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,

What a month--end of school parties, end of school celebrations, lots of supplying hungry studiers with food-fuel. And lots of rain! Whew. looking forward to the lazier days of summer with some time to collect my thoughts and revamp my menus. Want to put a set of new recipes up . Upcoming summer program, going to talk with food services--which i consider a good thing-- and see how a college dining hall is run. Should be interesting and a good "starter kit" for looking at colleges which is also on the horizon, although we don't intend to look via food allergies, but rather find places that are a good fit academically, socially et al. then work on the kitchen stuff.

getting a bit stymied about what to serve as healthy snacks-- got the fruit, salad, crudite down pat--looking for some other ideas that are good to fill you up, but are still healthy--no wheat or dairy or nuts please.

been a while

It's been a while since I've written. School had an allergy incident that was dealt with very nicely--undisclosed nuts in the sauce for a chicken dish. Kid had an Epi and went to hosptial accompanied by nurse; all other nut-allergic kids were spoken to in class and lunchroon to make sure that they knew not to eat the chicken. Sauce was removed. But just goes to show how easily one mistake can lead to something pretty scary. Kid was fine next day--but I'mthinking of his family--yikes I'd be super nervous. Any hopes of mine eating at the cafeteria went out the window even though never would have touched a sauce...but safer to eat what I send from home. Hey, I'll miss it when I don't have to make lunch anymore--just like we all miss the the things our kids did when they were little...like bathtime or playground or reading to them.

I officially have the best pediatrician. In my time zone it is 9:00 pm and he just called to clarify why I needed a paper prescription for a medication. I had refills, and the message he got did not include my note that said the paper scrip was for Campus Meds which fulfills the everyday medications (not Epi-pens) for students attending a particular summer program. So my pediatrician called, asked me to clarify and then said sure--pick it up tomorrow.
It's 9:00 at night... that's overtime in anyone's book.
This is the pediatrician who, at two weeks, took one look at my baby and said--food allergies. The baby had eczema (atopic dermatitis, excuse me) and the Dr. said--the baby's nursing--what else could it be but what you're eating-- so no more: eggs, soy, corn, peanuts, oranges, and not too much milk and cheese. Guess what--eczema cleared up. and the Dr. who suggested RAST testing and plenty of other smart moves too.
I officially have the best pediatrician.

This weekend went to the fabulous FAAN conference (www.foodallergy.org) and heard Hugh Sampson speak on new research toward tolerating foods; a nutrionist that made me certain I need to do a food diary for my child and a wonderful speech by a dad who has been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt!
All in all a great day to network with other parents about socializing, about how to do a food challenge--about how our kids are dealing with new foods and how they are willing to step in and take charge situations all across their lives because they know how to advocate for themselves about their allergies.
Pretty heady stuff-- and seeing old friends and watching the kids gravitate to each other like magnets. It was great-- everyone there is one of us-- with Epi-pens in one hand and a lunchpack in the other-- and it's easy to share the good and the bad and the everyday. I met a woman who has a 2 year old with the same allergies as my 16 year old. Well seeing me--having made it this far--and seeing my kid standing tall next to me, obviously in find health and welfare very nearly overwhelmed her. She was ready to go home and know that all would be OK. very moving.
check out the next conference in your neck of the woods.

this is the second week my oven is broken. I shouldn't say broken--crippled. I can turn it on for about twenty minutes before it beeps and flashes a code that means I have to turn it off...or it turns itself (!) off...like some alien robot. I never knew I used my oven so much--of course the burners work--otherwise I'd be crippled-- but the oven. What about roasted zucchini and peppers; what about a roast chicken (FYI I forgot and started one, then when *F3* started flashing, I turned off oven and put chicken in huge stockpot with carrots and onions. I turned the flame up pretty high and tilted the pot top so air escaped--and cooked that chicken. Before serving I put in the oven again for about twenty minutes...just the time it took for my alien robot oven to shut off again. The chicken was browned and nicely juicy and cooked....but I was worn out!
so I continue to be ovenless--for anything over twenty minutes.

Did You Know?

• Egg substitutes may contain egg whites; egg replacers do not. (Always read those labels.)
• Baby food in jars can make excellent snacks: They pack /travel well and can be eaten with a straw if necessary. (The sweet potatoes were a big favorite at my house.)
• Sometimes shipping dry foodstuffs to your destination can relieve some of the anxiety of trying to find what you need once you arrive. Most hotel front desks are very nice about holding packages. Note, however, always take what you need for your travel day-plus extra in case of delays or the unexpected.
• When at a restaurant and served a meal that is incorrect--like cheese on the burger--keep the plate and ask for a replacement, as the meal is still as dangerous if only doctored--like the cheese is scraped off the top.
• A stainless steel thermos--though it has to be heated up by filling with boiling water for a few minutes--keeps foods much hotter than the plastic version.
• You can often buy direct from a manufacturer on those items your household uses frequently--can be less expensive than the specialty store, and more convenient. Fruit leathers, rice milks, baking mixes, and candy are all items we buy direct.

Cooking . Cooking . Cooking.

Sometimes it seems that all I do is cook. Not only breakfast lunch and dinner, but many breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Every day. All day. I figure--conservatively--I have cooked over 6600 meals in the last 15 years. That’s only counting two meals a day for 10 months a year--I’ve shaved a number of meals for ordering in, going out, dinner at Mom’s, vacations …

All that cooking can be tiring. Not just the banging pots and pans around, but the thinking of what to make and when and how. The planning, the shopping, the putting meat to fire–-all of it ends up being too much sometimes.

To make matters worse, I’m getting to be a boring cook. I make chicken and pot roast. Broccolli and roasted carrots. I make a pork roast and applesauce and a salad--when I was growing up, that was Thursday night dinner. I’m that boring.

But what can I do--I have to cook for my food allergic kid. Dinner has to come from somewhere and that’s usually from me. As college looms, I know I’ll miss it, but right now I’m stuck in the boring middle. So what to do?

The first trick I tried was pull all the vegetables out of the refrigerator and line them up on the counter. Then group the compatible ones--like onions and potatoes or carrots and zucchini. When I got a grouping together I figured out how to cook them: sautee in oil and garlic? Roast? Boil (no!) And then I tried it--and I added chicken breast sliced, or leftover rice and a healthy dose of cilantro.

OK--some of the combinations were odd: ground veal with carrots, onions and diced potatoes. Some were great: fresh spinach wilted in a little oil and lots of garlic. (Note though that a huge bag of spinach melts down to a serving for two, barely--who knew.)

But mission accomplished: I stopped looking at the food in the same old boring way. Butternut squash could be mashed and used as the filling for a vegetable lasagne with strips of onion, carrot and zucchini. Chicken thighs could be sautéed with hot sausage slices and served over rice. Cutlets could be breaded with potato pancake mix and flash fried with parsley. And my piece de resistance: zeppole without wheat.

I had a mix that promised Pizza Crust or Sandwich Bread--well neither of those ever worked without eggs. But mix a little salt, water and--wow -–I got zeppole when I dropped those handrolled balls into hot hot oil. With a little powdered sugar, they could pass at the St Jerome’s Italian Festival in Long Branch New Jersey!

So I’m still cooking, cooking, cooking. But, for the time being, I’m dazzling my family with allergy –free delights.