Month: May 2013

chili cups

~ Megan Pickett ~ 2 Comments

As promised, here is the first of several favorites from our Zany Test Kitchen party. Chili is very popular in our house, and a great go-to dish that everyone can enjoy with very little substituting for various allergies. When my husband’s aunt Virginia made this for us last fall during a visit to her home in Vermont, we all had second helpings. She used ground beef and served it over rice–perfect for a crisp fall day in New England when appetites are hearty. In our attempt to make it a little less “rib-sticking” and also friendly for friends with allergies to beef, Anna and I swapped in ground turkey and served up the chili in lettuce cups.

Not so pretty, but incredibly tasty
Not so pretty, but incredibly tasty

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restaurant cards make ordering easier

~ Anna and Megan ~ Leave a comment

How many times do I wish I had one of these to hand off to the waiter! Countless friends have sat through countless dinners listening to me review the menu with the waiter, gauging whether or not a particular dish was safe to order. It would put Meg Ryan’s high-maintenance character in When Harry met Sally, to shame.

Yet when it comes to discussing menu options safe for kids with food allergies, clear communication with waitstaff and the kitchen is imperative. Thanks to the thoughtful folks at Tiny Prints, these handy (and darn cute) cards can be sent back to the chef to help ensure that what arrives at the table will be safe for Junior.

Tiny Prints Allergy Card

These adorable cards are ideal for stating clearly what’s safe and what’s not for your child, and will serve as a reminder to cooks and waitstaff to avoid cross-contamination with other dishes in the restaurant’s kitchen. Peace of mind for all, starting at about $13 for a pack of 10 cards. Visit http://www.tinyprints.com for more details.  ~ Megan

the zany test kitchen

~ Anna and Megan ~ 1 Comment

Have you ever known a kid to hold back on sharing his or her opinion? Neither do we, which is why we channeled the honesty of children and recently invited 10 kids, each with multiple food allergies, to a taste-testing party of 20 recipes from our cookbook. Prior to the party we contacted all the parents to find out each child’s allergies so everything we made was safe for all of our guests. With dishes ranging from breakfast through dessert, our goal was to elicit honest feedback from both the kids and their parents. What resulted was so much more….

 

 

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perfect squares

~ Anna and Megan ~ 2 Comments
A worry-free spin on the classic "Rice Krispies Treat"
A worry-free spin on the classic “Rice Krispies Treat”

In honor of Memorial Day and the start of (hopefully) sunny, warm days, we thought a few of our kids’ favorites were in order to kick off the long weekend. This slight twist on an old favorite is a big hit for all the kids and adults in our life. My son served these to his class to celebrate his 8th birthday and both of his teachers asked me for the recipe. We call them “Perfect Squares” because they have just the right balance of chewiness and crispness. Plus, my husband, who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, can’t get them into his mouth fast enough.     ~ Anna

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taking off

~ Anna and Megan ~ Leave a comment

You know when you have kids and you make friends with another mom and you hope you have something more in common than just your children? In our case we connected instantly. Once we got around to talking about our kids we realized that what we shared as mothers was something that connected us on a far deeper level than we thought possible.

Both of our oldest kids have life-threatening food allergies. Their siblings do not. You can imagine the family dynamics when they can’t eat the same thing. We often recount stories about our kids, finding ourselves nodding  because we’ve been there. We get each other’s fears and we hold each other up, whether we’re venting about insensitive people, ridiculous school policies or getting excited when we find a new cookie that doesn’t have any allergens.

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