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.

Happy New Year!

May the year bring good things to all: happiness, health, wonder, and joy.
Achievement, and solitude; music and travel, and family, friends and pets.
Peacefulness and peace across our nation and world.
Ring in 2016!

Holidays, Celebrations, Food Allergies

I used to fret abut what to make for the holidays.  I'm italian and growing up we had Chriatmas Eve feasts with way more than seven fishes. And it was glorious-- company, singing, and lots of washing up. I transferred the tradition to my home, though not as elaborate ( my mom was a wonderful cook) but there was still company and fishes. 

  Then, I decided I didn't want to follow my Italian roots in a way my son-- and thereby my husband and I-- couldn't fully enjoy. 

   So I started making a roast-- sometimes leg of lamb, sometimes pot roast. Christmas Day traditionally we have a turkey -- easy and good for picking on that loose Christmastime schedule. 

  Do I feel badly about the shift-- no! I do occasionally miss fried smelts and the 

Taste of crab sauce. I won't lie. But I also occasionally miss being 21.  

 The parts of my Christmas tradition that stay the same-- company, laughter, good food, family-- are the important memories. And, 

     Now... I started making slow cooked pork shoulder... And a new tradition was born. 

Not only does a pork roast taste delicious as we pull slices from the bone-- not only does it taste good--it smells wonderful wafting through the house with the scent of pine. 

 Happy Merry everyone! Enjoy your family and friends and the traditions that you are newly making and remember it's not what's on the table, but who's at the table that matters. 

College Cookbook has arrived

Yes! the cookbook is out. Self-published which had its ups and downs but I am happy with the result. 

  Thank you to all the early readers. Use the book and have fun cooking. 

College Cooking: Allergy-Free 

 25 Easy Recipes for students and new cooks 

 No Substitutions 

No Hard-to-Find Ingredients 

NO 

Milk Eggs Peanuts Tree Nuts Wheat Fish Soy Sesame

  Currently available www.lulu.com   And Amazon. 

If anyone gets the book, I'd love to hear from you:

foodallergyworks@gmail.com

 Thanks so much--and through this book I found a new facebook group: Parents of 

High school and college kids. It's a group   who are working to keep their kids safe as they become independent and move to college and beyond. And these folks are sharing all the information-- a real database is forming. 

  Check out the cookbook too!

http://www.lulu.com/shop/jody-falco/college-cooking-allergy-free/paperback/product-22454911.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

Apple pie for tomorrow! Yum. 

Holiday Time --Again

Food Allergy, Holiday Meals and Family!

You’re doing the final shopping for ______________(insert a Holiday here )and your –mother—aunt—cousin-- calls and says “I’m making strudel for the holiday dessert and I know that Johnny is allergic to nuts, but it really doesn’t taste good without them, so I just wanted you to know.”

You hang up the phone –and (circle one)

A. Scream  B. Cry  C. Laugh D. Shake your head E. All of the above

All of the above is the correct answer – and then you get the baking mix from the cupboard and read about how to make a strudel.

      This is a typical holiday conversation for a food allergic family. We’ve all been there, and 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 Ronny 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. Food allergies can cut us off those traditions, memories—whatever you want to call those remembered moments from our past-- and not allow us to make those dishes.

But we can’t make them.  And neither can my mother or my Aunt Sadie. Instead, I can make a menu that does not include allergens—and no one will know the difference. I can ask Cousin Pesky to bring a green salad—since that would be ‘easier’ for her—and ditch the strudel 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 close friends to share it. That part doesn’t change.

    As parents we must smooth the way for a happy holiday. People may mean well, but don’t have as much practice at keeping our children safe—or people may not want to change their habits. Whichever the case, your child will have a happy and safe holiday because you –and possibly only you—make the effort to prepare and bring a special meal or host a worry-free fete. That you must think ahead, prepare, and possibly reorganize tradition—that is a given in the food allergic household.

But, above all, we must remember that --while the menu may need to change-- the message of these holiday meals does not. What we are eating should not be as important as who we are eating it with— as well as the laughter and gusto we bring to the table—no matter if it’s ravioli or rice cakes and jam.

The love, the sharing, the connection are what truly matters and there is no substitute for that.

Chicken a lá Easy!

One of my New year's resolution-- to use a little less oil and a lot more chicken. So yesterday I got a cut up chicken, put it in a pan. Got canned diced tomatoes and spooned them all over the chicken-- don't use a lot of the liquid. Then I diced garlic, sprinkled that garlic and lots of pepper over it and popped it in a 400 oven with tin foil. After about a 40 minutes, remove the foil and cook for another 30-40 minutes until nice and bubbly. 

   I served with rice and, since the oven 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. 

Enjoy  

Thanks!

 

Teen Summit!

The Teen Summit weekend was awesome. So many people and so many memories. A huge shout out to the FARE organizers who did such a good job for us with great speakers, scheduling, and sweatshirts. 

I found friends from years past and made new ones. 

  It's such an amazing feeling to be in a room-- a very big grand ballroom in this case--with over 300 people who "get it." Who have walked in your shoes. 

  People who have made eggless cakes, read countless labels, collaborated with many many teachers and school nurses and packed a 1000 lunches. Just like you. 

  That's who we are-- and we're good at this, really good. And proud of it. We  exchanged information and experiences. Our kids hung out with new friends, sharing stories and texts. 

  And, our "village" -- our food allergy village-- once again empowered its villagers and made us laugh and cry and say goodbye stronger than we arrived. 

Teen Summit here we come!

Off to Washington DC for the FARE Teen Summit. This weekend, 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!

Teen Summit: 10 years and counting

I'm going to be at the Teen Summit in DC next weekend-- hope to see you there!

 It's a great event for kids to meet, greet, gripe, and grin. It's empowering and informative and fun. 

Note: my little recipe book : College Cooking: Allergy-Free will be available on Amazon very soon. Easy recipes for college kids or anyone who wants easy delicious  meals -- allergy-free. 

Feel free to contact me at:

foodallergyworks@gmail.com

Rice and Beans! Dinner tonight

RecipeTo come in College Cooking: Allergy-Free-- at the printer now!

Great NYTimes Column

Melissa Clark, who writes a weekly homey food column for the New York Times, this week takes on the idea of basic recipes for a variety of foods. 

  These are relatively simple recipes which work for -- as she labels--"any meatballs" and " any roasted vegetables."

   Now these recipes use ingredients that include some top 8 allergens-- eggs, milk, fish-- but Clark's suggestions and ideas are in the right place. Have a few go-to recipes that work with a variety of proteins-- and it makes your cooking life easier. 

  Ideas echoed here and repeated like a mantra for everyone cooking for a food allergic family. 

 Check out the column though-- good ideas and cheerful presentation.  

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/dining/how-to-cook-without-a-recipe.html?referrer=

Teen Summit--the 10 Year Anniversary!!!

Unbelievably it was 10 years ago that about 50 of us gathered in Crystal City, Virginia to talk, share, explore and breathe a collective sigh of relief about food allergies. 

  Finally, we were in a whole roomful of people who "got it. " We were in a room with other kids and moms( and maybe two dads) who knew exactly what we were dealing with. And we were laughing and sharing tips and-- circling DC on a monument tour with a bus driver who was lost!

  That weekend was life-changing. I personally had never met another family whose kid was allergic to more than one food. I had never met another family who found it difficult to travel and who knew how to bake a gluten-free, egg-free,milk-free birthday cake. It was wonderful!

  My son was the "keynote speaker"-- at 12! And parents were not allowed in the room as he talked about dealing with food allergies in school, after school, sports teams and socially. I think it was a brilliant stroke by the FAAN organizers to keep the teens and the parents totally separate. 

 And the floodgates opened. The kids couldn't share enough about their triumphs and trials. AND, how they dealt with them day to day. The relief and joy and positive attitudes were unbounded. 

   My son still has friends from that first Teen Summit. As do I. 

  My friends and I continue to share the stress of food challenges. Or college jitters. Or what petition just got passed in our respective states. Or what to make for lunch. 

  Of course in 10 years the Teen Summit has grown. Now, over 100 teens and preteens attend. And there are speakers for the teens and parents for two and a half days solid. But there's still lots of conversation and sharing and community. And always that big sigh of relief that everybody gets it. 

  In 10 years food allergies have gone from being practically unheard of to a condition to be accommodated. By law. 

  It's been a journey, and the friends I made at the first Teen Summit have been there every step of the way. 

  It's the place to be in November-- see you there!

Risk-Taking and Food Allergy

This could be a short column: 

There is no risk taking. 

  Except of course, when a kid doesn't read the ingredients because ( supply reason here: "too awkward" " no ingredients list" " didn't want to")

 Or when something looks and smells sooooo good that they have to try a bite. 

  

But often, food allergic teens are risk- averse, especially about their body's well-being. They're not the ones swinging upside down on the jungle gym. Or jumping into the ocean on a dare. Or nose grinding on a skateboard, taking air. 

  Doesn't mean they're not cool or fun or active-- just, as I've always said, a tad more responsible and mature. 

  Gotta be-- gotta keep yourself safe and still be independent. And the only way your folks will let you be independent is to be responsible: 

Take that Epi-pen; 

Avoid that restaurant,

 Pack yourself a snack. 

( and my thanks go here to many talks by FAAN folks--Karen Mudd we love you-- about what's allowable and what's not). 

 

  So our food allergic teens may not be trying everything there is out there to try, but I think we can be pretty confident that they're trying to keep themselves safe each and every day.