that;s where it comes from) lore, you "fast" before midnight--hence fish -- and have meat after midnight! ( ya gotta love Italians, where "fasting" means eating fish and not doing without food!)

The city is white with snow and lots of ice, spent an hour in the fabulous grocery Zabars laughing with all the other patrons as we waited for our sliced meats and specialty items. I was number 86 in --and when I got there they were up to number 55! But fun atmosphere.

It's true-- It's a wonderful time of year.

Enjoy everyone--whatever faith you are-- it's a time for happiness and sharing and family and vacation from school--and fun. So enjoy my friends out there !

back from teen summit

We laughed. We cried. We carried food packs and Epi-pens and saw our kids palling around with other kids who get it.

It was great--met some new people and learned some new stuff--like:

• check out the health services when you go on a college tour (just you --no children necessary).
• Or that many many school districts across US will not allow a kid to carry an Epi pen.
• And that "surimi"* is actually fake crabmeat made with egg. of course--fake shellfish made with another really potent allergen-- everybody knew that.

Met some great folks from Anaphylaxsis Canada-- I respect that org. They get out there and tell the stories and get legislation passed and research accomplished: go AC.

So tonight I am making decent chocochip cookies--and having a riot becuase I get to eat the raw dough-- take that you non-egg allergic people. I can eat raw cookie dough because I make it without eggs! that's a plus if I ever heard one--yummy.

* I may be spelling/saying this wrong-- but it's fake crabmeat used in sushi found in delis and the like.

Teen Summit is this weekend in Arlington-- 100 teens and parents gathered to think about, talk about, laugh about, vent about food allergies-- it's great!

was a good mom this weekend and made an individual sized cake so my teen would have something --we were hosting a 101st (yup!) birthday for great grandma-- she was loving every little minute of it--and the cake was beautiful--as was the individual one I made! so win win . Great Grandma blew out her candles (no not 101 of them) and my teen got a whole cake to himself--which I am pleased to say he did not eat all at once.

some days things are easier, some days things stink. Stinky day: Cafeteria served ribs and fries the other day--well I make that at home, but can't eat at school, and my son said that it's harder when the food served is something that he can eat(if I make it) and smells wonderful to boot. just want to rip phone books in half in frustration. These allergies are so random and so pervasive --that it just stinks. Stinks on ice is what my mom used to say!

gotta stop, barking dog downstairs is making me n u t s-- or since no nuts at our house, should I say crazy!

teen summit here we come

OH man--just finsihed a post and hit the wrong button and whammo it's gone!

what i was saying was that I finally finished my presentation for the FAAN* Teen Summit

(*Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) which is in DC in a couple of weeks. 100 teens and parental units gather for separate, but totally amazing, weekend of presentations, improvs, and plain old camraderie! It is so great to be in a room where everyone gets it when you say: just a minute --does that hamburger have cheese--or could you move those peanuts...

It is great--in fact life-changing --as you see kids who thought they were alone, open up when they realize everyone in the room is just like them!

yes, I'm teary eyed just thinking about it. Great for parents too as we laugh about the eye-rolls in restaurants when we ask our questions, or how we pack for airplane trips, or what type of gluten-free cookies do we buy--it's great!!!

next year in DC!

9:49--about to make lunch-- still am not making lunches to write home about. meat, lettuce, some sort of carb and some cut up vegetables...

Found a website called the Happy Tiffin where you can purchase Bento boxes--or layered stainless tins that latch onto one another --to make a cute lunchpail type thingey. I want to get some --seems like you could put chicken and rice or stew or mixed salads in those and better than using baggies.

I guess I'm coming to these late in the game, but a friend of mine whose son is also allergic, is of Japanese descent and she pointed out the places to get these--before that all i knew was that the Chinese store on Canal Street sold plastic ones--but they were small and appetites were large.

enjoy the three day weekend! off to a playoff game tomorrow--go NY.

my webmaster just had a baby boy! how wonderful. I remember those early days of no time to do anything but change, feed, put down to nap and start over! exhausting but luscious.

So nothing on the site will change for a while-- have to make do with those same old recipes for a while.

had a great chat with a young woman who has a third grader who is having some nervousness about having a reaction--had a couple of "unexplained" ones --possible Worcestershire sauce --and who also just became allergic to banannas. yuck I remember being told to take another food off the list-- I used to cry. Now I don't vary anything on the list--which brings me to what my friend and I were discussing--what to make for lunch. I have no ideas anymore and lunch in the pack in boring if nutritious-- have to send a lot! esp on days with sports. I'm thinking of Bento tins to layer up the lunchables-- that would be something different!

Readying myself for making lunches every night--I had forgotten in the scheduless days of summer! I am flitting around like a butterfly without lighting long enough to buy what I need--indeed to even think about what I need. What I need--really-- is some organization. Maybe I should get one of those Mead 5-Star notebooks!

New York food stores are gettting lots of new products for gluten free. PAstas--that actually taste like pasta and don't get mushy. Cookies from Cherrybrook Kitchen nut-egg-wheat-dairy free; and energy bars from Enjoy Life... feeding a growing active 16-yr old can be a challenge sometimes.

the school year begins anew. Am I ready for Junior year? I guess if I'm ready is irrelevant-- but it begins. Had a great summer, full of new thoughts, new ideas, new recipes and a new way of "hands off" life.

one of those days where the week unfolds in front of you and all you can see is what you need at the supermarket. Turkey and roast beef and lots of finger veggies for us to take to the US Open; there's a party today-- all afternoon and dinner--so that's portable dinner and dessert (which I do badly, have I mentioned?) and then there's dinner tomorrow night--but thankfully I get home from office early enough to throw in lamb chops. Next week we're having a party and I have gotten the OK to make whatever I want as the party is not for my family, but for a theater group we are a part of.

if I say, 'whew' or "that make the party easier" I feel guilty--and well I should. I only have to cook the food, I don't have to live the life... that's the hard part.

Also, yesterday on the beach--we got fries and a handmade lemonade. Ten minutes later the sneezing, the runny nose, the eyes watering, the genreal miserableness. never progressed into anything else, thank goodness, but... We were on the beach-- so I figure it's the fries--can't be the lemonade--lemons and water?? so no going there anymore--I mean, it's a boardwalk, there's more than one place for fries. But the sneezing, and misery went on for a good few hours, Benedryl and all. just never know.

late night, thinking if i should surprise the family and make chocolate chip cookies...it's ten o'clock am I up for it? I think I'll stick with ice pops since it is still warm out (and in). bad mom, I know, but I'm tired from the heat. BTW I use cherrybrook kitchen chocchip cookie mix--but usually I make it as a one layer cake in a round layer pan. only problem is that I eat a lot of it --I may even like it more than my kid.

wow so much has happened in the past weeks. I finally finished my cookbook--can always add recipes but the structure and basics and intro etc are done. yay--anyone out there a publisher? haha and then I discovered herbs. For so long I'd been boring--yes boring--and then i decided to buy one of every green herb in the market and try them. OK so I don't know what to do with tarragon--it smells so sweeet. But rosemary in turkey rolls and cilantro in stuffed peppers and plain old parsely lemon and garlic heated up some nice roast chicken. I stuck a little scallion and chive in too. not as sweet as onions and kinda tangy.

school approaches and I know I will miss the easy summer cooking life. school lunches, every day and lots of food--teenagers can really eat. So I am thinking about new things to make and looking for a great thermos for soups/stews/rice and beans.

My teen's off to a dinner party--and downloaded the menu and checked ingredients and off he went. Salad and steak and lots of fun!

So I did it again. I have accepted the "good enough" solution--the one where someone says, "I think I can manage that"--and I say "thanks." Sometimes I think I should say--as I would in business--that's not enough, need to make it better. But, at the program my child is at, the food service said they would provide X, Y and Z. Well I got the "I'm hungry " call and the "there's not what they said would be here" call. And, I checked in with food service-- and viola, some of it got fixed, and some--like "have to take some food off the line" stayed the same--rather unaccpetable--way. And, I said --sure, we'll make it work,.

And work it is--I haven't gotten a call about food or being hungry or not having any good snacks-- actually I haven't gotten a call so I guess all is good and fun and busy!

But I feel like I should press for the best of the best--or is good enough enough? (confusing huh?) I sometimes feel that if the solution is solid and safe, then go with it, and don't act like a ninny and ask for the moon. But, then again, is asking that food be plated and not taken off the line(cross contamination) acting like a ninny? No, it's safety .


ugh I really go crazy when this happens, I get so emotionally washed out from it-- and I hate that my kid has to negotiate, and work the system so much for something so basic.

But I'm happy that for three weeks, this kid o'mine is making it work and is living away at school --doing the laundry, making friends AND dealing with the food. gotta have the bright side!

oy!

been a long long time--I have been enjoying the sun and surf.
Shout out to Wendy Mondello who wrote a great article in Living Without magazine about teens and food allergies and vulnerabilities. in depth and solid article.
other than that having lots of discussions at my house about how boring food is and how I need to change it up, but I seem out of ideas -- so anyone with a clue, let me know. Just click on comment and send me a message.

I've been wondering if allergies get easier to deal with as kids get older and make their own choices or harder because the limitations pinch more as time goes on. Does the pizza always smell that good? I guess that's the real question.
During adolescence, maturity helps me let go a little, but the adolescent identity struggle goes on, and allergies sometimes become the focus for that. will keep thinking on this, keep safe,