Soft Gingerbread

I decided to start the baking season this weekend with a gingerbread recipe!  It's free of egg, soy, peanut, and tree nut.

This is a cakey gingerbread, not a hard cookie you would build houses out of. The house smelled wonderful, and it made for a great last-minute dessert to bring to a family gathering.  Not much of it came home!

Soft Gingerbread

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 tsp. baking soda (dissolved in 1 cup boiling water)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer whipped with 4 Tbsp water (2 egg equivalent)

Beat sugar and butter.  Add molasses, baking soda and hot water.  (This splatters a lot when you mix it, use an apron!)  Whisk together flour and spices and add to mixture.  Add whipped egg replacer last.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out dry.  Great with whipped cream on top!

A lot of egg-free baked goods don't rise very well.  I was going to try an experiment with this, but didn't have the proper ingredients so I just stuck with the Ener-G.  In this case, I don't think anything more was needed.  It rose quite well on its own!

Yum!!

Linking up at Allergy Free Wednesdays and Corn-free Everyday

 

How are you kicking off the December baking season?

Losses

As another death rocks the food allergy community, I've been thinking about my involvement in it.  As you probably know, I'm no stranger to food allergies, nor to the fact that they can kill.  But unlike many people, when my sons were diagnosed with food allergies I didn't take to the internet to look for support and advice.  I already knew what I was doing and felt confident in my ability to do it.  I wasn't a part of the food allergy community, even though I occasionally encountered other food allergy parents on parenting forums and the like.

As a result, most food allergy deaths didn't reach me.  I've been hard-pressed to read the news since having kids anyway, and food allergy deaths are seldom in the top headlines.  I knew that people died from allergies, but I was seldom forced to think about them.

That's all changed now.  In the two months that I've been active in the food allergy community, I've heard about a teenager who died after eating trail mix while watching a movie with his mom (an older story, I've learned, but brought back into the news in conjunction with a scientific study), a young boy who died after an unidentified exposure on Halloween, and now a college student who wasn't able to get himself to the hospital fast enough after exposure at a party.  Not to mention I've  been part of a social media firestorm against a school board official who jokingly suggested shooting kids with allergies.

That's a lot.  I knew in my head that food allergy deaths were common enough, but reading about the stories of these remarkable young people, often hearing the words or seeing the faces of their grieving parents, makes the whole experience far more visceral.  I come face-to-face with their horrible losses, and am forced to think about them through the lens of my kids.  I imagine myself in the same situation, immediately regretting one "little" mistake or railing against fate that there was no mistake, frantically trying to keep them with me, worrying that everything I can do won't be enough.  Or I imagine myself having the reaction, feeling myself slip further down the hole than I've ever been, protesting that it can't possibly be that bad and what the h#!! went wrong?

It's enough to make me want to quit this venture and climb back into my shell, content with the knowledge that our lack of reactions means we're doing everything right and confident that we will continue to do so.  Instead of thinking about these very real horror stories a couple times per month (or more, as my thoughts stray down these paths for several days after each story,) I could go back to thinking about them only a couple times per year.

But I can't.

These deaths have been happening since before I was paying attention, and they will continue even if I stick my head back in the sand.  So many of these deaths are preventable, and the more voices we have for advocacy and education, the more reactions we can prevent and properly treat, and the more lives we can save.

That's part of why my husband and I are starting Allergy Superheroes.  We don't just want to protect, educate, and empower our boys, we want to spread that to all kids with food allergies.  We want all kids to develop the confidence and knowledge to advocate for themselves and grow up to lead healthy, full lives.  If I quit now, I won't be part of that.

I will grieve with each family that suffers a food-allergy-related loss, and will continue to raise my voice when awareness or advocacy is needed.  I want to protect and empower children.  I'll do my best.

ETA: I just learned of another today, a teenager died on Thanksgiving Day, weeks after eating a peanut butter cookie.  I'm saddened, and my thoughts go out to the family, as they do with all of these deaths.

Thanksgiving Safety Reminders

One more day to Turkey Day!

Our family has always been really good about our food allergies during holiday meals. My side has been dealing with this for more than one generation, of course, and my husband's side caught on very quickly.  We still take precautions, and I know that a lot of people have a harder time getting family and friends to take them seriously.  With that in mind, here are a few last-minute food-allergy-safety reminders as we count down to gobble day:

If you're hosting:

No Peanuts Allowed!!!

• Make your family allergen policy clear to anyone who intends to bring food to your gathering.  For some, it's "no foods containing X or Y may come into our house."  For others, it's "we don't completely restrict foods containing X or Y, but we expect you to know whether X or Y are in your food so we can treat it accordingly." Regardless, have a plan in mind for what you will do if someone forgets your rule, and be ready to follow through.
• Have a special place where you will segregate any unsafe foods, and make sure you have extra serving utensils in case anyone forgets to bring one. Shared serving utensils are a no-no if unsafe foods are around!
• Make allergic children aware that they are not to touch foods in the unsafe space.  Teach them to alert you and wash their hands immediately if they touch it by accident.
• Help store or discard any unsafe leftovers as soon as the meal is over, and then clean the unsafe food area thoroughly.
• Ask your guests to wash their hands as soon as they're done eating, to avoid contaminating the rest of your home.
• Make yourself aware of the dietary restrictions of anyone else attending your gathering.  There's nothing like leading by example!

Warning:  my feathers may contain egg!

If you're going to someone else's house:

• Know before you go.  Be sure to contact the host to make them aware of your family's allergies.  Inquire about what foods will be served, whether anything will contain your family's allergens, and how they plan to segregate foods that do from foods that don't.  Make plenty of suggestions if they don't have ready answers!
• Offer to help in the kitchen.  Specifically offer to help with keeping safe foods and unsafe foods separate, and with other allergy-related concerns.  Tell the host that you'd like to help here because you know that handling food allergies can be a burden, especially when you're unaccustomed to doing so.
• If the meal is potluck-style, make sure your offering is not only allergy-friendly, but is one your allergic children like, so there will be at least one food they can fill up on.
• Bring some extra serving utensils to make sure that no two dishes will need to share.
• Bring along a safe snack or two, just in case your child rejects the safe offerings (or if you take one look at the spread and decide that kitchen conditions are unsafe for your child.)

No matter where you'll be dining:

• If there will be unsafe food available, have a talk with allergic kids beforehand.  Remind them to check with you before helping themselves to any food (or whatever reminder is age-appropriate.)
• Remind children to report an allergic reaction to you immediately!  Tell them not to "tough it out" or hide it because they don't want to disrupt the holiday gathering.
• If unsafe foods are available, arrange to serve people with allergies (or allow them to serve themselves) first, so that they can beat any accidental contamination.
• If unsafe foods are available, ask everyone to wash their hands when finished eating to avoid contaminating surfaces or giving unsafe hugs.
• Thank everyone for making safety a priority.
• If the meal is fully allergen-free, and this meant a deviation from "family tradition" dishes, thank everyone for their support of your necessary lifestyle.
• Remember to be happy, thankful, and to have fun!  Thanksgiving is one of the few remaining uncorrupted holidays--it's still about family and being thankful for our blessings, big or small!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and be safe!

Turkey and Rice Soup with Pumpkin Biscuits

***ETA: If you're coming over from the Corn-Free Everyday link party, you may notice that there is corn floating in this soup.  I'm including it in the linky because that is the only corn-derived ingredient.  Simply add the safe vegetables of your choosing, and you, too, can enjoy this scrumptious soup!


After you're finished with your Thanksgiving celebration, don't throw away that turkey carcass!  In fact, don't bother picking the bones completely clean.  With a little work (and a few hours, in which your home will warm up and smell divine) you can get a few more meals out of that bird with my Turkey and Rice Soup!  Free of the Big 8!

Turkey and Rice Soup

Turkey Broth Ingredients:

• 1 leftover turkey carcass
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 large bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the turkey carcass (breaking to fit, if necessary), onion, carrot, and garlic in a large soup pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil.
   
2. Add oregano, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, about 2 hours.
4. Strain the broth.  Refrigerate for a short time and skim off the fat.
5. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the bones and save for the soup.  Discard bones, skin, and cooked vegetables.

Turkey Soup Ingredients:

• Freshly made turkey broth
• 1/2 to 1 cup brown rice
• 1-2 bags frozen mixed vegetables
• 3 Tbsp. parsley

Directions:

1. Return skimmed broth to the soup pot with the turkey meat and bring to a boil.  Add additional water, if necessary, and additional salt and pepper if the diluted broth is too bland.  (This is an inexact science, just get the broth to the level you want.)
2. Add rice and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
3. Add frozen veggies and parsley.  Return to boiling.  Simmer another 10 minutes.

   

   (I forgot the parsley this time.)

This soup works just as well with chicken.  You can make this soup after roasting a chicken, or even make it with a whole, raw chicken or a few raw chicken breasts or thighs (you'd get more meat that way.)  You could also substitute your choice of chopped, fresh veggies rather than use frozen, but you'd have to cook them for longer.  And of course, make sure your bird is allergy-friendly to begin with!

Yum!

I made this a few weeks ago with a leftover turkey carcass I had in the freezer.  We had a major cold snap and I was in the mood for soup week after week.  I don't make homemade soup often enough and so the boys usually spurn this soup, but Zax actually liked it this time!  He even chose to eat it over the simple "Letter Soup" I'd made for the two of them!  It warms a Mama's heart!

Can't smile.  Eating soup!

I also made Pumpkin Biscuits to eat with the soup.  I had 1/2 cup of pumpkin left in the fridge, and so I added it to 2 1/4 cups of Bisquick, and had to add about 1/4 cup of milk as well.  I also added 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.

These were okay.  We mostly just tasted the cinnamon, and it was a mild flavor at that.  I think I would need more of each ingredient if I were to do it again.

Linking up at Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, and Corn-free Everyday

 

If not soup, do you do anything special with your leftover turkey?

FABlogCon 2015

The Food Allergy Bloggers Conference is something I've only heard a little bit about so far.  It happened this year the day after I became a food allergy blogger, and so it wasn't on my radar at the time.  I've read more about it as I've been blog hopping, and it sounds like a great event and resource!

This isn't even on the official website yet, [eta - it's up on the website now!] but my husband discovered yesterday on Twitter that the 2015 conference will be in Denver!

SAVE THE DATE!

FABlogCon 2015

November 13-15, 2015

Denver, CO

https://twitter.com/fablogcon

This will make it extremely easy for us to attend!  Consider the date saved!  I can't wait to be a part of this fantastic event next year!

Egg Allergies and the Flu Shot

Did you know that the flu vaccine is incubated in chicken eggs?

We learned this when Zax was 10 months old.  Even before getting to the allergist, our pediatrician told us he would need to get his flu shot directly from an allergist, if at all.  The allergist confirmed this, and that first year we learned the standard protocol.  We would go in for a visit, where they would perform a skin test with a sample of the flu vaccine.  Assuming he showed no reaction to the vaccine, he would then receive the flu shot, followed by a wait for observation.  Zax never reacted to the skin prick test for the vaccine, and he never had any adverse reactions to the vaccine itself, either.  They also told us that they test all their vials of flu vaccine for the presence of egg protein, and use the vial with the lowest levels for their egg-allergic patients.

About two years ago, the protocol changed.  Our allergist's office told us that the skin test had proven ineffective at predicting who would react to the flu vaccine, so they no longer did that.  Instead, they simply gave Zax the injection and then we waited in the office, like before.  (I don't know if this became standard for everyone, or just for people who had tolerated the vaccine without incident before.)  Two years ago, and again last year, Zax again tolerated the flu vaccine with no ill effects.  With this history in mind, I wasn't expecting anything different this year.

However, something different did happen.

Zax got his flu shot at the allergist's office on Monday.  Apart from being afraid of needles and the usual flu shot soreness, he showed no adverse effects at the office.  His skin was clear at bedtime, too.  And when I helped him get dressed Tuesday morning.  Tuesday evening, however, when Zax took his shirt off to change into his pajamas, I was shocked to see this on his arm:

The area was red, slightly raised, and warm to the touch.  It was about 3 inches across, centered around the area of his injection.  "Does it itch?" I asked, knowing the answer already from the fingernail marks I could see across its surface.  "Yes," he said.  I forgot to ask him if he remembered how long it had been itching for.

I called our allergist's office, asking what to do.  He was reporting no other symptoms, and his behavior was consistent with the crazy way he acts every day at bedtime.  Was this a Benadryl situation?  A Hydrocortisone situation?  Claritin?  What should we be doing?

The on-call doctor got back to me quickly, and on his advice I gave Zax Claritin, Ibuprofen (for the inflammation), and Hydrocortisone.  I also outlined the red spot in pen so we could see if it grew or shrank.  And then I was supposed to call our office in the morning to follow up.

This is new territory for me (and although it's scheduled to post on Wednesday at 6:00, I'm penning this late in the evening, which is the hour at which the Boogey Men come out) so my mind in running at full speed.  I honestly wasn't expecting Zax to have a reaction, and certainly not one 29 hours post-shot.  I don't know what this means for the future.  Will Zax still get flu shots, but in two half-doses?  (I vaguely remember that this was an option if he had a positive skin test to the vaccine, but that memory is five years old now.)  Is he likely to react again in the same way if he gets another flu shot, now that he's reacted to one?  Is he likely to react worse the next time he gets a flu shot?  (Food reactions often go that way, why would injecting it directly into the body be any different?)  Will Zax simply not get flu shots anymore?  That would put us at the mercy of herd immunity, which is waning these days with all the anti-vaccine sentiment going around.  And people do die from the flu.  We don't want an anaphylactic reaction to a vaccine though, either.  How do we mitigate the risks?  And does a histamine reaction to a vaccine reduce the body's ability to develop the desired immune response?

I guess I have a lot of things to discuss with the allergist tomorrow.

As I write this, it's 11:00pm.  I'll check on Zax before I go to bed, and evaluate again in the morning.  I'm still planning on sending him to school as long as he isn't worse.  These allergies keep sending me curve balls.

Same allergy.  New symptoms.  New concerns.  *sigh*

Perfect Pumpkin Puree

I fell in love with pumpkins several years ago.  I have no idea why, but I've become obsessed with growing them, decorating with them, and of course, baking with them.  I don't think I've purchased a can of pumpkin in over a decade, because I always make my own puree.

Usually I have to make puree with farmer's market pumpkins because, despite my enthusiasm, pumpkins just don't grow in my back yard.  My female flowers wither and die before opening, so they never get pollinated, and the squirrels make off with the few that beat the odds.  I finally figured out that they don't get enough sunlight in the back, and I planted them in the front yard this year.  What a difference!  I got 8 pie pumpkins, and two very large carving pumpkins!  Then someone stole our carving pumpkins right from the planter! (*sniff, *growl!)  We received 4 more as gifts from people who felt bad for us, and we still had the 8 small pumpkins to paint, so we still had a happy Halloween.

Once Halloween was over, it was time to turn those pie pumpkins into puree!

Let me tell you, I have used numerous techniques over the years, and this one is my favorite by far!  Other methods are messier or more wasteful, but this gives me a perfect puree every time!

Perfect Pumpkin Puree

1. Rinse and dry the pumpkin.
2. Cut the pumpkin in half.  Remove and discard the stem and innards, saving the seeds for roasting, if you like.
   
3. Rub the cut surfaces with oil (I use olive oil.)  Place them, cut side down, in a roasting pan and add water to the pan.  I use my turkey roaster and bake two or three pumpkins at a time, so I have to use about 6 cups of water.  If you're using a smaller pan and for one pumpkin, you would probably only need about 3-4 cups of water.  Possibly less, just make sure you monitor that it isn't boiling dry.
4. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork.  This takes between 90 minutes and 2 hours.  (Do it on a cool day, where the heat and humidity will warm your home.)
   
5. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the pumpkin flesh.
   
6. Puree the pumpkin in a food processor, in a food mill, with a hand blender or by hand.  (One of the things that I like about this method is that if I let the pumpkin bake for 2 hours, the skin just lifts right off and the pumpkin is so tender that I can get a good puree just by using my hand mixer.  That dirties fewer dishes and is much easier to clean than a blender!)
   

Pumpkin can hold a lot of moisture.  If you want a really thick puree you can line a sieve or fine mesh collander with a paper towel or coffee filter and set over a bowl.  Let drain for about 2 hours and stir occasionally.  (I've never done this)

I freeze this puree in 2 cup increments, which is what most of my recipes call for.  I got 12 cups of pumpkin just from the first three pumpkins I baked this year!  With five more pumpkins to go, plus another 5 or 6 cups of puree left over from last year, I told all of my family not to purchase any pumpkin this year.  I would provide the pumpkin for all of their Thanksgiving baking needs!

Now we're set for pumpkin pies, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin pancakes, etc, etc, etc!  I love eating pumpkin at this time of year!

Linking up at Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, and Corn-free Everyday

 

What pumpkin dishes do you like to eat during the holidays?