Sunday, November 14, 2010

Cat and Magnolia Blossom's Midwest AR Roundup

I couldn't decide if the first line of this blog should be "Cat Hill and Magnolia Blossom's Excellent Adventure or One cold, dark and rainy night after a long drive through Iowa, she arrived at a stranger's house.  Two days later she left as a welcomed friend".  When MB arrived Friday night at my house it was indeed cold, dark and rainy and she did have a long drive from Illinois.  It was certainly an adventure for both of us getting this roundup together.  I can't wait to share my experiences of the roundup and the weekend but first some do's and don't's tips.

The Do's:
1. Have a roundup.
2. Can't have one, attend one!  You won't be sorry.
3.  Can't have one or attend one but want to do something anyway for it.  Then send some stuff any cook would find cool.  Trust me they will feel like it's an early Christmas.  We did!

The Don'ts:
1.  Don't leave your house phone ringer turned up on high and then answer the ringing phone in the wee hours the morning(12:15 am) of the roundup especially if you are hosting.  It might be an estranged family member in crisis.  Baking Nana's tip was to get plenty of sleep, she just didn't warn me about possible unexpected phone calls.
2.  Don't try any home improvement projects before the roundup, you might not have enough time to devote to fun decorating stuff.
3.  Don't assume you don't need to print out a paper copy of all the pertinent information of those attending your roundup especially if you have a co-host.

While MB and I might have set a record for lowest member turnout, everyone that came enjoyed the company, the food and the resulting conversations.  Our AR member portion of the party consisted of bhawk, caluv52, Cat Hill, Magnolia Blossom and MiBeingMi.  caluv52 brought her two sons.  Very nice, well mannered young gentlemen they were.  Sorry, caluv52 despite your careful explanation of how to do the accent mark so I could include their names properly spelled, I gave up but I am so glad you brought them.  My husband's BF, Alan, was up for opening day of deer season and I had already told him I expected him to stay for lunch.  Once I knew I would have more than enough BBQ to share, I invited my neighbors to the lunch.  That would be Terrie and her husband, DJ, along with Terrie's visiting parents from Maine. 

Now we've got to  talk about the food.  WOW!!  The food that came through my door to be shared was AWESOME!  MiBeingMi makes some really wicked baked beans.  bhawk declared they were the best she had ever eaten.  That sentiment was widely shared.  MI was also kind enough to bring my personal favorite-cheesy potato casserole.  For desserts, c-52 brought a highly addictive one.  She called it Almond Grahams aka Crack.  She was not kidding.  Terrie, who must weigh all of 90 lbs was reported to have made 25 trips back to get "just one more piece".  That wasn't the only dessert c-52 brought either.  My guys were in hog heaven!  MB brought what I thought was a kicked up German chocolate cake.  It wasn't German chocolate but who cares it was really good!  She also helped me round out my herbed goat cheese and cracker tray by bringing a cheese ball that went fast.  I had to make Mike Harvey's Pumpkin Pickles.  A recipe that he was kind enough to send me.  I wish I had gotten a picture of the faces when I told them what it was.  I'm sure theirs mirrored my own when I first read about pumpkin pickles.  Say what?!  Mr. Harvey, your recipe converted more than one person Saturday.  I may not have done them quite right since I'm not the greatest pickle maker ever but they were unexpectedly good.  bhawk is expecting that recipe to be passed along since she was picking up the necessary ingredients on the way home.  She thought they would be a welcomed addition at her Thanksgiving table.  Since MB and bhawk were staying with me and I expected to have hungry deer hunters, I needed breakfast material.  So I ordered farm fresh eggs to have on hand from the same gentleman who sold me that wonderful cream.  Then made apple muffins, sourdough English muffins and my Mom's infamous cinnamon rolls.  For lunch I made some sourdough French bread (Terrie loves it) and I had to try What's for dinner, Mom?'s soft and fluffy hamburger buns.  I really liked them.  They were great for BBQ sandwiches with coleslaw.
Breakfast anyone?

WAIT!  I'm taking a picture!

MiBeingMi with a cup of  my mulled cider.

My husband derserves his own paragraph for his BBQ.  The midnight crisis call which I got blasted with first, was for him.  So I know the man didn't get any more sleep than I did that night.  Then in the wee hours he went out in the cold with our son deer hunting.  After all that, he still came home and cooked some of the BEST ribs I've ever had.  He didn't stop there.  Previously I had brined turkey and chicken for him to smoke which he did to perfection.  The turkey is a take on Guy Fieri's Mean Green Turkey Machine and is SO good.  The chicken I just put our dry rub on and he took it from there.  The North Carolina pork butt I smoked the day before.  Good thing since I don't function well with little sleep.  Just ask MB.  I believe she said it was rather difficult keeping me on task Sat. morning.  LOL Yep.  If it hadn't been for her and bhawk helping out that morning hard telling how things would have been set up.  I wasn't the only one sleep deprived.  bhawk had spent the night with a youth church group trying to raise money for homeless teens in the Greater Kansas City area.

Pulled pork, ribs, turkey and chicken. Yum!

BF Alan discussing with Terrie the best type of tuperware to have on hand for BBQ left overs.

What can I say? It was all so GOOD!
All that aside.  If your idea of a good time is meeting new people, making new friends and talking about shared interests go to an AR Roundup or have one yourself.  Don't feel up to hosting solo, try to find a co-host.  Mine was not only helpful and a good right hand in the kitchen, making her acquaintance was a great experience.  She had me worried when I lost touch with her due to her HAL problems( refer to 2001-A Space Odessy.  In other words, her computer crashed).  Luckily, MiBeingMi and caluv52 both had MB's #.  Thank goodness it was just a fixable computer problem.

Sunday morning over fresh scrambled egg sandwiches MB, bhawk and I were still savoring the day before.  Sitting around the tables the conversation had ebbed and flowed.  We talked food, recipes, about our families, our jobs and our shared interests.  MB and I have tentative plans to get our husbands together.  They can go to a Nascar race in IL.  She and I figure we can pursure some other form of entertainment.  Soon I plan on taking caluv52 to my favorite thrift store.  I know she and I will have fun.  bhawk, I'm coming soon to your house to see your gardens!  MiBeingMi, I am so glad you came, let's stay in touch.

A special thanks to Lady Sparkle and What's for dinner, Mom? for your thoughtful gifts.  We loved them!  The old cookbooks were so much fun to read, LS.  We had such a laugh over the ironing tips in one.  caluv52 found one that had coupons with no expiration dates or bar codes.  bhawk couldn't wait to do the Sunday morning breakfast dishes with your dish clothes.  WFDM? the aprons were AWESOME!  All of them are so pretty!  It really was like Christmas.

Such thoughtfulness!




Those cookbooks were so fun!

 Even if there hadn't been such gifts or those wonderful hostess gifts(caluv52-WOW!), I would not have passed up one minute of this experience!  My thanks to each and every one of you for making it possible!!!!

Cat

                              caluv52,MiBeingMi, Magnolia Blossom, your's truly and bhawk

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Butter, better homemade!? What kind of bread? No, way! Yes, Whey!! Too much work don't you think?

Indeed, that probably would have been Mom's comment to my culinary adventures yesterday.  A variation on her "what do you want to do that for?" query that I often heard about some of my other kitchen undertakings.  Would she have turned done anything presented to her from the fruits of my day long labors.  Absolutely not!!!

A little background and then I'll get to the delicious delectables's I managed to make from a few simple fresh ingredients.  My DH mentioned off and on this summer he worked with a man that farmed also.  Whoa, two full time jobs.  DH mentioned during a break in my culinary fun that the man's wife didn't work so he was sure she did a few things around the farm to help out.  This woman whom I've never met has 4 young children, ages 1-7.  they are raising chickens, cows, goats, and rabbits.  Their intent is to raise eggs, milk and meat without all the extras that have been the subject of a blog or two lately.  When I learned the ages of the children, I promptly set my DH straight about this lady not having a job.  She may not get a paycheck but I'll just bet there are days a job away from home would be much more restful and less tiring than what she does daily!  So what's all this got to do with my kitchen?  A few weeks ago the co-worker brought eggs to work.  Did I want some?  Heck, yes!!  Are they milking those goats, I asked?  I like goat's milk, would love to try to make some cheese!  Well, DH didn't know about that but he knew the two had made butter over the weekend.  That brought back memories so I asked if they would consider selling a gallon of cream.  I got it Friday, I think it came out of the cow Thursday and here is what I did with it on Saturday!


Basing what I was about to do on memories of sitting in my grandparents kitchen when Grandpa would get a pail of the thickest, almost honey colored cream from the ancient fridge and Dad would get the butter churn down (the one in the picture).  They'd proceed to make the palest looking butter at the old solid 5 legged table (Dad said it was made from pignut wood) in the kitchen.  Just because that and this-endless cranking on the handle, Mom "washing" the butter in ice water, Dad adding salt to the "buttermilk" and drinking the blechy tasting stuff and Mom turning that nasty stuff into gorgeous loaves of tasty bread-was all I really knew about what I was about to do.  Well, no need to let that slow me down!  I knew what the end results where supposed to be!  Join me now as I show you what I did!!!

First I pulled out the trusty KA, thinking that it would simulate the churning action.  The old churn is good for photo ops only.  Yes, I made whipped cream but I figured I'd go past the whipped stage and onto the butter stage.  Then I tasted the whipped cream.  Well, perhaps I should just get a jar and shake it to the desired finish.  Might as well pretend to use up some of those calories that were tasting so good!

I do not remember the butter tasting so good back then.  So light and fluffy, fresh and creamy sweet.


I do not remember the "whey" tasting like milk.  Umm, buyable drinkable milk that is.  I wanted to duplicate Mom's bread.  I gave up on that and went for a baguette recipe I'm fond of and just replaced all the liquid with my "whey".
Baguettes
2 cups "whey" (water)
2 T butter (oh yeah! it was fresh!!)
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T salt
1 package active dry yeast
6 - 61/2 cups flour



Must ask what type if cows these people have!!!!!  The bread-well, if Mom were here she would say, "better than Angel food cake"!  I decided to keep going with my culinary adventures and make sourdough English muffins.  Use some of those farm fresh eggs on them later, pretend I was making eggs Benedict and call it dinner!  They guys can only handle new things up to a point!  Again replaced all the liquid in the recipe with my "whey".  I used my sourdough starter which is older than the co-worker's oldest child so I'm not putting it's recipe in.  If anyone was interested I would email the directions for it.  I must say the teen had two of my dinner specials and one for breakfast so they had to  pass muster!  He can drive to McDonald's after all.  On the toasted lightly buttered English muffins are scrambled farm fresh eggs with my homemade Canadian bacon( I do have a Canadian friend and I know "no such thing" lol) topped with a cheese of their choice.  That's mine(didn't want to risk limb dismemberment trying to take a photo of their's) in the picture.  It has a lovely smoked Gouda cheese on it and I would have loved to try a Hollandaise sauce. Oh well!  Anyone want to plan a vacation in my area next year so I can try all the foods I just see in pictures?  I do so hate making something that only I will try!



For dessert, apple.strudel's Victoria sponge.  I made it Sunday because our dear friend, Al, was coming for lunch.  Everyone loved it!!!  I didn't exactly do AS"s recipe, why make buttercream when you have real whipped cream!!!  I so don't remember this exquisite flavor coming from Grandpa's cream.  I do know Mom would have loved everything.  Even though she didn't have sweets often(so she said), I know the sponge would have been enjoyed with a cup of hot steaming tea in the evening.



And that's how I spent my weekend!! 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Green Grape Leaves Gone Giggly not Fiddly,aka, the Fusion Confusion Continental Outtakes

As promised, my outtakes from the joint dolmades excursion Good EatNZ and I took earlier this summer in the Fusion Confusion:  Callusion with Cat, or Sushi...It's all Greek to me!!!! blog.  For those that read our blog, you know she and I got together to see if the same old, same old was all that could be stuffed in grape leaves.  Good EatNZ also went to the extra effort of doing a Dolmades tutorial blog beforehand using typical ingredients in the usual way.  Perhaps she needed a slight refresher course in dolmades but she may have done this because of all the questions I was asking.  Just maybe.  Good EatNZ does such a great job with her blogs and this did help me to see what they were supposed to be like but our goal was to take grape leaves in a whole new direction!

If you are familiar with Good EatNZ's blogs, you know fiddly is a term she uses to describe some of the foods she enjoys making.  It was certainly my good fortune that she cheerfully agreed to share her wealth of knowledge with someone who thought grape leaves where just to shade growing grapes.  After all, she does have a "well traveled spatula"!  To me, this is still one of the best parts of AR, making new friends from all corners of the world and learning from them.  Why were my grape leaves giggly and not fiddly?  Because I can't help but laugh every time I think of the look on her face or what she might have said out loud while reading the various "how to" questions our culinary adventures were prompting me to send. GOL! (giggling out loud)!

Some of that I'll share shortly but all lightheartedness aside for a moment, I've never experienced an earthquake, hurricane or wildfire.  We have tornadoes in the Midwest.  I do know that living through and cleaning up after Mother Nature's rage is so different than catching glimpses of the destruction on T.V.  It was alarming to see an earthquake had struck Christchurch. To know one of the only things to do was send an email and hope for a quick, positive answer.  The other, check the RE and see if anyone had heard any news.  I know I wasn't the only one that was ever so glad to get her "we're OK" reply.  I sincerely hope Mother Nature settles down and everyone affected by the quake can get their lives back to normal as soon as possible!

Now for those outtakes.  GOL. This first question should have tipped off Good EatNZ what she was in for.  You see, I have my own grapevines and really wanted to try making my own grape leaf wrappers.  Some of the websites I looked at made is sound so easy.  One said, "sure you can use fresh grape leaves."  It neglected to say fresh didn't mean fresh off the vine.  Unless, you need some serious fiber in you diet don't try this!


At least the insides tasted good!  That's garden fresh asparagus, goat cheese, sliced carrot, slivered red onion, mushroom and fresh basil with lemon verbena.  Wrapped in a "fresh" grape leaf and tied with a chive.


Shot off yet another email "why didn't that work"?  A briny blanch is a must!  Ah ha!  Might explain the toughness of the leaf!

To this day, my blanched and brined leaves are not as tender as store bought.  Yes, I did break down and buy some just like Good EatNZ gently suggested the first time! GOL.  I don't know what went wrong.  According to directions, I picked the right ones at the right time.  Maybe it was our screwy spring weather that caused outtake #2 or is this #4.  Oh, never mind!  I did learn about typical Greek herbs and spices while researching the brining procedure which prompted me to try making fresh spicy dill pickles.  Before that I thought you could only make sweet refrigerator pickles.

I had a rather odd result from the blanching experiment.  That particular day I had just enough time to blanch some leaves and try my first steamed (hopefully properly cooked) stuffed dolmades.  Being frugal, I just used the blanching saltwater to steam with, then left the pan on my cook top and took off.  Don't worry I did turn off the burner. Gol.  When I came back this is what was left in the pan-a lovely colored slightly grape flavored salt.

This worked well for something else though!!


A seasoned rub for cedar planked smoked salmon.  I used the recipe and directions on the package.  It called for kosher salt so I figured my flavored salt wouldn't hurt a thing.  It didn't!!  Dinner was a hit!!!!

Planked Salmon with Spice Rub
1 T brown sugar
1T coarse salt (I had just enough accidentally flavored salt)
2 tsp ancho chili powder (used what I had on hand)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper

I'd also asked about smoking with grape leaves.  Poor GENZ (stands for Good EatNZ not genetically engineered- lazy typer), she put up with a lot during our joint blog. GOL!   I actually tried it.  No, I wasn't  rolling my own out behind the woodshed.  I rolled the brined grape leaves around cherry wood and used them as you would regular wood chips to smoke ribs with.  At this house we have experimented with different fruit woods so I figured why not grape leaves?  Terrie and her husband thought it was a great idea after sampling the ribs for dinner. 

Remember those spicy dill pickles, I learned to make?  I served those with the BBQ and they were a hit also.  So much so that my DH asked if I'd made them cause he liked the flavor.  Uh, could have been the lack of uniformity in the pickle slices and that they were in a canning jar with a plastic Miracle Whip lid that tipped him off.
I also did  the cedar smoked salmon again.  This time I wrapped grape leaves around the salmon before putting it on the plank.  YUM!!!!!!!


Grape wrapped smoked salmon with EVOO and salt  rubbed grilled potatoes!
GOL! for sure now.  When I asked if we were doing a dessert stuffed grape leaf, GENZ may have had some reservations but she told me to go for it.  Just follow the line of culinary logic here.  It had to be a filling that would stay put and this style of cooking would work for.  Idly thinking about what kind of desserts were similar, old fashioned steamed puddings came to mind.  Not being a fan of pudding, the next thought was what kind of dessert is solid enough that I do like?  Cheesecake!!!!!!  I believe GENZ's reply to my announced dessert was, "I NEVER would have thought of that!" GOL!!!!!  Now in defense of my dessert attempt, GENZ did see an episode of "Chopped" after our blog and grape leaves were in the dessert round.  I don't believe those chefs went as far outside the creative box as I did but I haven't seen the episode. 

I used the Barefoot Contessa's Raspberry Cheesecake recipe as my guide.  Not wanting to waste a whole cheesecake recipe just in case this didn't work.  I mean, what would the odds of that be?!  I reduced the recipe.

Confused Cheesecake Version #2
 (my original notes disappeared so I had to redo the dessert to make sure it was the same.  This is for you ALVA416!)
6 oz low fat cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp lemon zest
I mixed this together and placed a spoonful onto the grape leaves.  Adjust the amount for the size of grape leaf.  The first version had fresh sliced plums from my tree on it so the grape leaves wouldn't dry out.  #2 did not.  For the baking "water", I used 1/2 cup red wine mixed with 1/4 cup of homemade grape jelly.  I did reduce the sauce for a couple of minutes so it wouldn't be too watery.  Baked in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  I served this over homemade graham crackers with more wine sauce drizzled over the top.

Homemade Graham Crackers
1/2 cup butter
2/3 C brown sugar packed
2 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon 1/2 C water
1 tsp vanilla
In my trusty Kitchen Aid I cream the butter and sugar together.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.  Beat the dry ingredients into the creamed mix, 1/2 cup at a time alternating with a little water until you have a smooth dough.  Beat in vanilla.  Cover and let rest 30 minutes at room temperature.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  The original recipe calls for parchment paper lined baking sheets.  I like to use silpats.  On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick.  Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares and Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire rack then store in an airtight container.  I put mine in the freezer.


There you have it!!!  The Fusion Confusion Continental outtakes!  Some worked tastefully well, 1 or 2 were frightful but it was all so much fun!  Anytime I think of making that blog, I laugh.  Laughter is so good for the soul!!!

But what did I really get from our joint blog effort?
   Experimental experience & knowledge of a different cuisine-
       Positively a plus!!!!!
   A new friend with a delightful sense of humor-
       Perfectly Priceless!!!!!!!


Monday, August 16, 2010

Excuse me, in which aisle can I find "whatever"?




Now, once before I did ask this same question on the Recipe Exchange. Got some great answers too, but I have decided to revisit this topic to share with the others also trying to serve "whatever". For those that don't mind being told to fix "whatever" because it allows them free reign of meal preparation and those whose families know better than to give that response because they might get a peanut butter sandwich with a glare, I commend you. I really, really do. Either those you fix meals for are easy to please and willing to try new things or early and proper training of the family has circumvented the problem. One that I now seem to face on a daily basis. Am I on a rant or a weep about my culinary dilemma? Nope. I want to share with others facing similar meal procurement issues my 2 plans to find and fix "whatever". Mind you, these plans were conceived while working long hot hours in the gardens. Yes, that is plural on the gardens. After being sunburned, stung by sweat bees, stabbed by stinging nettles while weeding, moving 15 yards of mulch, pulling a muscle during mulch moving, seeing a snake pop up 3 inches in the water garden 1" from my submerged hand, adding a new memorial garden for our sadly and suddenly deceased dog, and lastly the surprisingly painful total toe tip sanding with a large hidden pumice stone while staking up some stupid Shasta daisies, I came up with these plans I will now share.


Ok, so the first plan was executed during the middle of all my fun in the sun so its failure shouldn't have been unexpected. However, it might actually work for someone else. So I thought I should still share it anyway. I fearlessly took them (DH and teen) with me to the grocery store so they could show me the somethings they think is "whatever". I told them what I was putting in the cart and asked them to please add whichever items of their choosing to it. Surely, I could find recipes on AR utilizing our combined choices. Alas, I must report they got stuck between aisle's "I don't know" and "I don't care". This resulted in no selections being made on their part. I suspect taking both of them may have been my downfall, but someone else might be able to tweak this plan into functioning form.


Ah, here we are at my second plan. I feel it might have better success even though the concept came at day's end while surveying my laborious landscaping accomplishments. At that moment while sitting in the shade with my teen, the idea sprang forth. DIVIDE AND CONQUER!!!! Ha!! Brilliant!!!! The teen's father will soon be working long and odd hours negating the need to fix his lunch or dinner. I will give the teen the golden opportunity to fix his own meals!!!! Perhaps the heat was putting me in a daze, but I decided this simple plan might have a chance. With only one palate to please how could this idea go wrong!? So as to not let the child know of my scheming supper idea, I gently prodded and pried into his preferred palate pleasers. Here are my gleefully gleaned findings; asparagus, bacon, catfish, Mom's baked spicy hot wings, onions raw or cooked, spinach, pepperjack cheese and pepperoni are LIKES. He is sure he hates everything else. Evidently, despite my best efforts, his taste buds have decided to give a whole new meaning to picky and my Mother's earliest wish for me to have a child just like me has finally come true! At least there are ingredients to work with here and this might just be fun. Odd, I thought I just heard laughter! I apologize for not waiting for a successful report before posting the blog, but I'm too excited. The teen did try and like the Fusion Confusion cheesecake stuffed grape leaf served on a homemade graham cracker drizzled with a red wine and homemade grape jelly sauce (that's his hand in the picture on his 3rd piece, I'm yelling wait let me get this photo!). So there is hope for him to expand his palate. And in my favor, I have the full array of AR in my food fixing arsenal. Plus, the teen will be leaving for college next year and this might be my last chance for quality kitchen time with him. Till next time, wish me luck and may all of you have happy cooking times too!!!!


Thought I'd drop in my "guideline/recipe" for hot & spicy baked wings. I know we will have them while DH is gone since he won't eat anything that isn't boneless. Plus, a few garden photos for something to look at!


Cat's Baked Hot Wings Version #5 or 6


Rinse and drain 2 pkgs(I do 2 since I'm going to the trouble and this is a treat for us) chicken wings- seperate wing and drumstick (save the tips to make broth).


Use a fork to pierce the skin, this seems to get the spice in better.


Place in a large plastic bowl with good sealing lid.


Using your favorite hot sauce-coat chicken pieces. I usually use Tabasco or Louisiana brand, whichever happens is on sale.


We like them hot and spicy so I add liberal amounts of red pepper flakes, fresh ground black pepper and a little kosher salt to the hot sauce.


Cover with lid and shake to coat pieces well. Put in the refrigerator to marinate. I leave mine in the fridge at least 2 days and shake them around daily to make sure all pieces are well coated.


When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450 and bake 25 to 35 minutes depending on size of pieces. I also bake mine on a rack to insure maximum crunch. It's a shame wings are so expensive now cause the teen literally inhales these.



Saturday, August 14, 2010

Lethal Layers on Wonder White

“Potentially Toxic Paste banned in Rural School District”!


Doesn’t that look like the title and lead in of a sensationalistic sound bite? Sadly enough, except for the wording, it has been announced and happened in our little school district. All peanut products have been banned from our grade, middle and high schools. Here are some quotes from the school’s paper:

“to operate a “peanut free” school district…..The food allergies with which our district is contending make it necessary……..that all sandwiches and any desserts brought into the district will need to be without peanuts……. significant risk when foods are brought from home for lunches and/or classroom celebrations”.

I was surprised, alarmed and dismayed to see this announcement. The surprise- how many kids could possibly have a serious enough allergy to peanuts to warrant such a drastic measure in our district? I knew the allergy existed and I’d seen a TV show several years ago about a little girl who had to have a service dog with her to detect peanuts, peanut products and alert to them. At the time, I thought how awful to have to send your precious child out the door with nothing but a dog to protect them from possible life threatening contact with something so small? Granted I know three people who train service dogs and two who rely daily on their service dogs. I’ve always been amazed how competently and faithfully the dogs do their job. But the little girl was the extreme case. Right?

The alarm was for my lack of knowledge. How many serious food allergies besides peanuts are there? How many kids in our small school system are affected? The dismay is for the kids(we have more “have nots” than “haves” in our town) that rely on peanut butter sandwiches for school lunch. In grade school that’s all my child would eat but at least I was confident he had lunch before going back to class if PB&J was in his lunch box. For Pete’s sake, when he was in grade school kids with cleaned plates were rewarded with peanut butter sandwiches. I never did understand that concept. Is a peanut ban in school going to be that effective? What happens when the child leaves school? There are peanut snacks at our Dollar store, gas station, and grocery store. But surely the kids affected know how to keep themselves safe, right? In what products do you find peanuts? What about certain bird foods? What about candies made in factories that also make peanut filled candies? Cross contamination? How serious is that for sufferers? What about tree nuts are they as toxic? There are walnut trees around the school grounds. I wanted some answers so I started looking.

According to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.htm), 4 out of every 100 children have a food allergy. Wow, that means roughly 32 kids in our district should have some kind of food allergy with reactions that could range from hives to possible death. Peanuts being one of the worst triggers. That’s kind of scary from a parental point of view but the site did say most children outgrow this by grade school or at least by adolescence. These are the major 8 food allergy triggers: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. They account for 90% of allergic reactions. There’s also been an 18% increase in children’s food allergies between 1997-2007. In 2007 3.9% or 3 million children under the age of 18 reported food allergies. This site also states children with food allergies suffered from an increase of other health related issues such as asthma, skin allergies-eczema and other respiratory issues.

I found it curious that “fish” was on the list of the “Nasty 8“. What does that mean? What kind of fish? Fresh, saltwater? According to Food Allergy Facts(http://www.foodallergy.org/page/fish-allergy) that means tuna, salmon and halibut. But to be totally safe if you suffer from a fish allergy you need to avoid Asian food (might contain peanuts too), Worcestershire(contains anchovies) sauce, BBQ sauce(might contain Worcestershire), fish sticks and meatloaf. I’m guessing the meatloaf might contain one of those sauces. Also be wary of cross contact during cooking so avoid seafood restaurants. Fish and shellfish proteins can escape in the steam during cooking. One statement on this site I found interesting. A reaction does not mean you have a food allergy it could be an intolerance to the food. So you should avoid that food. I imagine those with lactose intolerance know all about that.

Also, there are uncommon food allergens to be wary of (Food Allergy: Medline Plus-http://www.n/m.nih.gov/Medline plus/food allergy.html). FALCPA-Food &Labeling Consumer Protection came about so colors, flavors, and spice blends would say if they had the “Nasty 8” in them. But if you have a less common food allergy you must contact the food manufacturer for further information. For instance, sesame can cause severe reactions(anaphylaxis). Eggs are listed in the “Nasty 8” but can cause anaphylaxis, too. Suffering from dairy allergies watch out for casein. Soy problems make sure you don’t eat foods with lecithin. I imagine those last two might depend on how severe your allergy is.

During my fact finding, I talked to 6 people with food allergies. Dairy, soy, wheat-2 people. Dairy-2. Wheat-2. Symptoms with dairy-stomach upset & skin rash. Symptoms with wheat-again stomach upset and skin rashes. Symptoms with dairy, soy and wheat- aches, moderate congestion, stomach upset and vile(their words not mine) mood swings. Nothing life threatening but they all said the symptoms were enough to make them very miserable. Which makes me wonder how would a child suffering from any of those allergies be able to concentrate in class after ingesting food containing one those 3?

Is our school district doing the right thing banning peanuts? It’s certainly not the only one. A private day school in Manhattan, NY banned peanuts for one child (http://www.nytimes.com./1998/09/23). I found the article interesting because there were a lot of pros and cons in it. One Dr. said proper labeling was more necessary than the ban. The mother that instigated the ban due to her child’s severe allergy stated- “my child’s life vs. your kid’s lunch”. As a parent, I fully understand her actively lobbying for the school ban. That parent also stated she did not want her daughter stigmatized or segregated because of the allergy. Sadly, a parent’s protection can only extend so far and so long. At some point her child, like mine, will leave home and go into the world. What then?

Do I agree with our school district? Since my child is a senior, the decision doesn’t affect us as much. Still the question needs to be brought up and probably will be most strenuously by parents just starting out in the district; if peanuts are banned what next? The rest of the “Nasty 8”? How about the sesame? What about members of the nightshade family-potatoes and tomatoes? And citrus. For those suffering from certain diseases those 3 items exacerbate their symptoms. As of yet, I’m still unsure of how many children are affected in our district out of the 800+ attending by the peanut or any other food allergy.

The last article I looked up, Peanut Allergy and School bans on Peanut Products (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/421318/peanut_allergy_and school_banson_peanut.html) was from 2007. Basically, the article contends while no one wishes a child to suffer, a ban isn’t the best way to go. There are other logical and safe options to utilize. Also noted was the fact the schools were more prone to ban not for safety’s sake but to avoid possible litigation. Unfortunately, I believe that is highly likely in our school’s case. At least the school can say they did all they could with the ban if any child brings peanuts or peanut products ,knowingly or unknowingly, in contact with those children suffering from this allergy. That way any possible lawsuits could be directed away from the school district.

I still have questions left. Why the rise in food allergies? Shouldn’t that be fully researched? Maybe something or a way could be found and used to decrease the food allergies. Wouldn’t it be better to prevent, if at all possible, than to ban?