Olive Garden salad dressing - our version

On our way home from school this evening, I asked the girls what they would like to have for dinner tonight. Landry immediately said "SPAGHETTI!!!". This, of course, was followed by Aubrey's even louder protests. (She just hasn't quite crossed over to the whole "corn pasta" camp. . .yes, that would be spaghetti made from corn - who knew???)
Upon realizing that she had indeed been outvoted, Aubrey conceeded . . . but, with conditions. She would go for spaghetti as long as I would fix salad with OLIVE GARDEN SALAD DRESSING! My response to this request went something like this: "Umm . . . honey, Olive Garden has been put on the black list of unsafe foods - even their salad dressing." Remaining undeterred and having complete confidence in my culinary abilities (humorous, I know!), she simply said "Mama, I know you can fix it!" Bless her little heart . . .
Thankfully, I remembered my mom-in-law mentioning that she had the original restaurant recipe. So a phone call to Grammy and a grocery-store visit later, we put our plan in action. . . butcher the original recipe to fit our needs and see what we get. Really, all we had to do was replace the mayo with an equal amount of sour cream and we were ready for business.
In short, the salad was a huge success (even if we were without croutons . . . still working on that one)! The girls had a lovely little squabble (yes, at the table) about who was going to eat the last of it, and Mom got to save the day by making a second helping! Life is good!!!

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

(the Landry-safe way)

1/2 cup sour cream

(Casein free - use Tofutti Sour Cream)

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon canola oil

2 Tablespoons corn syrup

4 Tablespoons parmesean cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in blender for 30 seconds. Chill dressing for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cookies - They Make Us Happy!

Okay - I am NOT an advocate of cookies for breakfast. Well, I think really I am . . . but realizing that, as a breakfast offering they are neither nutritious or socially acceptable, I do not normally allow them to be on the early morning menu. However, sometimes things happen! Today would be one of those days.

Last night, we made some really yummy cookies that just couldn't be ignored. And, since they contain so many healthy ingredients (just look past the Hershey's Kiss planted squarely in the middle of each one), I just couldn't say "no" to an early morning revisit to the cookie plate.

Cookie Kisses

(Gluten free, Nut free, Rice free, Options for milk free)

1/2 c. shortening

3/4 c. soy butter

1/3 c. raw sugar

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. Tofutti sour cream

2 Tbsp. milk (or Soy Milk)

1/4 t. gluten free vanilla powder

1 1/2 c. 4-flour blend (garfava, sorghum, tapioca, cornstarch)

1/2 tsp. Xantham gum

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 pkg. plain Hershey's Kisses or GF Non Dairy Choc. Pieces

1/4 c. raw sugar in shallow bowl or plate

Heat oven to 350 F. Beat shortening and soy butter until creamy. Add sugar and honey. Beat until fluffy. Stir together dry ingredients. Gradually mix dry ingredients into soy butter mix until smooth. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar until lightly coated. Place on baking sheet and bake for 8 - 10 minutes (until just starting to brown). Remove cookies from oven. Unwrap kisses or chocolate pieces and press one into center of each cookie. Allow to cool thoroughly before eating.

Enjoy!

And . . . as for the breakfast thing - you have to admit, these have got to be more nutritious than Pop - Tarts!

Soy butter . . . it's a GOOD thing!

"Your daughter has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts (among other things). It's a MIRACLE that she's never gone into anaphylactic shock."

Excuse me . . . come again . . . WHAT DID YOU SAY???? These were the thoughts that were spinning through my head as the doctor presented her findings - but, for once, my brain and my mouth had disconnected. I was speechless! (And, I really thought I might throw up if I dared open my mouth!)

Simultaneously, several things happened. The room started spinning and I thought I might faint. Visions of all the coughing, gasping, wheezing, and sneezing that my baby girl had done since birth flashed across the screen of my mind and I became all too aware of how much Daddy had been doing for the last 6 years. All those nights that we had lain beside her, praying for all of the congestion to go away, Daddy had been answering our prayers far more than we had ever realized. To think of how far away from a hospital we live, to think that we never had the right medications to treat anaphylaxis . . . to think how much Daddy was carrying us all through that MIRACLE the doctor had referred to. I stand in awe - THANK YOU, DADDY, THANK YOU!

My other thought - not quite so profound - but still quite alarming - was this: Oh my gosh! This child LIVES on peanut butter. What are we going to feed her???

Enter - one of our greatest new food finds . . . . SOY BUTTER!!! (sounds disgusting, I know, but don't judge this grand fellow by his name)

So, in honor of the great S.B., I dedicate this - my first allergen-friendly recipe . . . . Landry's Soy Butter Cups. The recipe was birthed just in time for the Christmas season and they became a Christmas candy wonder (around our house, anyway)!

Landry's Soy Butter Cups

1 - 18 oz. jar creamy soy butter

1 lb. organic powdered sugar

1/4 lb melted butter

1 pkg. milk chocolate chips

Put soy butter, powdered sugar and butter into a bowl and mix with your hands until all ingredients are well mixed. Form the dough into 1/2 inch balls. Set out several bon bon cups. (Putting the cups into mini-muffin pans will keep them more stable than just setting them out on the cabinet.) Melt the chocolate chips (you can add 1 tbsp butter if it starts to set up too quickly). Pour a small amount of chocolate into each bon bon cup. Add a soy butter ball to each bon bon cup then cover each one completely with chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set up and harden before eating. (Helpful hint: put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes before eating.)

They will keep well in the freezer for several weeks.

Dermatitis Herpatiformis . . . Seriously?

Dermatitis Herpatiformis . . . the most unusual in my string of new vocab words. Yes, it sounds nasty but, no, it is not herpes. Which is a REALLY good thing since it appeared a few months back on my baby girl's forehead!!!

At the end of last April (2009), I noticed a cluster of small bumps on Landry's forehead and on her hands. These little clusters of bumps almost resembled tiny clusters of worts and continued to appear over the course of several weeks. So, we called the pediatrician and asked her to take a look. She, too, thought they resembled worts and referred us to the dermatologist (remember her from that all inclusive list). With Dermatologist called and appointment made, we waited for our appointment date in June to arrive.

Finally, the big day arrived and guess what? Another prescription! The dermatologist assured us that it was just eczema - which is very easily treated. "Just put a little of this cream on the afflicted areas morning and night, and the bumps will be gone in no time." Yay - the bumps will be gone in no time!!!

July - bumps still there
August - hi, bumps - glad to see you're all still here
September - looking good, bumps!
October - boo! the bumps are still here for trick-or-treating
November - hey, hey, ho, ho! These here bumps just won't go! (but the eczema medicine had long since been exhausted)

December 7, 2009 - Our first visit to the pediatric nutritionist (4 days after the food allergy diagnosis) - After being in her office for 5 minutes, she looked at Landry and noticed THE BUMPS . . . and she commented on them. "Hey, has she had those bumps on her head and hands for a while?" Ummm - yeah. They've been there a while. And then her reply "Those bumps are Dermatitis Herpatiformis. It's a gluten allergy." And the angels sang! (Well, not really but it was a happy moment, indeed!)

6 gluten free weeks later - NO BUMPS!!! NONE . . . AT ALL!

Oh, happy day!

Crazy Mama!

"Here comes crazy mama!"

I'm sure that has been the comment of more than one pediatrician's nurse when they've seen me walking down their hallowed halls of healing. If I were to take the time to peruse all of their notes in my kids' medical charts, I'm certain I would find all kinds of interesting comments about the state of my mental health.

After all, I have carted my babies to 5 different pediatricians (#5 is our winner. Thanks to a recommendation from Landry's nutritionist, we have found a group that understands food allergies and is all about preventative medicine.). Then there was the pediatric gastroenterologist (a nightmare!), the dermatologist (I'll explain that one more later), the ENT (really an angel, I think :) ), the pediatric allergist (who even got 2 thumbs up from my husband . . . not an easy accomplishment for any doctor), the pediatric nutritionist (awesome does not even begin to describe her) and the partridge in a pear tree (okay, not really but he just HAD to be included in such an extensive list!)

All the pediatricians told me the same thing. "Constant ear infections, sinus infections, respiratory infections, and asthma are all part of childhood. Here is a prescription for some more antibiotics and steroids. Have a nice day!" I would leave, feeling like I had once again failed my baby, as all the nurses silently bid good-bye to poor little crazy mama!

Now, in college, I did not major in rocket science, but I do consider myself to be fairly intelligent. So, I KNEW in my heart of hearts that these things were not "normal parts of an infant's daily life". Nursing voraciously only to have that followed by hours of screaming and never ending projectile vomiting is NOT normal behavior for an infant! (And, I even tried cutting dairy out of my diet to see if that would help. Too bad I didn't try some of the foods she was really allergic to!) I just didn't know what to do to fix it . . .and that is the most frustrating feeling a mama can experience! So here is my advice. When it comes to your intuition about your child, listen to what your gut is telling you, even when the doctors think you're nuts. God gave you that sense of knowing for a reason!

As I look back now, I think about all the nights I prayed over all 3 of my babies. "Thank you, Daddy, for your great love for my babies and for your constant protection of them." Little did I know how much He was doing!

Tiffany

Food Allergies: The Adventure Begins

December 3, 2009, started out as a normal day. Another day, another doctor visit. This time, the appointment was with a pediatric allergist who also specialized in lung functions (in our case - asthma). By 1:00 that afternoon, life as we knew it had been radically altered. Our baby girl had suffered through 6 years of asthma and constant ear, sinus, and respiratory infections. We had made countless visits to multiple doctors, and she had been prescribed more medications than I ever want to admit to but . . we never had any real answers as to why. Why was our baby sick ALL the time?
Now, for the first time ever, we had real answers. Food Allergies! At the tender age of 6, Landry has allergies to wheat, oats, rice, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, seeds, fish, blueberries, watermelon, apricots, kidney beans, and peas. Pretty much everything but air and water! :) A little blue backpack (complete with emergency anaphylaxis meds) now goes everywhere with us. Just like American Express, we "don't leave home without it"! In order to allow her little body to heal, we have also removed from her diet all refined sugars, artificial colorings, and artificial flavorings. In my search for foods that are safe for her, I have learned more than I ever imagined was out there to know about allergy-safe, healthy foods . . . and I'm only just beginning. We've come up against many frustrations, but we've also had many celebrations. Our most important celebration is that every day for the past 6 1/2 years, God has been holding her in His hands, protecting her from any life-threatening reactions. Looking back, the miracles that we have experienced have truly taken our breath away.
Yes, my days as a junk-food diva are now gone with the wind! Lunch With Landry has been a life-changing experience! My hope is to help so many others affected by food-allergies. May your answers come quickly and may you find inspiration along the way!
Happy eating!