A Published Book and a Funny Story

So, I have some exciting news to share with you! I have a published book about our food allergy journey with Bee. You can find the book, Hives in the Kitchen, on Amazon. Within a few weeks you can purchase the book to read on Kindle.

But before I tell you more about the book I have to tell you the story behind the book.

Did you know I was writing a book?

Neither did I.

Feel free to be as surprised as I was when I found out.

Last week, my hubby quietly slipped a cute book into my hand. It looked quite a bit like my blog design and even had the same title. Just before I angrily asked him who was stealing my ideas, my eyes glanced at the bottom of the cover. My name was printed across the bottom. I quickly flipped through the book and recognized the typed words from my journal. This was my book.

You see, my blog, Hives in the Kitchen, had an unpublished side of it. I had written about our journey when Bee was a baby, yet I never published it for anyone to read. It was personal and written mainly so I would never forget about the challenges we had overcome. One day I wanted to be able to read through it with Bee so she could know her own story. I hoped it would help her take her food allergies seriously and also take ownership of her diagnosis as she learns to advocate for herself. But mostly I prayed it would provide hope for her as she faced the future. I wanted to communicate how we had advocated for her as an infant with the hope that she would tirelessly advocate for herself and others with allergies.

So, to sort through my thoughts and my emotions on days when I felt especially discouraged about the allergies, I wrote about the past. I cried out tears of frustration as I typed every word and somehow my heart felt more settled and I was once again ready to step into my role as advocate and care taker.

My husband had seen these pages detailing our journey and we often read them together to rekindle our hope and to encourage us in our prayers for a cure and for healing.

I never planned to do anything with those pages, really. They were so close to my heart and I couldn't imagine anyone else wanting to read the details of our journey to find a diagnosis for Bee.

My husband always felt differently. He wanted me to publish the little journal as a book for others who were also dealing with food allergies, believing that others could benefit from reading about the misdiagnoses, challenges, and emotions that filled the first years of Bee's life. I never believed the writings to be good enough for anyone to care to read. Whenever he mentioned publication I just nodded and said, "Maybe someday..." However, I never thought that "someday" would ever arrive.

Well it is that "someday" now. As an early Christmas present my husband had the story about Bee published into a small book that we can share with our friends and family and with others who are walking their own food allergy journey. I will always believe that the story is not "good enough." However, despite any imperfections I pray that it will be an encouragement to others who face the same diagnosis.

The book details Bee's early symptoms as a baby as well as the multiple misdiagnoses given us by the various doctors that we visited. It includes the stories of Bee's first allergic reactions and our quest to find a doctor to support us as we worked toward healing her little body. The book is also filled with my thoughts and how the allergies impacted me as a mother - the fear, frustration, anger, discouragement, and loneliness that followed me through those early years. However, the book ends with hope in finding support through friends, family, and doctors as well as peace in discovering a new normal in our family - a normal that is now our life while managing the multiple life-threatening food allergies of our daughter Bee.

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{Allergy Free} Sausage and Potato Soup

This is a yummy and easy fall soup. My kids love anything with potatoes or sausage so I really couldn't go wrong. The original recipe called for wilting some spinach into the soup (which would definitely add some much-needed color to the soup). If I'm brave I might try that, but my kids will probably complain about the slimy green things in their food. Oh well! They did give the soup high marks and my big kids even had second helpings.

Sausage and Potato Soup

1 pound ground sausage

1 pound ground bison

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, diced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Broth - enough to cover (probably at least 5 cups)

2 pounds diced yukon gold potatoes

Spinach 2-3 cups (optional)

Roux

1/4 cup Earth Balance Soy Free

1/4 cup rice flour

2 cups rice milk

Brown the sausage and bison until no longer pink.
Drain the meat and put back in pot.
Add garlic, onion, and spices and cook until onion is translucent.
Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Add diced potatoes and cook until tender.

While potatoes are cooking make the roux in a separate pot.

Roux
Melt Earth Balance.
Stir in the flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes.
Slowly add in the rice milk while still whisking constantly.
Continue whisking until the sauce has thickened.

Once the potatoes are tender, pour the creamy roux mixture into the soup.
Simmer on low heat until the soup is slightly thickened.

*At this point you could toss in a few cups of spinach and let it wilt while the soup simmers.
One day I will do this. Maybe when I do not have toddlers. For now I'll just be happy to serve them a spinach salad on the side.

This recipe is adapted from the one found here at Damn Delicious

{Allergy Free} Cocoa Waffles

This is our new Saturday morning favorite waffle. The kids call them "hot cocoa waffles with snow." They are a perfect winter time breakfast!

Cocoa Waffles

2 1/2 cups flour blend

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. xanthan gum

1/2 t. salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/4 cups rice milk mixed with 2 T lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chocolate chips

Combine flour blend through brown sugar in one bowl and whisk well.
Add rice milk mixture and olive oil to dry ingredients and blend well.
Fold in chocolate chips.

Spray waffle maker well and follow directions for your waffle maker.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar when done.

{Allergy Free} Hamburger Stew

The weather turned cold again and we needed some stew to warm back up. Never mind that it's only in the 50's, we pretend that it's a deep freeze and we hibernate with hot stew and warm cookies. My kids even helped me make this dish, and it was delicious and filling - and very easy!

Hamburger Stew

2 pounds ground beef or bison

2 medium onions, diced

2 cans stewed tomatoes, blended

6 large carrots, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1/2 cup wild rice (or any long grain rice)

3 cups beef broth

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Brown the beef with the onion in a giant pot.
Drain.
Add the remaining ingredients into the pot and simmer for 30 min to an hour.
You may need to add more liquid as it cooks down, just add some water until the stew is the desired consistency.

Adapted from the recipe at Taste of Home

{Allergy Free} Hot Chocolate Cookies

These are my favorite cookies ever. Eat them straight out of the oven for the gooey marshmallow and warm chocolate drizzle. These are heaven. I actually had to kick everyone out of the kitchen so we would stop eating them. Both trays of cookies were gone in seconds. 

Hot Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup Earth Balance

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp egg replacer whisked with 2 T rice milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup flour blend

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 T hemp milk

marshmallows cut in half (you need 1/2 of a marshmallow for every cookie) I used 12 marshmallows.

1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

2 tsp Earth Balance

Cream butter and sugar well.
Add egg replacer mixture and vanilla extract.
In separate bowl mix flour blend htrough baking powder.
Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just blended.
Add in milk and mix.
Chill dough for 30 minutes (don't skip this step or cookies will spread while baking).
Roll doughs into Tablespoon sized dough balls and put on cookie sheet.
Gently press thumb in middle of each cookie.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Pull out of oven and place 1/2 of a marshmallow in each center, return to oven, and bake for 3 more minutes.
While cookies are cooling melt the chocolate chips and Earth Balance in microwave for 30 second intervals. (If this chocolate seizes up, melt some more Earth Balance and slowly pour into the chocolate while stirring until the chocolate is smooth).
Pour chocolate into ziploc bag, snip the tip of one corner, and drizzle across cookies.

I ended up with 24 cookies. It was not enough! Next time I will double the recipe.

Adapted from A Latte Food

The Day Banana Bread Made Me Cry

It's silly actually. However, banana bread was one of my absolute favorite foods right after cheesecake and lasagna. I rarely get to eat those foods anymore, much less make them in my own kitchen. I miss them lots and lots. But Little Bee is worth more than my favorite foods so I plod forward in our allergy journey trying to forget my favorite foods of the past while finding new ones.

A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend on the phone and somehow my secret love of banana bread came out. I don't even remember what was said. I just made a passing comment about one of my all-time favorite foods and then we moved on.

Last weekend our friends came over to play at our house. They brought their van full of kids with lots of noise and laughter. As they came through the door the mom quietly handed me a small bundle, "I knew that nuts were not safe so I didn't use any." I stood looking at the small foil-wrapped gift, bewildered. Then I looked at her in total confusion. She laughed and said, "It's banana bread that I made today."

Then it dawned on me. She remembered our totally random and very short discussion about banana bread and she secretly brought me a gift. And she made it nut free so I would feel safer while eating it.

I grabbed the still-warm loaf and hid it on a high shelf in the kitchen.

After our friends left and our kids were in bed, my hubby and I brought out the sacred loaf and some paper plates. He cut me several slices and we hid in our bedroom to eat the contraband.

I had not had banana bread in at least 5 years. It was ridiculously good and worth every minute of the later clean up when I scrubbed counters and wiped away every trace of crumbs.

The next day I ate the rest of my little loaf. And I sat in bed and cried.

It may have seemed like a little loaf of banana bread but it was actually much, much more. It was a friend who, although she does not fully understand our allergy issues, has compassion on another mom and her crazy secret desire for banana bread after 5 years. It's remembering one little comment. It's simple friendship. It's just the little things that mean so much to an allergy mama who feels guilty for craving the unsafe allergy foods.

Yes, banana bread can bring you to tears. It's so good to have friends who have compassion even on this crazy allergy mom.

{Allergy Free} Sonoma Chicken

I took this recipe and made an allergy free version and it was perfect over an arugula salad. Since the weather is in the 60's right now, I thought I'd try a lighter dish. This will be one of my summer salads! 

Sonoma Chicken

1 rotisserie chicken with the meat cut off the bones and then diced (or 1 package of chicken cooked in the crockpot and then shreded)

2 cups red seedless grapes cut in half

5 stalks celery sliced very thin

salad mix

Dressing

5 tsp honey

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup Veganaise 

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl.
Add in chicken, grapes, and celery and toss.
Serve over a salad.
Keep in refrigerator. 

*If I could I would totally add poppyseeds to the recipe but unfortunately all seeds are out for us right now.*

Adapted from the recipe at Sweet Little Bluebird