A Little Food Allergy Consideration, PLEASE!

We went to the Allergist last week to get our lab results.  Fun finds included a YES, we are still allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.  And a NO, we are not allergic via lab results to wheat and soy.  But, YES, her body is still rejecting the wheat and soy.  We did a one time attempt to reintroduce; she was sick to her stomach with the half hour and she had urticaria within 24 hours.  Needless to say, we are still a household that is free of wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts.  All the better for me, because our family has never been healthier.  The little one was visually upset due to her need to feel included by her peers- which is another story in itself.

Our family started off the week with a bang!  Last week, our daughter came home with the news of a class party to be held this past Friday.  An ice cream party via Dairy Queen for good behavior.  No note sent home, mind you.  But I did my job and looked online and found that she could have the fudge bar without an issue.  It is prepackaged and I wouldn’t have to worry about contamination.  So, Friday morning my husband walks her to class and mentions the upcoming ice cream party after lunch.  The teacher explained that the party would not be taking place until Monday and they would not be having ice cream any longer.  The teacher mentioned nothing else; no other ideas, did not mention any food or her allergies.  Monday afternoon, something told me to stop by the school and check on things.  Thank goodness I did.  Her entire classroom was eating their lunches in the room, having a party, and eating ice cream.  Yes, ice cream.  I immediately left the school and bought her a treat to take back.  She was so excited.  She said, “Mom, you know EVERYTHING”.  Her teacher didn’t even bother apologizing.  No email sent, no warning, nothing.  By the time I left the school, I was in tears.  I was so mad!  I was upset that no one even cared enough to acknowledge her.  Her teacher had given every child in that classroom ice cream except for my daughter.  Why?  I would jump through fire for my children, so I sure as hell would buy a popsicle.  Just shoot me an email, call me, text me, I promise I won’t bite.  I can’t fix it if I don’t know about it.  Why can’t a little bit of commonsense come into play?

An Update and Homemade Vanilla Extract

I have been gone from the blogosphere for a while now.  Not by choice, granted.  It has been nutso in my neck of the woods.  Snow storms, tornadoes, kids, chores, farm, etc.  You get the idea.  I’ve been having a hard time with recipes, lately.  I seem to be stuck in a rut and when I do try to think “outside the box”, it’s been pretty gross.  Does that happen to anyone else?  I guess I need to get back to basics.  My family and I recently took a trip to Nashville, TN for a weekend; it was great!  We found lots of restaurants that we could eat at.  There is a bakery called Fiddlecakes that made us a batch of brownies when I called ahead and alerted of particular allergies.  They make their own gluten free bread and fresh sandwiches that made for a yummy lunch.  We also encountered Mellow Mushroom for the first time.  It was such a treat for all of us to enjoy pizzas together as a family.  We ended our trip with a visit to The Whole Foods Market to store up favorites that are unattainable in our area.  Lots of pastas, panko bread crumbs, snack bars, you get the idea.  Needless to say that we had our Expedition loaded for our trip back home to Kentucky.  My daughter also had her Immunocaps drawn for an upcoming appointment with her allergist.  We’re not sure what, if anything will come of that.  Did I mention that my baking has been a bit “different” for the past couple of weeks?  I’ve been experimenting with a lot of different flour combinations trying to find a “fit”.  Up to this point I have been splurging on Bob’s Red Mill AP flour but I really want to make my own mixes.  What I have accomplished is the best vanilla extract.  We started it before Christmas and are currently enjoying homemade vanilla extract.  Super easy to make, I plan on gifting it for the holidays in the future.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

1 jam jar

2 vanilla beans split

Vodka

Place the vanilla beans in the jar and cover with vodka until filled.  Place top on jar and let it rest in a cool, dark place for at least 6 weeks; shaking occasionally.  I currently have mine located on my counter top to use at my whim.  Nothing tastes as good as homemade vanilla extract when a vanilla bean cannot be used.  Keep it natural.

Snow Days and a Brownie Recipe

Hello Everyone!! I have missed everyone and I hope you are all staying warm and healthy. We have had a lot of snow in our area and no school at all this week. Luckily, we have plenty of four-wheel drive vehicles that have not limited our capability of reaching the grocery store. I’ve been baking quite a bit. I love it, it’s calming to create yummy desserts from scratch or build upon a simple mix. I would love to start creating the bakery treats for the public. I’ve been doing a little bit for close friends and family who want to eat healthier this new year. Maybe soon, I can advertise in my town. Who knows? Our family has been super busy adding on and remodeling our home. I want our house to look like it’s been here for a hundred years, the devil is in the details. I’ve been choosing historically accurate paint and moldings and my husband has been doing everything himself. Who knew he would be so good at designing and building cabinets. I think he’s found a new hobby. We’ve had to make sure all of our animals are staying healthy and warm. I have a goat due to kid this month and I’m just praying all of this snow will be gone before Heidi goes into labor. I’m looking forward to milking her but not in this cold, snowy weather. The milk would probably freeze before I got it to the house. At the encouragement of my “tweeps”, I am including a simple brownie recipe that I built upon a package mix for a quick treat.


Quick Chocolate Sunbutter Cream Cheese Brownies


1 package Bob’s Red Mill Brownie Mix
1 cup sunbutter
1 package of cream cheese
1 tbs. honey
1 egg
1 ½ sticks melted butter


Combine in mixer the brownie mix, egg, and melted butter; set aside. To a small saucepan over low heat combine cream cheese, honey, and sunbutter; melt to combine well. To a greased 9x13 pan add half of brownie mixture to make complete layer. Dot sunbutter mixture over layer and finish with adding last half of brownie mixture. Using a butter knife, make sure to marble sunbutter mixture through out brownie batter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.