Friday, December 30, 2016

Latkes a la Allergy!

I'm making potatoe latkes and minestrone to honor both my family traditions. 
Here's latkes without egg or wheat or dairy. 
Just potatoes( shredding without ruining a manicure is a feat!)
Onions shredded as well
Salt pepper
And I use Glutino cake and cookie mix to thicken. Or their muffin mix. 
Mix with hands and fry in hot oil-- olive oil for me-- on medium. And try not to " taste test " them all.
Enjoy!

The minestrone recipe is in my cookbook. 
Happy and healthy and hopeful New Year to all! 

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Holidays and food allergy

Happy Merry everything. And a safe and prosperous and hopeful new year to all. 

I love this time of year. I live in a cold climate and the snow can be beautiful ( especially since I'm not traveling) and the smell of pine wafts through the air as the Christmas tree sellers set up on the sidewalks. 
  It's taken a while for me to relax into this season-- which often centers on traditional foods and recipes. And almost ALL of those family dishes are not safe for my son. My family. The feast of the seven fishes-- well. No fish or shellfish. How about "timpana" the italian potato and cheese soufflé. Nope: eggs and cheese. 
Let's see-- what about Marzipan: absolutely not-- no almonds or nuts of any kind. 
  And while it took some time for me to not miss the foods I grew up with, I did realize finally that it was okay to mourn that part of my past I'd given up. It may sound silly to feel like my history is so wrapped up in traditional meals or foods. But it is. And I might as well acknowledge it. And move on. 
  And move on I have. Now we have beef tenderloin for Christmas Day. And, minestrone or slow-cooked pork shoulder for Christmas Eve. And delicious  brownies and sorbet for dessert. 
  Happy Christmas and a wonderful new year to all. 

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Holidays coming up again.

Every year I do a version of this post because it's still relevant in most families I know. 
  You're doing the final shopping and prep for [insert holiday here] and your mother-- aunt--cousin calls and says " I'm making struedel and I know that little Johnny can't eat nuts but it really doesn't taste good without them..."
  You hang up the phone and: Scream. Cry. Laugh. Shake your fist. All of the above!
  And then you grab the baking mix from the cabinet and read how to make a struedel. 

This is a typical conversation for a food allergic family. We've all been there. We all know what it feels like to not be able to make that special family recipe for a holiday meal. 
  Well, as Loretta famously told Ronnie in Moonstruck. "Snap out of it!"
This is our life. 
  And this is especially true around holiday celebrations when ritual
meals, steeped in tradition, are the standard fare. But we can't make them. And neither can my mother or Aunt Sadie. Instead I can make a safe menu-- and no one will know the difference. I can ask Cousin Peaky to bring a salad-- since that would  be " easier for her" and I can ditch the streudel altogether. 
  I may feel a pinch at giving up a family tradition, but what really makes the meal a tradition is that we gather our family and friends to share it. That part doesn't ever change. 
  So above all, remember through the pesky folks and preparation that -- while the menu may need to change-- the message of these holiday meals does not; What we are eating is not as important as who we are eating it with-- as well as all the laughter and gusto we bring to the table -- no matter if it's ravioli or rice cakes. The love, the sharing, the connection are what truly matters, and here is no substitute for that. 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Teen Summit! Here we come!!!

Get ready. Get set. Go!
I'm going to the Teen Summit-- hope to see you there. ( thanks to FARE for doing this event)
Milwaukee Friday-Sunday and there will be fun and games. And info sessions and talks by restaurant folks and best of all teens will talk-- to each other. To us grown-ups. 
  I look forward to meeting new people and seeing old friends. And taking a gander at Milwaukee where I've never been. 
 I know FARE will post pictures and follow up if you can't make it to the event. 
 And as always, we'll get strong. And weepy and we'll feel again: we're all in this together!

Friday, October 21, 2016

Teen Summit coming up!!!!

Are you ready for the FARE Teen Summit?  This year it's in Milwaukee, WI-- instead of the usual DC. The venue may have changed but the heart of the Summit is still the same:
   We'll scale the heights and grapple with the lows of everything teen-aged and food allergy. 
  Restaurants. Dating. Travel. Sports. College. Parents. (!) Epi-pens and risk taking. 
 And we'll laugh and I'll cry-- I always do-- and we'll make new friends and catch up with old ones. And we'll watch as our strong, brave, and wonderful kids have a blast. 
Hope to see you there!

Monday, October 10, 2016

Community vs Customization in food allergies

Strange title , I know. 
But I'm referencing a discussion-- via email-- I've been having with a woman who is starting a Food Allergy website gathering information on restaurants and cities and where to eat. The plan going forward is to have an app that can personalize the information for your particular allergies...
  Well, I initially took umbrage because the beautiful first e- news alert had a picture of a luscious biscuit and gravy -- a specialty in the city the site was reporting on. Well... 
  My kid can't eat that!-- and lots of others can't either. It's loaded with at least three of the top allergens: Dairy. Egg. Wheat.  No mention of that possibility. 
   And the article went on to discuss restaurants where, while they serve boiled peanuts-- the city specialty, the servers were conscious of nut  allergies. And, also, some of the desserts are made with nut flours, but they're kept separate from the other flours. 
     I emailed the founder of this website, noting that many families -- mine included --wouldn't be comfortable with that level of possible peanut contamination. And our mentors at FARE and other resources reiterate: try to stay away from  places with likely cross contamination. 
  And, I further told the founder that since the site discussed largely peanut allergens--with a nod to gluten free, I didn't  find it very helpful. Many families contend with more than  peanuts. 
  The response to my email was that the information was general and that the founders were  hoping to develop an app that families could customize for their personal allergens. 
  Which got me thinking: 
Where's the community in that? I want to share: Best practices. Information. Experiences. I think that's as important as a " customized app" for one family. 
  And I treasure my food allergy community, those people who help me get from A to Z and skip Eggs inbetween. 
   

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Roast chicken in a pot

Fall has arrived! Kids are back at school and beach clubs are closed and we have said our goodbyes to summer-- except in NY the weather seems to have missed the memo. 
It's 90 degrees and much too hot to roast a chicken in the oven-- so get out your soup pot. 
  On high heat throw a rinsed whole
Chicken-- a fryer not a roaster-- in the soup pot. It will squeak and sizzle. Let it for about 4-5 minutes. Then, turn it over with a fork and again, let it sizzle for 4-5 minutes. Lots of salt; pepper if you wish. 

Throw in a cut up onion-- or two. Turn the chicken a couple of times to let all sides get browned/ charred. Then, turn down the heat to medium high and cock the cover on the pot and let the chicken cook for twenty minutes. Turn chicken over and let cook another twenty minutes or until meat falls off the bone. 
  It's easy and can be eaten warm or room temperature. 
Enjoy. 

Roast chicken-- in a pot


Thursday, August 11, 2016

School days are right around the corner.

I have a friend who always gets anxious right about now. She has trouble enjoying the end of summer because she knows come Labor Day, school starts again. 
 And with school comes planning. And Pre-planning. Parties and lunches and debate nights and sports weekends. And study groups and college visits and parties and class trips and late games and weekend tournaments. 
  Every September it all begins again-- especially the worry. 
  Well, I can't say there isn't worry.  And I can't even say there isn't a whole heck of a lot of planning and preparing. But I can say: it's worth it. 
  We are modeling how to live in the real world for our food allergic kids. Be it second grade cupcakes or college visits. They're going to have to keep themselves safe -- be it packing something special just for themselves or figuring out which restaurants in a new city can accommodate their needs. 
  And they'll know how to keep themselves safe and happy from our example. They are watching us ask the questions. Make the lists. And be the naggy mom reminding them to take their Epi-pens and have a snack. 
   They are watching us prepare for all the  activities, parties, events and everyday days. And they are watching us --so they know that no one does this alone. We all ask for help from teachers. From friends. From parents. From administrators. From our FA community. We reach out and ask: what should I bring to the swim meet? Or for the Model UN weekend? Or how can my kid eat lunch at the cafeteria?  Or maybe just : hey, I'm overwhelmed, anybody got a tissue?
   And people come through. {okay--We've all bumped up against those folks who say Yes Yes Yes. And do nothing. But your kids know how to deal with them too--because you've shown them how. }
    So for all the anxious moments as the school year approaches. For all the planning and preparing and gearing up-- let's not forget that we are demonstrating every day to our kids that "we're all in this together. That "we can do this. " That they can do this. 
  And they can!
  
  

Monday, July 25, 2016

Roasted Broccoli: A Good Summer Staple

I know the idea of roasting in the heat of summer does not sound like a good one.  But, go with me here. 
 I roast my vegetables early in the morning. It's cooler outside, and I take advantage of multitasking, since the vegetables cook while I'm getting ready for the day. 
  Roasted broccoli especially can be served/ eaten at room temperature. So once the cooking is done-- no more heat. 
  Here's what I do:

One head of broccoli-- which in the Northeast has been stellar this summer
 Cut about two inches off the heavy stems and throw that part away. Then, with a sharp knife, slice the head from stem and strip the thick rind off the stem.
( I strip the rind off the smaller parts too, because that's how my Italian grandmother did it)
 Cut the head into smaller piece and place in a roasting pan or a pie tin. Rinse with water-- retaining a little water in the bottom  drizzle Olive oil over the broccoli and toss the pieces with a spoon or your hands to  them. Cover loosely with foil. 
  Roast in a 450 oven for 30 minutes. The last few you can remove the foil to get the vegetables more crispy. 
  I also roast-- separate from the broccoli-- carrots ( two inch "Fingers"), onions quartered, celery, potatoes ( halved them halved again), sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower-- broken up. 
Some folks roast beets-- I'd quater or half them to help them cook-- or even cabbage, especially with onions. 
  So easy and ready to serve
With anything from fish, steak to 
Pasta.
  Or for those of you who like your vegetables raw: make a deconstructed salad and let your family build their own. Chopped lettuce, halved endive, sliced radishes , tomato chunks (if allowed) and
Ribbons of carrots, maybe olives and 
Cucumber rounds, jicama -- you get the picture: whatever!
Happy summer. 

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Newly Diagnosed with Food Allergies? It gets better

I remember sitting in the lobby of a large hospital complex in a city not my own totally exhausted trying to process the news the pediatric allergist had just leveled at us. My 18-month old son was allergic to: Dairy. Eggs. Tree nuts. Peanuts. Fish. Shellfish. Wheat. Soy. And sesame. And chickpeas. And melon and and and and and. The list just kept going. 

  I was stunned.  What can he eat?
 And, while that was the very last time I asked that question, it was actually a really good way to start taking charge of food allergies. 
1. Make a list of what your child can eat. 
Everything else follows. 
2. Remember you're not alone -- there's a tribe of us out there, eager to share our experiences. 
3. You can do this-- mainly because you have to, but also because you can.

And Happy Fourth of July! 


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Pork Tenderloin-- Easy and Allergy Free

I was having people for dinner recently and had to prepare the meal ahead of time. This simple menu-- very summery-- worked really well for preparing ahead and also serving not "piping hot from the oven."
  Pork tenderloins. Pasta salad and spring mixed greens
Pork: In a roasting pan or a mixing bowl:
Marinate the tenderloins in 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, a dash of flavored or Balsamic vinegar, and garlic peeled and halved-- I use lots
Of garlic.  And I also put a few sprigs of Rosemary in the mix. 
Marinate for at least 30 minutes but could
be more than an hour. 

When ready to cook: preheat oven to 425. Drain the marinating liquid -- but keep the Rosemary with meat.  Put the tenderloins side by side in a roasting pan and roast on 425 for 15 minutes. Then lower the heat to 350 and roast another 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the meat rest in oven for 5-7 and then rest more out of the oven for a full 10 Minutes. 
You can slice ( on an angle about 1/2 inch thick slices) and serve. Or when the meat has cooled, put on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. To reheat-- put in a 425 oven for 10- 15 Minutes. Slice and serve. 
  The pasta salad is my version of Allegy-Free pesto-- which is basil and lots of garlic chopped fine in a food processor. Add olive oil -- if you put the basil/ garlic mixture in a cup, put enough oil
In to barely cover the mixture. 
  Cook your pasta-- I use shell shapes or Farfalle ( spirals)-- wheat free pasta works too! When pasta is al dente-- a little hard---drain and mix in the pesto-- turn the mixtures to coat thoroughly. Add a few handfuls of frozen peas. Serve or keep at room temp. 
  Salad, I think you can figure out for yourself!
Enjoy. 

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Food Allergy Cookbook

I just had to brag-- look what some nice person said about the cookbook: This comment means the world to me-- !


Top Customer Reviews

A great cooking primer for anyone...food allergies or not!! Thank you for writing this book and for spelling out all the steps to make a first-time cook successful!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Newly Diagnosed with Food Allergies? It gets better

I remember sitting in the lobby of a large hospital complex in a city not my own totally exhausted trying to process the news the pediatric allergist had just leveled at us. My 18-month old son was allergic to: Dairy. Eggs. Tree nuts. Peanuts. Fish. Shellfish. Wheat. Soy. And sesame. And chickpeas. And melon and and and and and. The list just kept going. 
  I was stunned.  What can he eat?
 And, while that was the very last time I asked that question, it was actually a really good way to start taking charge of food allergies. 
1. Make a list of what your child can eat. 
Everything else follows. 
2. Remember you're not alone -- there's a tribe of us out there, eager to share our experiences. 
3. You can do this-- mainly because you have to, but also because you can.

And Happy Fourth of July! 



Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Chickpea Juice as Egg Substitute???



Trigger warning: I'm a little peevish in this post.
When I opened the FOOD section of the New York Times May 11, was I the only person who hadn't heard of this new trick of using chickpea juice as an egg?
This new trick-- made into an industry by its discoverer or inventor, whichever you choose to call him, Goose Wohlt-- and others working in the vegan marketplace.  Sounds great.
 AcquaFaba   Named from the Latin meaning water +bean.

So it whips into meringues, it thickens and binds in baking, it works well in a whiskey sour, and it can leap off tall buildings at a single bound. No, wait-- that's Superman.

However, never once, not even in passing, was food allergy mentioned.  Veganism, yes. The mixtures we have all tried for egg substitutes: baking powder and vinegar;egg replacers ( my favorite is EnerG) were all noted.  But this discovery grew out of a man looking for a good substitute for eggs because he is a vegan-- and a "tinkerer." Obviously veganism is bigger news-- possibly bigger business?-- than food allergy. I'm happy, maybe I can try this in my recipes.  Maybe the food allergy community at large did know about this innovation-- IF IF IF you're not allergic to chickpeas, which many folks are.

But, I think what really surprised me, and then annoyed me, was that nowhere in this article were the 15 million of us who have food allergies mentioned.  That's a lot of folks-- probably more folks than the current total of vegans in the U.S. -- at least according to a 2014 poll which noted that 16 million Americans were vegetarian, about half that group-- 8 million-- were vegan. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/is-2014-the-year-of-the-vegan/

 (Other articles--.http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/vegetarianism-in-america/ total the number at 7.3 million vegeatrians with no disctinctions.)

Is food allergy not mentioned here-- rarely, if ever, mentioned in food sections-- because people don't believe it's real? Are we "too niche" to be included? What is going on here-- not even a throwaway  mention?

So, I will write to the NYTimes FOOD editor and note that there are 15 million of us eager consumers out there who could have at least been mentioned when egg substitutes are touted and revealed.  And, I will mention that we food allergy folks have experts in the field who could have given opinions or commentary. And, the story could have been broadened by out  many "war stories"of substitution and triumph with egg.

"That," as my mother used to say, 'and a nickel will get you on the subway." Warned you I was peevish.


Saturday, April 30, 2016

Food Allergy Bullying: Adults do it too

The wonderful Facebook group I follow on parents of teens with food allergies recently had a post about bullying. 

A mom was distraught because her child was bullied by a grown-up, sort of "bullying by omission"-- a teacher failed to take a stand during an assembly where a student was presenting a paper saying peanut allergies are made up, false, a way to get attention. The teacher, when confronted, apologized. 
   However, is that good enough? Every day our children are taught: stand up for your friends, speak out when you see bullying, say something to show your support. 
  Are adults-- role models like teachers and bosses and clergy-- doing less than what we are asking our kids to do?
   I have personally stepped back when I should have stepped forward. 
   My son's school, where he had been K-12, often dropped the ball on his food allergies:in high school,  not ordering what they promised, so he had nothing as others ate pizza; in second grade, serving his special meals, cold, direct from the cooler I'd sent; that sort of thing. And every time, I went in and talked to the teachers, to the nurse, to the head of school. And I knew I was being put off -- even as I organized gluten and nut free areas at the bake sale. And my son mentored younger kids with allergies in the school library. 
  And, I let myself be appeased by their apologies-- after the fact. I think, as my fierce FA friends show me how-- I think I allowed myself, and by extension my son, to be bullied by the school. 
  Let's not allow apologies after the fact, the teacher who doesn't step in, let's not allow this " bullying by omission" to happen so insidiously and consistently in our lives.   

Monday, April 18, 2016

Letting go with Food Allergies

Lately, I've been enjoying the luxury of not thinking about food. Making it, shopping for it, worrying about it. 
  I am finally "Letting go. " not that I worried when my son lived in another city-- I didn't. I trusted him to do right by himself. And shop, cook and eat properly. 
And he did. 
  But now that he's home again, I had fallen into the gulley of "oh, I'll do that." and had checked out restaurants and encouraged eating before he went out and bringing food to places where the food was uncertain. And all the while
He was saying, "Mom, I'll take care of it."
   Well, after a few stand offs, I realized I was I was being foolish and a helicopter mom: he could take care of it, especially if I stepped out of the way. 
  So, now, I mention where a dinner will be and let him do the rest. If we're at a ball game, I don't bring food -- unless he requests me to (chocolate is a favorite in these colder baseball months.)
  If we're off for the weekend, I don't stock the fridge for him-- you get the picture. 
  But it's tough, stepping away, letting him be independent. After so many years of planning and asking and checking and cooking. But, I am stepping away and I am enjoying the extra time and even more so: I am enjoying seeing my son live so successfully on his own, without my misplaced "assistance" holding him back. 

Friday, March 25, 2016

Easter Greetings, and a picture of the cookbook!



Finally I figured out how to load the picture! (The purchase link is to the right)
Happy Easter all-- I just vetted the menu, with really no substitutions, for our Easter meal with friends.  
Our chocolate and jelly beans are from Vermont NutFree, and the weather looks decent-- what more can I ask! Buona Pasqua, as we say in Italian.

College Cooking: Allergy-Free

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

10 Easy Ways in Which Food Allergies Have Changed How I Think

10 Easy Ways in Which Food Allergies Have Changed How I Think About Myself and How I Go About My Life

Maybe I’m teasing-- just a little-- but here’s the list:
·      Explorer: I have discovered a true love of cooking
·      Daredevil: If I can make delicious wheat free, egg free, dairy fee, nut free cake, then I can do anything!
·      Hostess: All the parties are at my house!
·      Vanguard: My son and I now see challenges as opportunities to grow.
·      Colonizer: We’ve built friendships across state lines and ages and allergy lists.
·      Fortune Teller: My son—and your kids—will be people who get things done, who command respect, who lead--not follow.
·      Pilgrim: My family maintains a nutritionally sound diet with lots of fresh foods.
·      Crusader: I get to educate people—informally & formally—about keeping people with food allergies safe and happy.
·      Pirate: Arrrgh—we’re not different or special or weird—try “food allergic”
·      Mythbuster: Sometimes lemons really DO make delicious lemonade!

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Devil's Food cake-- allergy wise

I just realized that until this week my 23-year-old son had never had Devil's Food cake ...


Sunday, February 21, 2016

Cuba redux-- food allergies etc

So we're back from Cuba and I have been thinking about the food-- which was delicious.
There are many items that seemed safe== and there were many items that were not safe.
Let me explain.
Many dishes in Cuba are shellfish and seafood-- it is an island after all. These dishes-- many of which I tasted-- were delicious and served family-style to tables.  Not that the lobsters and shrimp were served with the white flat fish ( like monk fish or snapper) or served with the chicken dishes. But that separation was at the table-- what happened in the kitchen?
  Because as Americans we have not had a lot of communication back and forth with Cuba and Cubans, although their medical system produces many extremely well-trained doctors and medical personnel, I have no clue if Cuba is aware of food allergies or not.  Looking on the internet gleaned me nothing on statistics or even research data-- again, because I think our countries were not exchanging information of this sort. Even searching the FARE website comes up with nothing on "CUBA."
   But back to the food: We did encounter peanuts as bar snacks-- like in US bars-- although very little food included peanuts as a visible ingredient.  A couple of times, we saw almond slivers. Cheese did not cover dishes, nor seem to be hiding in the mix-- there were lots of stewed dishes-- pork with tomatoes or lamb or shredded beef-- mostly with tomatoes and onions and peppers, not cheese.
I think soy is relatively unheard of in this country which imports much of its food and relies on basics.  We saw lots of the same ingredients mixed in different ways: peppers, eggplant, onions, chicken, lobster and shrimp, pork.  at some of the more elite restaurants, we sauce a cream sauce or two.
  I initially thought, this would be ok for people with food allergies, but as I spent a little more time, I did become wary-- also, I don't speak Spanish, that would help since the Cuban people we met were highly educated and well-read, and willing to help us for any reason.
  But, what if the lobster spoon is rinsed lightly and then spoons the rice onto a plate-- what if the sauces are shared from beef to fish or eggs are used, and not seen?  These are the risks I thought of-- although it looked safe, I could not be sure. But--that cuts both ways-- maybe it is safe if someone is only allergic to shellfish or peanuts; but maybe it's not for someone with many food allergies. I just don't know how to think about it.  ( I only had to worry about shellfish and tree nut allergies, which as I said, seemed very avoidable.)
 
However-- completely in another vein:, I kept thinking: IF there are no food allergies, big 'if', or a low low incidence of food allergies-- why? many other countries seem to have an increasing incidence of food allergy-- including the US-- why would this island which has been relatively isolated since 1959 have a low or non-existent level of food allergy?  A question I will pursue, since it seems Cuba, if food allergies are really low, could afford a "control group" possibly, in a natural experiment, for researchers to investigate.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Cuba vacation

Hello  from Cuba. 
Amazing place for contrasts and history and absolutely lovely and very cultured people. 
And the food-- surprisingly, if you eliminate the lobster and exotic fruits, there are very few allergen laden foods. Much roasted chicken and pork. Peppers and onions. And not cheese over everything or in foods. I was happily surprised. Lots of rice and beans-- deliciously prepared in many fashions as well as chickpeas and canned asparagus!
So it's not a complete-- off-the-list place. 
More when I return. 

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

I've been saying it all along!!!!

They stole my slogan!!!
Ritz Crackers now have a TV commercial that ends:" what's on the table is never as important as who's around it. "
  I've been saying that for years! You're probably all sick of hearing it! 
  But, hey, it's true. So I guess now everyone, not only our food allergic community, knows it. 

And don't forget the Cookbook-- thanks. 
You can check out the link below or on the right hand side of the full site. 
  

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Think Outside the Dinner Box: Allergy-Free

One of those weeks where everyone's home for dinner every night-- and you're scratching your head about what to cook. It's a new year, so why not try something new. It's cold, so you want something cozy and homey. 
  I already made minestrone this week--Now what?
  So out come the cookbooks. 

  But the more I looked at the books the more I became convinced that not everything needs a dollop of cream or a coating that is dipped in egg. 

 That's usually the food allergic family dilemma. Too any substitutions. And last night it got to me--  my mind went blank and I couldn't think what to cook for any future dinner much less tonight's dinner. 
   But then I remembered an exercise I used to do with my freshman psych students: brainstorm how many ways to use a brick. ( of course in NY the first answer was always "break a window")
  But apply it to dinner: how many ways to use the foods my kid CAN EAT and is NOT allergic to??? 
Many ways-- and none required breaking a window.  
  So we had chicken thigh stew with red beans, celery and ham ( or spicy sausage if you want). And the next night, meat soup-- diced carrots, celery, shin beef and peas. And the next night, a roasted oven-stuffer with garlic and parsley and olive oil under the skin and lemons and carrots in the cavity-- and since the oven was on: cauliflower with sliced Granny Smith apples and yellow raisens. 
  Of course the list could go on and on: the point is to think about what we CAN COOK,  CAN EAT and have creative fun with those foods-- and forget about the rest!
 
   
  
  

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Bear with me: The blog has been acting  a little funny-- so you may have gotten some posts twice-- and the online blog didn't update. So here goes again.
 

Chicken a la easy

My new year's resolution is to use a little less oil and a lot more chicken. Yesterday, I got a chicken, cut up into pieces, and  put it in a roasting pan. I took a can of diced tomatoes and spooned them over the chicken-- without the liquid, makes it too watery,  Then I diced 3-4 cloves of garlic and sprinkled them over the chicken and tomatoes. And, of course, I added lots of pepper.  Pop it in the oven at 400 covered with tin foil and let it cook for 40 minutes.  Then removed the tin foil, stirred a bit, and cooked for another 30-40 minutes until nice and bubbly.
  I served this with rice, and since the over was on, I roasted Brussel sprouts (halved with a Tablespoon of oil and some water).
  Easy and delicious-- and a pretty healthy way to start the new year.