Monday Review- Kettle Cuisine

This Monday Review is brought to you by Kettle Cuisine, a New England-based company specializing in soups since 1986. They currently offer over 70 varieties of soups, chilis, and chowders.Founder Jerry Shafir felt inspired to create high protein, high fiber gluten-free soups for his daughter and others with celiac disease. The soups are manufactured in a peanut-free facility. The nine gluten-free frozen soup varieties are regularly tested to ensure there is no gluten cross-contamination. They also make several dairy free varieties and hope to add more. I'll keep you posted on that.Kettle Cuisine gluten-free frozen soups are made from scratch...

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Friday Feature: Food Allergy Buzz and FAB Snacks

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer, founder of Food Allergy Buzz and FAB Snacks. Here are some excerpts from our conversation: What is your food allergy background? I have two sons. My eight year old has some environmental allergies. My five year old has a life threatening allergy to peanuts and we avoid tree nuts due to the risk of cross-contamination. He's had eczema since he was a baby and often experienced stomach upsets and mysterious hives. We found out about his allergy when he was three after a visit to a Friendly's restaurant. As soon as he bit into one Reese's pieces in his sundae, he spit it out, became upset and began to cry. He spat up and hives began to spread all over. We weren't sure what to do, so I gave him Benadryl. The hives began to fade and the other...

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Tofutti Cutie and other Updates

I spoke to Steve Cass at Tofutti Cuties about the allegations of dairy contamination in their non-dairy frozen treats. He said, "These allegations are at least three years old and one of the plants involved in the allegation has been closed for quite some time." When I asked about dedicated lines and regular testing, Steve said, "Tofutti Cuties are run on dedicated lines and tested DAILY for dairy."Let's see what ELL finds in their independent test. I contacted Sara Lee when I noticed that their Hearty and Delicious 100% Multi-grain Bread (quite delicious, by the way) listed milk on some labels, but not on others. I was told to trust the label. Their breads are made in different locations so some may contain, or be contaminated, with milk. The nutrition label on their website lists milk...

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Monday Review- Olinda Ridge Olive Oil

This Monday Review is brought to you by Olinda Ridge Olive Company, a family-owned and operated producer of extra virgin olive oils. Based in northern California, the company manges over 9000 olive trees, each over one hundred years old. Using organic farming methods, olives are hand-picked when ready and pressed immediately to preserve freshness.We use a lot of olive oil in our kitchen. It is my oil of choice for sauteing and as an ingredient in breads, pizza dough and baked goods. I tried Olinda Ridge's Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's fruity flavor is evident as soon as the bottle is opened. It smells really good. Uncap your...

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Denise's magazine article

Our church is doing a series about encounters with God. One of the pastors asked Denise to write an article reflecting on her experience for inclusion in the March/April/May 2009 issue of Seasons, our church's newsmagazine. The article's title seemed to focus more on me as the blogger, and the article mixed portions of what Denise wrote with some of what I typed on the blog. Here's a link to the pdf of the magazine (article is on page 14). Following is Denise's entire article that she wrote herself:Since becoming a mom I have faced some of the most emotionally trying times of my life. Sometimes there have been more toils and snares than I thought...

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Easter with Food Allergies

Aahhh...we welcomed spring this morning at 7:44 am with....SNOWFLAKES??? It doesn't matter though, spring is in the air. The next holiday on our calendar is Easter. A holiday of decorated eggs, milk chocolate bunnies and those yummy Reese Peanut Butter Eggs. Hmmm, not an easy task when avoiding dairy, eggs and peanuts.But don't despair, help is on the way. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends of the food allergic, check out these resources and place your order. Quickly, get clicking! Products are selling out and extra time is needed for shipping.Chocolate Emporium or call 1-888-CHOCLATAmanda's Own Confections or call 1-440-570-6359Divvies or call 914-533-0333Premium Chocolatiers -Internet sales onlyDid I miss any of your favorites? Let us know!I'm off to place my Easter candy...

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Food Allergy Update: Brownies

There's been much in the news recently with peanut allergic children eating peanuts safely (under direct doctor supervision,of course). We've read reports about the role of Chinese herbal medicines as a possible cure for food allergies. Then more stories about crazy parents and the over-diagnosis of food allergies in their children have continued to crop up in newspapers, blogs and morning shows all over. But the big news this week in my house is the discovery of a delicious egg-free brownie recipe. I've made some awful brownies over the past six years in search of the perfect egg-free version. Let's face it, it's the eggs that give brownies their chewiness and their crackly glazed top. We've eaten brownies as chewy as a giant sized bar of Laffy Taffy. We've gnawed on hard brownie bricks...

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Monday Review- Happikins

This week's Monday Review is brought to you by Happikins, eco and kid-friendly napkins. Molly McKinley originally set out to create an alternative to paper napkins and to teach children the importance of making wise environmental choices. She created sets of 100% cotton, machine-washable napkins (five per set), with a carrying pouch. The pouch opens to a dry erase panel for notes from mom or dad and has a zippered area in the back to carry money or other small items.Here's what I love about Happikins:For children with food allergies, the napkins, at 12 inches square, are a perfect placemat to mark boundaries around snacks or lunches. Our...

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Beef Recipe from the Late 60's - What does it tell us about beef 40 years ago?

I've had some time on my hands lately, and one thing I've done is browse through some of my late mother-in-law's many cookbooks. I just love cookbooks, they tell as much about a period in our history as, well, probably as much as a history book in our schools today. We know our school history texts today are skewed and stretched and squashed together bits of information on life in our great country since our English, French, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh and more cousins first settled this great country some 300 plus years ago (I count way before 1776, just so you know :). But, those old cook books are NOT telling any lies, changing any facts...

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RED ANGUS BULL IN COLORADO IS PRACTICALLY FREE TO A GOOD HOME!

Yes, I know, this is a blog for British White Cattle! But, exceptions have to be made sometimes, and I think this is one of them. This photo is of a very nice-looking registered Red Angus bull that needs a good home, a good job, and a good life for several more years. Here is the text of the ad found at agads.net:"Five year old registered ease of calving bull. Guaranteed breeder. I am 73 and sold my small herd of mother cows. I don't want to sell him for slaughter as he is a gentle old friend and I want him to have several more years. He could easily bring my price at livestock sales. Great Bull for heifers." Price $1150 Contact Information...

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Peanut Allergy Website

I'll be regularly posting at peanutallergy.com and wanted to share the benefits of this useful site. This online resource guide is a must for those families or individuals just learning about a peanut allergy diagnosis. It answers questions about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. If you don't see an answer to a question you have, simply click, "ask a question" and someone who knows the answer will respond.This is also a great resource for peanut allergy veterans. The directory lists peanut allergy friendly restaurants, products, foods and bakeries. There is an opportunity for those with experience to share their knowledge by responding to questions from readers. The Forum Boards also allow people to talk about issues related to peanut allergy.You'll need to register to use parts...

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Dairy-Free Treat May Cause Food Allergy Reaction

We always have a box of these Tofutti Cuties in our freezer. They taste great and my son's friends think they're eating a regular ice cream sandwich when we pull these out. I've come to learn through ELL (Eat, Learn, Live) that they've received three complaints recently about allergic reactions to these treats. In the latest incident, a child suffered an anaphylactic reaction immediately following ingestion of this product. ELL is getting the product tested now, but there is a suspicion of milk-contamination.More disturbing is that Tofutti Brands, Inc, and their manufacturer Kemp Ice Cream, have not responded to ELL's letters following each...

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Monday Review- "Matters of Faith" by Kristy Kiernan

This Monday Review is brought to you by author Kristy Kiernan, and her award-winning novel, Matters of Faith. The story revolves around the Tobias family. When 12-year-old Meghan has a medical crisis related to her peanut allergy, the entire family is forced to dig deep and deal with issues that have been bubbling below the surface."Genuine" is the word that came to mind as I read this book. I too have had people say, “if it’s organic peanut butter, than it’s safe, right?” We too removed carpets, curtains and stuffed animals from our home in an effort to control allergic symptoms. Kristy Kiernan really understands what it’s like to live...

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White Park Brewery in Bedfordshire - Make a refreshing stop at this unique brewery on your next visit to England!

"A Bedfordshire based brewery with a passion for all things natural and wholesome. The brewery is sited in a farm courtyard barn and run by a team of enthusiastic brewers! The name of the brewery evolves from the owner's love of keeping rare breed animals, including White Park cattle, an ancient Britsh breed famed for its good eating - especially when fed spent malt from a brewery! Good eating of course goes hand in hand with a great pint..." It is always interesting to find new web sites of other breeders of both polled British White and horned White Park cattle in the UK. Recently, Alan Kelly of the White Park Brewery in Bedfordshire very...

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BeefTalk: There Is No Profit From Calves That Cost $2.80 Per Pound?

Source: Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, North Dakota State Ag Extension I found this article of great interest. There is NO mention of the breed of bull chosen to cover these 26 heifers. However, great care was given to selection in terms of documented EPD's, and this bull's numbers fell in the sought after top percentile for key EPD's. Despite this, the Dickinson Center had a miserable ~30% dead or difficult calving percentage. That costs money, not just the $2.80 a pound ceasarian births, but the assists, and the deaths, as well. Such calving results are virtually unheard of in any British White herd of cattle. And we certainly don't have to...

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Flip Video - A Great No-Brainer Tool for Cattle Promotion

A few months back, Morris Halliburton, of Halliburton Farms in Bells, Texas, told me about about a neat little camcorder that was easy to use. I checked it out and knew I'd really like to have one. Well I got lucky, and Santa Claus brought me one for Christmas! I've only lately started putting it to use, and it has been fun and really easy to work with.It's smaller than a pack of cigarettes; it's so small you might even lose track of it in your purse! So I highly recommend a good case for it. I'm using a hard leather cell phone case for mine; and the clip comes in handy to keep it safely handy in one spot in your purse, your pocket, or your belt....

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Food Allergy Articles on Suite101

I've recently become a contributing writer for Suite 101.com. I can write on a variety of topics and recently posted two articles directly related to food allergies. You can read:"Traveling by Plane with Food Allergies" "Food Allergy Hidden Dangers".There are many other articles about food allergies on Suite 101. Take a look.For more food allergy info, check out the Food Allergy Assistant's website.Sneak peek: Monday's Review on March 9, 2009 is a book review. You won't want to miss this novel featuring a family and food allergies and a crisis of faith and police and a crazy grandma. Any guesses? Tune in Monday for the reve...

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Allergy Meds Dangerous for Those with Food Allergies

ELL (Eat Learn, Live) has put out a notice about milk ingredients in several popular allergy medications. For those with a dairy allergy, watch out for these medications containing dairy:Zyrtec and Zyrtec-D Adult 10 mg tabletsZyrtec Children’s Chewables (5mg & 10mg)The Allergy/Asthma Information Association (AAIA) lists other allergy and asthma medications that contain milk:· Singulair 4 mg granules & 10 mg tablets (not in the 4 mg or 5 mg tablets)· Reactine, Aerius, Claritin tablets (not liquid form).· Benadryl 50 mg pink/white capsule (not caplet, chewable tablets or liquid form)· Prednisone tabletsThese asthma medications also contain milk:AdvairFloventForadil aerolizer capsules Oxeze turbuhaler Spiriva capsules Symbicort turbuhaler Ventolin diskhaler, diskus, rotacapsThe...

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Monday Review- Simply Boulder Sauces

This Monday Review is brought to you by Simply Boulder Sauces. Seth Mendelsohn's idea was to produce the finest culinary sauces using nutritious ingredients. He created five flavors including Lemon Pesto, Truly Teriyaki and Zesty Pineapple that will enhance any recipe. You'll love the ingredients in the sauces. Instead of corn syrup, they are sweetened with agave nectar. There are no long chemicals listed on the label- just ingredients we're all familiar with, like pure olive oil, molasses and fruit juices. According to Seth, "We try our hardest to limit allergens in products. One of the ways we do this is by using olive oil. Unlike many...

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