Allergen Free Krispy Treats: perfect for parties and sports teams!

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I'm totally a soccer mom.  The season started a few weeks ago and we have the best team ever.  We may not win games (we aren't supposed to be keeping score anyway - so there) but the families of the players are awesome.  We have the most amazing team mom, Chris W.  She has kept all of us organized and set up a cool Shutterfly account to post info and photos from the games.  We have two kids with severe food allergies on the team which can make treat time pretty hard.  Seeing as she has a gluten allergy herself, Chris set out to find a snack that all the kids could eat.  What she found was this recipe for allergen free krispy treats.  My son (allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts) has been able to eat these but that is only due in part to his ability to eat soy.  For those kids with even more allergies, this recipe uses oil instead of margarine!  And what kid doesn't love a krispy treat?!  This is the perfect snack recipe to keep on hand for your kid's parties (chances are there are going to be kids with food allergies - there are 4 the kinder classes at our school alone) and for after sport snacks.  They tasted exactly the same as "normal" krispy treat.  

And to jazz them up a little more, check out what Kim of Celebration Shoppe did to her krispy treats!

Thank you, Chris, for being the best team mom ever!!!!! 

Ingredients:

10 oz. (40 lg. or 4 cups miniature) marshmallows

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

vegetable cooking spray 

Instructions:
Spray microwave safe dish with vegetable spray.  Add oil and marshmallows and heat on high for 2 minutes.  Add vanilla; stir to combine.  Microwave on high for 1 minute longer.  Stir until smooth.  Add cereal and stir until well coated.  Press mixture evenly in 13" x 9" x 2" pan coated with cooking spray using wax paper or spatula coated with cooking spray.  Cut into 2" x 2" squares when cool.

I generally don't let my son eat something that someone else made.  But I felt confident that Chris had the cross contamination thing under control.  And held my breath for good measure.  And he was fine.  And all the kids loved them!  So when in doubt of if there are food allergies present, make these!  I am so grateful that the rest of the mom's on the team have also tried to accommodate the boys with allergies.  I know that they may not outwardly show you their gratitude, but I can tell you it has rocked O's world to be able to eat what everyone else is eating.  HUGE!


Sharon
photos are mine.  recipe found here.

Easy Cinnamon Honey Apple Dip - Perfect for Back to School!

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I didn't start liking honey until this year.  But my kids, I'm sure most kids, love it.  It wasn't until I had a bowl of Greek yogurt with honey swirled through at King's Highway that put me totally on board.  And lately I have been absolutely craving it.  I found this recipe in my recipe file and decided to give it a shot.  DELICIOUS!!! And like most things that I make, super easy!  I think this is best when eaten with green apples, but I'm sure any color would work.  

This recipe was from a Woman's World Magazine dated 5/3/10.  Yes, I realize this may not seem like a magazine that I would normally read but sometimes I am privy to my husband's 90 year old grandmother's discards.  And remember I am really 80 years old on the inside...

Here are the ingredientses.  Sorry, I'm totally into Real Housewives of New Jersey right now.  Does anyone else freaking love that show like I do?  I pray that Teresa will say ingredientses every episode.  It makes me so happy.  My youngest son was all up in my program.  He loves lemons and was trying to slow my roll by stealing it.  Aside from the lemon, the recipe is made up of pantry items that you should pretty much always be able to have on hand.  This would be a great dip for drop in visitors, providing you have the apples (you could probably even get away with not having the lemon).  And it takes about a minute to make. 

Recipe:

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cardamom

pinch of ground sugar

apple slices

Combine honey, zest, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.  Serve with apple slices.  Boom. Done. 

The first time I made this I used the full amount of cardamom.  The boys weren't thrilled.  It was a little too "spicey" so this time I used about 1/2 that amount.  Much better.  The boys LOVE it now!  We may or may not have had this twice today.  It's got to be better for you than caramel, right? {note to caramel:  Please don't be afraid that I will no longer enjoy your sugary goodness on my green apples, I just need a break for a little bit.  It's not you, it's me.  And my thighs.}

Go make it.  Right now.  So yummy!  I think this would also be awesome over some homemade vanilla bean ice cream.  Or maybe even used to sweeten tea or apple cider.  Hmmm, kind of seems like it might be the perfect treat for fall.  

Sharon

all photos are mine, yo

The Food Allergy Cookbook - Entertaining your Special Guests

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Food allergies are totally on my mind right now.  My oldest son, the one with multiple food allergies, is about to start Kindergarten.  I have high anxiety for how the teacher and school will handle them.  I've been emailing with the school nurse and she was able to calm my nerves a bit, but until we actually get started and get in the swing of things, I don't think I will really be able to ease up.  Finding out about my son's allergies at age 1 was a life changer.  When I was asked if I wanted to review the cookbook, The Food Allergy Cookbook:  A Guide to Living with Allergies and Entertaining with Healthy, Delicious Meals by Carmel Nelson and Amra Ibrisimovic I said absolutely.  I am always looking for recipes my son (and the rest of my family) might enjoy.

These ladies learned of their food allergies a lot later in life and had to relearn how to cook for themselves with little help from doctors.  Although a lot of the recipes in this book are off limits for my son due to his egg allergy, I have learned how to adapt recipes to make them work - often with great results.  Most of the recipes featured are free from the top allergens so if you are comfortable with your own allergies and how to modify a recipe when necessary, this would be a great book for you.  This book is also perfect for the sympathetic hostess who is looking to be able to readily accommodate guests with food allergies.     

Not only does this book share individual recipes for main courses, side dishes, desserts, etc., but also includes full menu suggestions for holiday cooking and entertaining.  The only downside to this book is the food photography.  Not all of the photos are as appetizing as they could be.  But I certainly might just be spoiled by reading With Style and Grace daily.  

My favorite part of this book is that it is not dumbed down or simplified.  There is a variety of gourmet or ethnic themed recipes just without the usual allergens.  Aside from the recipes, the book also contains kitchen tips, suggestions for traveling with food allergies and also dealing with the medical community who may or may not be well versed in living with allergies.  This book was a labor of love for the two authors and I am grateful they took the time to do it.

Buy the book from Amazon.

Sharon

All photos are mine

I was sent a copy of the book for review.  All opinions are mine.

Bertolli's Into the Heart of LA {Part Two}

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If you are jumping in to part 2, this past weekend I was part of an amazing culinary tour of Los Angeles put on by Bertolli.  We tasted all kinds of authentic Italian cuisine and met the most amazing restaurant owners and chefs.  This was really a once in a lifetime experience.  And I am extremely grateful to have been a part of it. 

Click here for {part 1}  

{stop 4}

We left off in part 1 with a visit to a fresh pasta restaurant.  Our next stop was right across the way, Il Norcino Salumeria, still in The Market at Santa Monica Place.  To my delight, we were now going to get to taste some Italian cheeses.  Also owned by Piero Selvaggio, this cheese bar offers a crazy assortment of cheeses, cured meats and accompaniments like olives and this kick ass chutney made from red pepper and vanilla beans.  Seriously, look in to it.  We met Jhems (pretty sure he is the only non-Italian in this operation.  His real name has to be James, but when said with a charming Italian accent it becomes Jhems.) the cheese monger and he told us a little bit about what the store has to offer and what we were sampling.  What?  More prosecco?  I thought you'd never ask.  We tasted a selection of meats, my fave being the Speck.  Stacie introduced us to Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine.  I've had it before but this time I learned something new.  Once thought to be a laughable by wine aficionados, the bubbles serve a purpose when paired with food.  When eating oily meats (when I read that back it sounds really unappetizing but we all know that salamis and prosciuttos are the sh*t) Lambrusco cleans the pallet and removes any left over residue.  We did a little test of our own and it was rad.  Totally worked.  I am thinking about brushing with it instead of the usual paste going forward.  They have a counter, similar to what you might find at a sushi bar and you can do tastings guided by the knowledgeable staffers.  I 100% plan on coming back to do a wine and cheese pairing in the very near future.  With a driver.  Have I mentioned how much I liked being driven around?   

This was such a great group of people.  I'm so lucky to have been apart of this group.  I learned from each of these amazing people and can't wait until our paths cross again.  From the back row, left to right:

Romy, me, chef Nico, Kristina, Chef Fernando, Andrea, Piero Selvaggio, Stacie {back row, left to right}

Adam, Melanie, Amir, Chrystal {front row, left to right}

Jhems mentioned that they have a cheese there that was eaten by Marie Antoinette...I'm putting it on my list of things to do. 

{stop 5}

My college internship and first job out of school were right off 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica mere steps from our next stop, Cafe Bellagio.  I have passed this cafe tons of times (okay, well not that many because I could only handle the commute for 4 months before I gave up my show business dreams) but never been in.  Marco, the owner, was so warm and happy to have us.  He explained the difference between ice cream and gelato (ice cream uses cream,  gelato uses more milk and is more airy) and also that they are served at different temperatures.  Chef Minutz made us vanilla and strawberry to try.  We were told that he had perused the local farmer's market that morning and decided to make it for us.  Yeah, especially for us.  I am not a vanilla girl.  Nor am I a strawberry girl for that matter.  With both of these, though, I wanted to sing-talk a cheesey, deep voiced boy-band interlude; something like: "Strawberry.  You so sweet.  You make my knees weak.  Forget about all that whack stuff I said about you.  Let's do this."  My visit was wrapped up pretty quick with a true LA moment.  I can only describe it as a habitat-challenged woman descending on the vats of fresh gelato like a moth to a flame.  Who can blame her?  But! I never saw her eat it.  I only saw her make some sort of gelato soup with a Styrofoam cup she had and some leftover water on the table.  Marco, God bless him, was as gracious with her as with us.  And we all left on our next adventures.  Us, to our last stop on the Bertolli LA tour, the women??? 

{stop 6}

I'm just going to start this off by saying Mamma, of Osteria Mamma, is HOT!  A total looker.  But it doesn't stop there, because Mamma also kicks ass in the kitchen.  As we had been eating our way through Los Angeles all day, many of those on the tour were showing signs of full stomachs.  I was good.  I had leggings on, I was ready to go.  And the deal was that we were going to wrap up with a few small plates here and then head on home.  Mamma had other ideas.  We met Mamma and her son Phillipo and they told us a about their neighborhood restaurant. It is a family run operation with Mamma at the helm in the kitchen and Phillipo handling the rest.  There was so much pride about their business and love for the family members that we immediately felt welcome and well taken care of.  We started off with -GET OUT!- more prosecco and an appetizer plate of sweet, fresh figs and crostini with prosciutto nestled on a bed of unicorn horns and rainbows.  Ok, not really.  I'm not sure if I ever got the whole story but the spread on the bread was something to do with butter and herbs and marscapone.  It was divine!  Mamma was having fun with us and sent out several more dishes than were expected.  Next we had a frisse salad with the sweetest oranges I have ever had (and I live in Orange County, people) and scallops with just the lightest touch of balsamic vinegar.  WORD. TO. YOUR. MOTHER.  Yum.  The next course freaked me out a little bit.  Fried sardines.  I have fond memories of sardines.  My grandpa used to order them on his pizza so no one would share with him.  But I have never had one.  Until now.  I had no idea what to do with it so I watched one of the more seasoned foodies at the table to see how she handled it.  Turns out, you just eat it, bones and all.  While the flavor was much more pleasing than expected, those bones through me for a loop.  But this was not a miss for the restaurant, I blame that all on my mouth.  

And then it happened.  When asked, "what is the best dish you've ever eaten?" I can confidently answer Gnocchi al Porcini from Osteria Mamma.  I wish I knew more about what was in it but it put me in such a stupor that I couldn't even ask any questions.  This is how I remember the dish:  succulent ground chicken in a silky cream sauce mixed with the most delicate, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi in all the land lightly flecked with fresh herb.  Blessed be the gnocchi.  Served with a risotto of figs and gorganzola! and tender asparagus tips.  Why are you so far from me, Mamma?! The hour drive would be well worth it for this meal.  We wrapped up with more tiramisu - Yum, yum, double yum.  As I mentioned before I am interested in wines, although at this point, I'm still very much a novice.  When Phillipo (who incidentally went to sommalier school wtih Stacie) brought out a sparkling Moscato for us to try with dessert, I thought I had left this world.  The smell alone was intoxicating.  It was very sweet and had this amazing orange flavor that is like nothing I have ever tasted.  If that is the only thing I had sampled the whole day, it would have been enough.  Sucks to find out that it is very hard to come by.  But I will prevail! 

Mamma jumped out of the busy kitchen to take a picture with us.  It was the perfect end to a very delicious meal and day.    

The very generous folks at Bertolli sent us home with some product.  Even though everyone in the van was stuffed, we couldn't wait to use our new goodies.  When I woke up the next morning, wishing for a cornetti or 4, I came across Anthony Bourdain.  It was an episode on Italian cooking.  It echoed everything I heard from each of the chefs from the day before.  Although I was pissed that I was going to have to cook for myself again, I knew that with my new products I could continue the experience at home. 

While the "quality" of the rest of my ingredients was questionable, I knew Bertolli wouldn't disappoint.  I had not had any of their frozen meals for quite some time due to my son's food allergies (I only cook a meal that all of us can eat and the ones I remember had dairy)  But this Tuscan Braised Beef was safe for him!  I can't think of an easier meal to put together.  In the 12 minutes it took to cook the main course, I was also able to slice a rosemary loaf and toss a quick caprese salad.  Boom. 

I may not have the fancy dinner ware from some of the places we encountered on our culinary tour, but I had my family and a good meal.  That is truly all that matters. 

I know that the last party really sounds like a corny commercial, but seriously,  these meals are crazy good.  Before learning how to cook for my son's allergies, I was the queen of the quick meal.  Bertolli's frozen dinners were a staple of mine.  While I was given a coupon for the frozen meal and the olive oil, these opinions are all mine.

Sharon

all photos are mine. 

Ziggy Stardust Inspired Space 5th Birthday Party - Part 4

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Often my parties have a unique theme which the guests may or may not know about.  I usually try to put info around for guests to find throughout the party.

The only thing O wanted for his party was a bounce house.  But our backyard isn't big enough for one and so I thought it wasn't going to work out.  Then our friends, Jimmy and Vanessa, offered their small bounce to use!  O was SO happy.  A HUGE thank you to them!  

Since my son is really in to music and because Ziggy Stardust is a rock star, I decided to set out all the toy musical instruments we had for the kids to play with.

This is sweet K.  If you look behind her you can see my fabric backdrop that I put up for the kids to jam in front of.  You can just barely make out the other feather garland made by Jenny.  How rad are K's nails? 

photo by me

Here is a picture of Jenny's garland I took after the party.  How gorgeous and fun are all those feathers?  These garlands must have taken her forever and I am so grateful that she made them for me!!!

I saw these masks in random blog posts around the web after I started planning the party.  I knew I had to have them.  Here is the link.  They print out small, pretty much kid sized, so if you want them for adults you need to blow them up a little. 

I decided that we needed to do another smash cake like the one we did for my other son's party.  I asked Kristin of Meringue Bake Shop to make it this time because I wanted it to be way cuter than the other. :) It turned out super cute.

So you make a small cake, cut a hole out of the center then fill it with candy.  Then you cover the cake with a dome made of chocolate.  Then you give the kid a hammer and...

And the kids go wild!  I then cut the cake and let the kids go to town.  I don't provide plates or silverware.  Its a free for all. 

It is one of my favorite party surprises.  This cake was vegan and the candy was friendly to O's allergies.  

I'm going to wrap up the party tomorrow with a collage that will hopefully share the feeling of the whole party and since I know that some people don't enjoy such long posts as all of them from this week, then they will have a quick post too.  Probably should have posted that first...whatevs.

Sharon

All photos by Dez and Tam

Ziggy Stardust Inspired Space 5th Birthday Party - Part 1

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Ok.  This post has been a LONG time coming.  My issue, when posting my parties, is always how do I organize it?  I totally over think it and try to make sure that there aren't too many photos etc.  I get too wordy and I am burnt out writing the posts before I've even started.  So here is how this party is going to go:  I'm posting full photos, not collages.  The photos that Dez and Tam took blew my mind and I want to show you as many of them as I can.  I'll point out things here and there but for the most part, the photos will do the talking.  

To remind you all, this party was a Ziggy Stardust inspired space theme for my son's 5th birthday party.  While most of the kids and parents wouldn't know much about the story of Ziggy Stardust, I wanted to do a sort of glam rock inspired space party.  Above is the invitation that we created.  We had our friend Casey add the lightening bolt to O's face.  It turned out awesome! 

The cupcakes, smash cake and Push Cakes (all vegan) were by Meringue Bake Shop and everyone LOVED them.  

Kristin of Meringue Bake Shop made a special guest appearance. 

I used a ton of fabric accents throughout to add color.  For these lollies, I just cut small rectangles of fabric, wrapped the sticks and used a Glue Dot to secure them.  Super simple but extra special. 

I have tried to group photos together in sections and I will be posting them over the next few days to spread them out.  I hope you all enjoy the party.  It was super fun and the kids and parents really enjoyed themselves.  And how ridiculous are these photos?  I am so beyond thrilled with the shots that Dez and Tam got.  Truly amazing talent and there couldn't be a sweeter family.  For real! 

Sharon

The photo of the lollipops is by me, all others by Dez and Tam.  

Push Cakes and Cupcakes by Meringue Bake Shop

Party Photography by Dez and Tam

Invitation printing by Direct Edge Media

Vegan Caramel Corn made with love by Grandma Marilyn

Wood Cake Rounds made with love by Grandpa John

Tiny Prints - Review

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I was contacted recently by Tiny Prints to see if I would be interested in reviewing their cards.  I've known about them for years, but never had the right opportunity to use them before.  Until now.  My mother-in-law asked me to help her with a 90th birthday party for my husband's grandmother.  While I knew that Tiny Prints made adorable children's party invites and cool, modern Christmas cards, I wasn't sure what I would find in the way of adult invitations. 

I left the final decision making up to my mother-in-law (see the above) but found that they have a bunch of great options for adult invitations.  

Image via Tiny Prints - Painted Trunks in Cabernet

Although they have this sampled as a holiday party, it was easily found under a heading for birthday party invitations for adults.

Image via Tiny Prints - Festive Fanfare Bright Green

Love how modern the green and grey is and love the offset detail box.

Image via Tiny Prints - Inspired Garden: Begonia

And how fantastical is this chic floral invite?! I love everything about it.

Image via Tiny Prints - Allergy Alert Cards, Bright Boxes: Sky

But I was pleasantly surprised when I came across these Allergy Alert cards.  As some of you may know, my oldest son has multiple food allergies.  And with him about to start kindergarten and us contemplating taking him on a trip back east this summer, these cards could really come in handy.  And there are 4 different styles to choose from.  RAD.IC.LE.

And I had no idea that they also had greeting cards.  I can't tell you how many times I have fretted over having to run out to buy a greeting card to get it in the mail on time.  Sometimes you just don't want to drag two kids over to Target, where there is a Lego section and where you could quite literally have two separate tantrums happening at once causing you to shed tears and sweat like a fat man.  Not saying that has happened...There are several ways they can help with the cards.  They can send them out for you and allow the card to arrive to the recipient faster and possibly on time for once in your life.  Or they can send the card to you, so you can personally sign it and then send it out from home.  Awesome.  And they also have business products, wedding invites and photo gifts.  Sheesh.  If Tiny Prints ran for prom queen she would probably win.  She's got it all. 

I had a little hiccup with my ordering.  I had saved a draft in a folder but then couldn't access it to put in my cart when I was ready to order.  I used the instant chat capability and within a minute I was chatting with a customer service rep and figured out the problem without having to grab the phone or wait to get an email back which may or may not have had the right answer.  I LOVE this option.  And once the order was placed, I received an email from a customer service rep.  She said that she had personally checked my order and sent it on to the printers.  There was a name and a phone number with an extension in case I had any questions or concerns.  What the what?!  That's customer service, people! 

I had an awesome experience with Tiny Prints and would certainly use them again.  I'm not sure why I continually fret over my novice graphic design capabilities and try to design all my own invites when there are professionals and designers who do it so much better and can be obtained with the click of the mouse.  

If you haven't used them yet, you should try them.  Don't get me started about the envelope options...

Sharon

top 2 photos are mine