Park Frances - Allergies, away!: creative eats and mouthwatering treats for kids allergic to nuts, dairy, and eggs

To Justin, and to all children with food allergies CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Were indebted to our agent, Mollie Glick, who believed in this project from the moment we shared stories about Justin and his food allergies with her. A huge hug of appreciation to Kat Brzozowski, our editor, whose enthusiasm and suggestions for the cookbook proved invaluable. Many thanks also to Leah Stewart, our copyeditor, for her keen eye. Wed also like to acknowledge all the Web site advocating for educating people about food allergies. We wish we could name them all for creating a global platform for food allergy awareness that has given parents of allergic children comfort and hope. Among our favorite Web sites: www.Foodallergyliving.org, www.Foodallergy.org, www.Kidswithfoodallergies.org, and www.Faiusa.org (Food Allergy Initiative).

Were very grateful to Justins family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who encouraged us to write our book simply by loving our food. Special thanks to our mom and Justins dad, who helped us out in the test kitchen. Our nature is to add a little bit of this, a little bit of that. The scientists in us were guided by their taste buds. Last, we would like to thank our food-critic-in-residence, Justin. Not only for his five-star reviews, but for being the heartbeat of our family.

We love you. PREFACE Allergies, Away! Creative Eats and Mouthwatering Treats for Kids Allergic to Nuts, Dairy, and Eggs features recipes and anecdotes for children who suffer from these most common food allergies. Unlike food intolerances, a true food allergy can be life-threatening and means that every crumb that touches your childs lips must be monitored and controlled. Restaurant dining, much less food from the cafeteria or movie popcorn, is out of the question. Halloween? Forget about it. As the mom and aunt of a severely allergic child, we fretted not just about what to feed Justin but the social distress he might encounter as he reached school age.

Suddenly, thered be snack time to contend with, not to mention lunch hour and birthday parties. Feeling deprived is never fun, and picturing his sad face broke our hearts. On the flip side, it was also a great motivator. The mission of Allergies, Away! is to provide a sunny, hands-on approach to a serious condition by presenting a well-balanced menu of snacks, meals, and desserts for young allergy-sufferers that are so inviting theyll get in on the kitchen act. In the hopes of guiding parents and children on their own allergy journeys, weve provided Allergy Reports, a timeline of Justins medical allergy testing from age one to fourteen. From personal experience, we know how the journey can leave you feeling lost in the dark, so perhaps our reports will shed a little light on what can be a frustrating process.

Our Allergy Reports, however, are not meant to replace your own doctors opinion of your childs condition. As co-authors of many award-winning childrens books, we write straight from the heart. Justin was the inspiration for Allergies, Away!, and for him we would comb the globe to find wholesome substitute ingredients for the foods he couldnt eat. Fortunately, with the help of natural food stores, imagination, and experimentation, our Hot and Bubbly Lasagna is so chewy and delicious, it might even wow Chef Mario Batali or Giada De Laurentiis. More important, our lasagna wows Justin, and we know it will wow your kid as well! In the kitchen, with flour and sugar flying everywhere, the three of us cant help but have a ball. Mom Ginger serves as master chef, Francie is aunt slash sous chef, while Justin is our young food critic, rating everything we bake, steam, and fry on a one- to five-star scale.

Only the five-star recipes have made the cut into this book. Please note: Were neither doctors nor chefs. Were a mom and an aunt who love cooking for a child with allergies. Our hearts go into every pot, and so will yours. INTRODUCTION Imagine this: Youre a kid in a chocolate shop watching everyone picking this one, that one, two of these, please, to their hearts contenteveryone but you. Now imagine that your mom and aunt own the chocolate shop.

Growing up, Gingers son Justin never had the pleasure of enjoying a single treat from our shop, Chocolate Chocolate, in downtown Washington, DC. What we took for grantedabsently nibbling on a Dark ChocolateDipped Caramel or gobbling a few Milk Hazelnut Pralines, the chew-crunch-velvety experience of rich chocolatehe absolutely couldnt. One second of abandon could cost him his life. The reason: Like more and more children today, he suffers from food allergies. Dr. Clifford W.

Bassett, Medical Director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, says of the rise of pediatric food allergies, Its a mini epidemic for sure. How did this mini epidemic happen? No one can explain it, not even experts. Unfortunately, when it comes to food allergies, there are more questions than answers. * * * During Gingers pregnancy, she gave up her fair share of vices. Lattes and Brie cheese? No sweat. Appletinis? No problem.

Chocolate? Well, that was a bit more challenging. After alljust like her big sis Francieshe was born a chocoholic. In the 1990s, pregnant women were advised to avoid chocolate, mostly due to the caffeine. The medical community has since changed their tune, but, back then, Ginger was doing everything she could to ensure a healthy baby. Now, trust us, theres nothing dainty about chocolate withdrawal when youre in a sweet boutique all day with gourmet chocolate truffles, pralines, and candy bars in your face. The daily temptation to dig into a bittersweet truffle had Ginger on her knees, salivating.

If she wasnt making them, she was swooning over them. But one constant reminder kept her disciplined: her changing body. Customers were always quipping: The first word out of his mouth will be chocolate! Your babys going to be the luckiest kid on earth, having a mom who owns a chocolate shop! Better watch him or hell eat all the profits! * * * Ginger enjoyed a healthy pregnancy, playing tennis through her sixth month and jogging on the treadmill until the day before she gave birth. Her hearty appetite never waned as she feasted on fruits and vegetables, and, of course, loaded up on foods rich in folic acid and calcium. Basically, she did everything humanly possible to give birth to a healthy child. Justins birth was quick and uncomplicated.

On the morning of April 14, 1998, while waiting on a customer at our shop, she went into labor. She was still packing up bonbons between contractions for customers until her unborn child nearly knocked her off her feetit was time to go to the hospital! She and hubby Skip checked in at five oclock that afternoon; by nine oclock that night, she was holding a precious seven-pound baby boy. Justin Young, she murmured. He was beautiful. Justin went from Gingers arms into Skips arms into our moms arms and, finally, into Francies arms. She held him like a charm she would cherish forever.