There is nothing I hate more than a potluck buffet. Why does every event have to revolve around food? But since I can’t avoid such school gatherings–and since Anna and I have been on a year-long kick testing recipes for our cookbook–I find myself going to great lengths to sign up for every blessed potluck my kids’ schools organize just to prove to myself that I can spin out homemade dishes that are 100% allergy-free. I’ll admit that I also take great pride in being able to tell these parents that “Yes, what I am bringing will be safe for your kids!” They will be able to eat without fear. They can be part of the celebration. They can have fun, too. So take that, bagels.
So for my son’s end-of-year celebration, I pulled out all the stops and combed through my already-battered copy of Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen’s second cookbook, It’s All Good. With the zeal of a Baptist minister pouring over the Bible for that perfect piece of Scripture for his Sunday sermon, I came across an interesting muffin recipe that calls for sweet potato, almost a cup of maple syrup and Chinese Five Spice. Intrigued, I made a batch substituting rice milk for the recommended almond milk. My kids devoured them. Ecstatic, I went to work, baking the mix in a mini-muffin tin for the little mouths I just knew would kiss the ground I walked on for bringing them a yummy, worry-free treat.
adventures with allergies 