• PREPARE TO HANDLE THE HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR SCHOOL PARTIES: Ever since John started preschool I have designated myself as the “Snack and Treat Mom” for all holiday parties.  Sometimes, I’ve had to combat with some moms who were adament about sending in their child’s favorite peanut m&m’s.  But over time, as there has been more awareness over the danger of food allergies, I’ve had less resistance. I like to offer a treat that also serves as a craft: pumpkin shaped plain sugar cookies (see my recipes section), bowls of allergen safe icing, candies and sprinkles to decorate. I also love to serve fresh fruit kabobs to the kids along with the cookies. Too much sugar CAN be a bad thing….
• LOAD UP ON ALLERGEN SAFE CANDIES AHEAD OF TIME: There are some good allergen safe candy choices at the store. Our favorite every year are Smarties, Starburst Plain, Original Skittles and those fabulous little Dum Dum Suckers. I fill a huge bowl with all of these and let my kids pass the candy out to all the trick or treaters.
• GO TRICK OR TREATING: What makes Trick or Treating so much fun is not just getting candy, but the act of running from house to house with your family and friends and waiting for the perfect moment to scream “Trick or Treat!”. This is probably John’s favorite part, even more so than getting the candy. We have had a strict rule since he was old enough to talk that there is NO eating on the way. But I always have a backup bag of “safe candy” in my purse if he whines loud enough. So we all just go from house to house, trick or treating like everyone else.
• WHEN YOU ARRIVE HOME WITH YOUR CHILD, ASK HIM TO HAND OVER THE BAG: This is discussed several times prior to Halloween so there are no surprises or issues. The full bag of treats is handed over to me for even exchange of my own bag of “safe treats, cookies and candies. In addition, I pack either a Target gift card or special toy I know he’s been asking for (this year it’s a DS game (on sale of course…). When John was in preschool hot wheels and little trucks did the trick.
• DONATE THE RELINQUISHED BAG OF CANDY: Our school collects excess candy to give to nursing homes and homeless shelters, so it is easy for us to trade our candy in. If your school doesn’t do this already, consider asking your principal to start this year. It’s a wonderful way to give back to others.
• SIT BY THE FIRE, ENJOY A CUP OF MULLED CIDER A WARM DINNER IN THE CROCKPOT: My sister has a tradition of having sloppy joes in the crockpot waiting for her overtired and sugar-crazed trick or treaters. I inherited this great tradition from her and it is a wonderful way to end the evening of craziness. The kids warm up their toes, eat a good dinner and talk about how much fun they had. Again, the less emphasis put on food and candy, the better. So, in the end, John’s Halloween isn’t much different from anyone else’s.  Halloween doesn’t have to be so scary, right?

I’m sure many of you have your own tried and true Halloween tips and tricks….I’d love to hear them!

Happy Halloween!

The Holiday Baking Season is finally upon us. I can hear the sighs now…what do we do when we know we have to make and bake safe treats to bring to winter parties and holiday dinners? By simply rolling up our sleeves, pull out one of my recipes and get baking. This is the perfect time to get your kids in the kitchen. Don’t worry so much about the end result, but rather the fun in doing. My two older kids, 8 and 6 have become quite proficient rolling dough, giving cookie cutters a gentle wiggle upon lifting and using a dough scraper to carefully lift cookie shapes onto parchment lined cookie sheets. The two little guys at ages 3 and 2 are still learning these little tricks, and would rather spend the time eating raw dough dipped in colored sugar. I should post a photo of my kitchen after one of these “baking sessions”!

While we all will be hitting our kitchens a little more often the next few weeks, I thought I’d share a few of my  Five Favorite Baking Products. Enjoy and Happy Baking!

1. Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat: Use one of these two items and you’ll never have burnt, too crisp cookies again. There’s something magical about using parchment or the silicone baking mat; you’ll have perfectly shaped and baked cookies every time.

2. Dairy Free Baking Spray:  I love the Crisco brand baking spray with flour. It is quick and less messy than the traditional approach of “greasing and flouring” baking pans.

3. Silicone Rubber Spatula:  Every kitchen should have at least ONE, if not more. It is the only utensil I use to scrape down the bowl, stir in ingredients and pour into baking pans. There are so many fun colors now too.

4. Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract: I’m a real stickler about the vanilla I use. There are some ingredients you can’t go cheap; this is one of them. Get the good stuff, and you’ll see a real difference in your baking results.

5: Enjoy Life Allergen Friendly Chocolate Chips:  When I was considering my allergen free cookie business I did a ton of research into what were the safest chocolate chips to use. It wasn’t easy, but I can tell you that for the Food Allergic consumer, this product is your best bet for a great tasting and safe chocolate chip that has been extensively tested for allergens and executes strict manufacturing practices. There is one other too, but it isn’t readily availible to the average consumer and you’d have to buy it in bulk at expensive prices.

If you have a Favorite Baking Product you’d like to share, post your comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Prior to dinner being served the catering manager went to every single table to ask about food allergies and intolerances. He was familiar with all the ingredients of the food being served and could quickly tell if there would be a problem. For instance, we were told right away that the bread would be unsuitable because they couldn’t verify all the ingredients in the bread. Everything went smoothy, and for that I was truly grateful. Of course, I still watched John like a hawk for the first few bites.

Since the bride couldn’t guarantee the cake would be allergen friendly I was asked to make an assortment of cookies and bars for the ”sweets” table. Several other children at the wedding had various allergies so it was great to see ALL the children enjoy the sweet treats. It was definitely “an affair to remember”…

Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend!

Now John is in first grade and it isn’t so easy anymore to pack him with an alternative meal at family gatherings. He feels left out and excluded. He truly gets the fact that his food allergies separates him from other children. He feels different. Most of the time he is awesome at accepting the body that has been given to him, but sometimes he doesn’t. Food has become a source of fear and the feeling of exclusion, despite all our best efforts to make our house completely allergen friendly. I never make separate meals (with four kids under 8, I probably wouldn’t anyway even if there weren’t allergy issues). We don’t order in pizza, I never make my signature lasagna anymore and I can’t remember the last time I popped an Easy Mac in the microwave for a quick lunch. Our lives have changed and we are happy with it. It hasn’t been that hard, really, it is only hard when my son feels the burden of his allergy.

Thanksgiving dinner used to be one of those times where John felt different. The holiday is all about the meal, and time shared with friends and family. Without the sharing of the Turkey Day meal for the child with food allergies, there is something inevitably missed. Last year was the first year we stayed home and I cooked for just the six of us. It was amazing and wonderful and reminded me of why my mother considered Thanksgiving her favorite holiday. My kids pulled up chairs to the stove top to watch the cranberries pop, they delighted in seeing the “Big Bird” go into the oven, they helped chop celery and tear bread for the stuffing, and even shared the dairy free pumpkin pie. John always wondered by Woodstock loved eating that last pumpkin pie piece in the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving cartoon…now he knows.

Food allergies don’t have to prevent our children from enjoying and creating memories in the kitchen. These are the memories that last a lifetime. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Halloween is only 11 days away; are you ready for the upcoming class parties, parades and endless string of trick or treaters? I’m not either, so now is the perfect time to get the game plan in place, especially for your food allergic child, classmate or neighbor. Most of us know at least one child or adult with a food allergy. Halloween is an excellent time to raise food allergy awareness. Many elementary classes will have a treat filled party and costume parade. Kids will be buzzing doorbells left and right looking for their favorite pieces of candy, maybe even eating some along the way. And even the tween and teen crowds like to get in on the fun through parties and get togethers on their own. Halloween is fun for all these kids and grownups alike, and it doesn’t have to become a nightmare as long as we all remember to keep it safe for everyone.

Over the years I have learned a few tricks on Halloween night and during class parties. Here are a few to get you started.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR TRICK OR TREATING:

1. Pass out non food items, such as stickers, small trinkets, quarters, pencils. It never ceases to amaze me how much my kids love “treasure box” type items.

2. Make even trades for all the candy your child can’t have with candy they can have. In my case, John is allergic to dairy and nuts so that pretty much leaves us with starburst (only certain varieties), dum dum lollipops, the original skittles and smarties.

3. Trade out the entire bag of candy for a Target gift card. This is by far John’s favorite item. Nothing says magic like a Target gift card.

4. Don’t throw out all that candy! Many schools already have programs in place to collect extra candy to donate to nursing homes, women’s shelters, etc. It is a wonderful way to teach your children to give back to others.

5. My favorite trick for Halloween night? FAAN’s Trick or Treat Box. Click on their website in my useful links. Register online and they will send you a free box to collect money for FAAN’s food allergy education and research programs. Last year the trick or treat box program raised more than $25,000. It’s a wonderful way to give back to an organization that has given so much to all of us.

TOP 5 TREATS FOR YOUR HALLOWEEN CLASS PARTIES:

1. Fruit Kabobs: Kids of all ages love food on a stick. Fruit Kabobs are a healthy alternative to other sweets. Alternate pieces of fresh pineapple, strawberry, melon and apple. Or better yet, make it as part of your child’s class activity.

2. Scary Veggie Platter: I will admit, my kids are scared of veggies. But they will dig into veggies that are cut into whimicial shapes and sizes. Get your smallest Halloween cookie cutters, and cut  flat sliced pieces of red and yellow pepper, cucumber slices or allergen free bread. Bundle up and tie matchstick sized carrots and celery with a string of chives. The more interesting concoction, the more likely they’ll try it.

3. Root Vegetable Chips: Who doesn’t love chips at a party? A colorful array of beet, parsnip, carrots and sweet potato chips will intrigue your little one. It’s easy: slice them thinly by hand or in your food processor and. Heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees and fry in small batches until crisp, just a few minutes. Drain in paper towels, season to taste.

4. Popcorn Balls: Maybe it is just me, but for some reason I always think of making yummy popcorn balls on Halloween. I remember loving them as a kid, and they are easily portable for parties. Kids love them too, because they are fun to eat! Pop 3 quarts popcorn (I always make my own as the store bought versions often have butter in them) and keep warm in a 200 degree oven; oil a large fork and spoon on hand. Combine 2 c. light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 T. Cider Vinegar in a medium pot. Heat over medium high until the syrup reaches a hard ball consistency. Remove and add 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Pour over the popcorn carefully and stir with the oiled fork and spoon. Once combinedand cooled shape into 2 inch balls and cool on waxed paper. Wrap in festive tissue, saran wrap with a bow, or set out in a fun holiday bowl.

1. My favorite tip for a class party is NO FOOD! Trust me, they will get more than their fair share during trick or treat time. Make the class party about projects, games, and handing out little gift baggies of trinkets, stickers, spider rings, skull bones, etc.

I’d love to hear if you have any other fun ideas. Enjoy!