Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy: Tips on Staying Safe at Summer Parties

Summer is party time and of course you need to be careful about peanut and tree nut allergies during this warm and wonderful season. With a few precautions and some common sense, a good time can be had by all. Here are some things that have worked for me and my family:

Talk about it. When you reply to an invitation, notify your hosts immediately about any food allergies or dietary restrictions. It's nice to give them advance notice so that they can tailor the menu or ask you to bring a dish.

Bring the dessert. Most people with food allergies have to avoid desserts from bakeries or even other people's kitchens because of cross-contact concerns or because they can't eat the ingredients--nuts, eggs, wheat. Offering to bring at least one of the sweet treats ensures that your family members will be able to enjoy dessert with everyone else.

Beware of double-dipping. A perfectly "safe" food can become allergenic if the same utensils used for one dish are then used in another. Buffets can become danger zones for this reason. If you are invited to a buffet, either ask to serve your child first or bring your child a separate main dish that only they will eat.

Consider the grill. Grills can become a food allergy nightmare due to marinades containing peanut butter, nut oils or dairy items and/or potentially allergenic proteins like seafood. (Or hamburger buns, if you've got wheat allergy or celiac disease). You might want to invest in a Smokey Joe (small size BBQ) to tote along to a party. That way, you can grill away without worry.

Own the allergy. Don't be afraid to bring your own food or to share your allergy concerns with your hosts. An upbeat explanation of why your child (or you) can't eat a particular food beats staying at home. In the end, it's more important that you enjoy time with friends and family than what you eat while you're there.

Being a Peanut Allergy Mom Is Like Being a Goalie for the Blackhawks

Watching the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup finals yesterday, I couldn't help but be impressed by their nearly superhuman goalie, Niemi. Pucks were flying and he was catching them and blocking them like crazy. I think he blocked 27 shots in all, just in Monday's game.

I could identify with him a little bit. Sometimes, dealing with peanut and tree nut allergies feels like that, especially at the end of the school year.

All of the food involved these last 2 weeks of school have been like flying pucks. Zing! Here comes ice cream day! Bam! It's the Fun Lunch! What are they having?? Is it safe? Better check! Zoom! It's the end of year party and here come more frozen treats!

As moms of kids with nut allergies or any food allergies, we are constantly blocking the shots, i.e. intercepting unsafe foods from our kids. No wonder we get tired sometimes. As tired as the goalie Niemi felt last night, I'm feeling his pain. The end of the school year is a near-constant food fest and there is food allergy risk around every corner.

While the Blackhawks will have a Stanley Cup to show for their efforts if they keep up the wins, we have something equally as good to show for our efforts: a healthy, happy child. And if we get through the year safely, parents, I'm counting on all of us to celebrate like Stanley Cup-winning hockey stars. Well, maybe not exactly like that. :) But celebrate! You've earned it.

Food Allergies and Memorial Day--Safety Tips for a Fun Time

I love summer. Living in Chicago, I've learned to savor the heat and humidity. Those January winds make a lasting impression so no complaints here as the temperature rises!

Summer also means having to adjust how we cope with nut allergies and all food allergies. For the non-temperate parts of the country, food is being prepared in different ways and in different venues than winter.

Many of us will be heading out to Memorial Day Weekend festivities, so now's the time to get ready to handle summer's new food allergy challenges.

Here are a few things to look out for:

Grills. While grilled foods are some of the safest options for all food-allergic people because of their simplicity and lack of sauces, outdoor grills present a HUGE cross-contact risk. Marinades may contain many types of allergens including nuts and the shared grill presents many risks for reaction.

If you love grilled foods and want your allergic family members to enjoy them at a party, consider bringing your own portable grill (but be sure to keep it only for your family's use.) A Smokey Joe grill is easy to transport to any location. Memorial Day sales are an ideal time to pick up one of these. You can find them at most stores that sell grills and barbecue equipment.

Barbecue sauce. I love, love, love barbecue sauce but it presents a high risk for nut allergies and some other food allergies as well (wheat and soy come to mind.) The following is my recipe for nut-free barbecue sauce. Homemade BBQ sauce tastes great and is surprisingly easy to make. I use Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce in my recipe--be aware that Worcestershire may contain anchovies. If you deal with allergies to these ingredients, substitute some extra salt and a shot of lemon juice.

Nut-Free BBQ Sauce
This sauce must be heated for a short while to mellow the onion and garlic--it keeps up to a week when refrigerated. Brush it onto meat or chicken at the last minute or it may scorch.

2 cups ketchup (I always use Heinz)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea and Perrins) or soy sauce (I use Kikoman)
1 tbsp chili powder or to taste
1/2 cup dry red wine or water
1/4 cup vinegar, either wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1/2 cup minced fresh onion
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. When not in use, keep covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Dips and dressings. Chip dip and salad dressing may contain nut oils or ingredients. Always read labels if they are store bought before serving to an allergic person. If homemade, avoid them. You have no real way of knowing if cross-contact occured or what's really in it. When in doubt, do without.

Desserts, especially ice cream. Unless you made these yourself, steer clear. Ice cream is high risk for nut allergies because commercial brands are generally made on shared equipment--a fact not usually reflected on the label. It's better to bake your own desserts and bring them to a party. If you're looking for nut-free, egg-free and dairy-free desserts, check out "The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book." Kelly, aka Food Allergy Mama is a Chicago mom who knows how to seriously bake. Her book has unbelievably wonderful recipes that taste and look delish. Go to her website to order directly: http://www.foodallergymama.com. You can also find her book at Amazon.com -- I also found it in-store at my local Borders.

Easy Bake Ovens and Nut Allergies--A Safe Recipe!

I hope everyone had a safe, nut-free holiday season so far. New Year's is next so please keep on being cautious if you're attending parties and gatherings with nut-allergic family members.

I recently received a great question from a blog reader and since many of you may be in the same boat, I wanted to share it. This reader wanted to know what to do about an Easy Bake Oven that her daughter had received for a gift. Many of you may already know that these ready-made mixes have several food allergy warnings including peanuts and tree nuts.

I was in the same situation a few years ago. In fact, my daughter's first Easy Bake Oven and nut allergy diagnosis occurred within months of each other. Back in 2004 when we were new to nut allergies, the Easy Bake mixes did NOT contain any food allergy warnings so we used them. It wasn't too long before the allergy advisory warnings showed up and that definitely put a damper on our mini oven baking!

Luckily, I discovered several cookbooks on Amazon.com (all self-published, I think) that dealt with Easy Bake Ovens and I ordered one--the Baking with Mommy Cookbook by Kristen Joyal. The book is geared towards any kid-sized oven. Even though some of the recipes contained nuts or peanut butter, there were many that didn't or could be altered by leaving out nuts as an ingredient.

Take a spin on Amazon.com--there could be even more of these books by now. In the meantime, here is one of our favorite recipes for homemade Easy Bake chocolate cake mix. The best part is that you make it in large quantities and then store it in a sealable plastic bag. You'll have baking mix whenever you want it and you'll save $$.

I tweaked this from the original recipe and it works great.

Nut-Free Chocolate Cake Mix for Easy Bake Ovens
1 1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's or Vermont Nut-Free www.vermontnutfree.com)
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight bag or container

To make a cake: Mix 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake mix with 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine and 1/2 a beaten egg (you can also use egg subsitute like Egg Beaters)

Pour into Easy Bake baking pan that's been greased and floured

Bake in mini oven for about 15 minutes.

Use this same basic recipe to make yellow cake mix as well--just leave out the cocoa. I'd add a little vanilla with the wet ingredients for better flavor.

Now, enjoy those Easy Bake Ovens!

My Favorite Nut-Free Christmas Cookie Recipe

Here's my all-time favorite Christmas cookie recipe, "Snowballs." I came up with this recipe to replace the powdered-sugar coated pecan cookies that my grandmother used to make at Christmas time. My recipe is based on a Greek butter cookie called "Kourambiethes", a cookie that has the same shape and powdered sugar finish as my grandma's pecan cookies--except without the nuts. It's very unusual for a Greek cookie to be nut-free so these are a find! I skip the spirits usually called for in the recipe to make these more palatable to children, but if you like, add a tablespoon and a half of brandy or ouzo to the dough.



Snowballs

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar + 2 tbsp, plus lots more for sprinkling on cookies
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure orange extract (optional)
1 scant tsp salt


5-6 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a standing mixer, beat softened butter until very light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and orange extract if using, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour a little at a time until soft dough is formed that can be handled easily. Taking about a teaspoonful at a time, (I use a tiny ice-cream scoop) roll into a small ball. Place on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar while still hot.

If you're looking for a version of this cookie that is also dairy- and egg-free, try The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book. Kelly has a great recipe for these. And while I'm on the subject, this book makes a great Christmas gift. I just saw the book in my local Borders bookstore in the food allergy/cooking section. You can also get a copy at Kelly's website.

Nut-Free Granola Bars--Where to Find Them

Granola bars are a great, quick and healthy snack--unless you have nut allergies. These bars are usually loaded with nuts or at the very least have come into contact with nuts during the manufacturing process.

I always enjoyed granola bars as a snack and have wished my children could enjoy them as well. They are so easy to pack in a backpack or lunchbox.

The good news is that there are more and more nut-free granola bars on the market these days. Two delicious versions that I've discovered are from Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate and Enjoy Life Foods. The only downside would be that these are a bit pricey. To help with the cost, click here to get an Enjoy Life Foods coupon. You can also find nut-free granola and similar nut-free snacks at FAB Snacks, founded by Jennifer B of the blog Food Allergy Buzz.

Enjoy Life Foods are available at many supermarkets across the U.S. including Whole Foods Market. They are also now available at Jewel grocery stores in the Chicago area--that's where I buy mine.

What are some reader favorites? I can't try them every granola bar out there, so let me know!