More than a rash. Food Allergies in kids

I recently spoke to a friend of mine living overseas whose daughter is allergic to peanuts. She had a pretty violent allergic reaction to a pasta sauce that contained a small amount of cashews. It was very scary for my friend. As a mother, she is extremely diligent in looking at labels to make sure that her daughter isn't eating anything that can cause a reaction. Imagine how hard it is to do this in a foreign country where you don't speak the native language.

This got me thinking about this allergy epidemic with kids. What is going on?

I am 34 years old and I can't remember any friends who had food allergies when I was younger. There may have been one, but I can't remember having "peanut free" rooms. We all ate peanut butter and jelly without fear, our mouths all covered in the sticky combination.

I found this recipe, changed it a little to my liking and I am posting it here. It is a recipe that is peanut free and egg free. I am doing it for my friend so she has a few other dishes to add to her repertoire.

Working in the health food industry, I meet a lot of folks with food allergies and I can say that there are alternatives out there, but it isn't easy. So, if you know someone with a food allergy and they are coming over your house for dinner, go out of your way to prepare a dish for them, they will really appreciate it.

A good product line to check out: Cherrybrook Kitchen. They have great egg free, peanut free, dairy free mixes for desserts. www.cherrybrookkitchen.com











Holiday Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 T. water
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. lemon extract
1 1/4 cups rice flour
1 tsp. cornstarch
confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Set aside. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar; beat well. Stir in water and vanilla and lemon extracts. Add flour and cornstarch. Mix well. Roll into small balls and drop onto cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 7 minutes (cookies will not brown). Transfer to wire racks to cool. Top with confectioners sugar.