Recipes for Rosh Hashanah- Gluten & Wheat Free

I originally posted this last September. Since Rosh Hashanah is a little earlier this year, I thought I would re-post for those who are looking for something to make that is wheat & gluten free during the High Holy Days. Best of all, these are both wonderful recipes that are sure to bring smiles.

The oven has been working hard tonight. I just finished making a loaf of challah for Ella to take with her to school. It has been very hard to find a decent challah recipe. I have attempted about 10 assorted breads and none have really "done it" for me. But I just found one on a blog that truly impressed me. The best part... it was EASY! And quick. Since Ella is allergic to sesame, I opted for purple sprinkles which she liberally helped me decorate. The blog where I discovered this recipe suggests using a braided loaf pan (GF challah is impossible to braid) but I improvised since I have no such pan. I used a 9" cake round cake pan and sprayed it really well with cooking spray. Then I used a #20 scoop to create mounds which I filled the pan with. I allowed it to rise, as specified. And then I glazed the dough with an egg yolk wash. Ella was then brought in to sprinkle until her little heart was content. And boy, oh boy were we happy with the result. The bread was light and dense all at the same time. And the flavor was also really close to true challah. Here is the link to the recipe... And this is what mine looked like...

If you are wondering, we could not wait to tear into this bad boy. Thus, the torn bit on the lower left hand side of the photo. This blogging rookie maneuver was worth it as Ella proclaimed... "Mommy, this is the best challah... EVER!"

Next in the oven cue was Gluten and Wheat-Free Honey Cakes. Not sure if I have mentioned this before but Ella is REALLY into the Wiggles. On one of their videos they reference honey cakes. Being the foodie that she is, Ella NEEDED to know what honey cakes are. I had not made them before so I was not quite sure. But I stumbled onto this amazing recipe. Which I decided to make as a special treat for the children on Rosh Hashanah. My original plan was to also make a apple sauce with lots of butter and brown sugar (my family is not Kosher). But after making these little gems, I am not sure they need anything. They are, off the charts, delicious. Honestly, they would be fantastic for any party and could be served to anyone, not just the eating impaired. If you are lucky enough to enjoy nuts, I think that this would be a delightful texture to go along with the airiness of the cake. But powdered sugar also does the trick. I bought a mini-bundt pan which had 6 cake slots. The recipe made so much batter, I decided to use muffin tins (greased) and cooked the remaining for approx. 10 minutes. Which yielded 18 muffins plus the mini bundts. This is what I came up with...

Kindergarten!!!

At 7:00 this morning, Ella came running into our room... fully dressed and ready to go. "Today is my first day of Kindergarten!!!!" Needless to say, she was very excited. We gave her breakfast, fashioned her hair "just so" and finished packing her backpack. The kid was truly floating on air.

Last night we checked and double checked everything that she would be taking with her to school: emergency medicine kits, check... snacks, check... school supplies, check... labels on everything, check! We actually had a lot of fun putting it all together.

Her med alert bracelet is quite snazzy. It is made of crystal beads and a lilac adorned, silver plate, detailing everything that could send her into anaphylaxis. Not clunky like the bands of yesteryear; just delicate and complimentary to whatever outfit she might throw together.

Daddy took her to school; Mommy stayed home like a total wimp. (What can I say? I am out of waterproof mascara!) Ella was beaming. Some of the other kids were not so excited. But she just pranced up to her classroom, smiling from ear to ear. I cannot wait to hear all about her first day when I pick her up.

Back to School on Monday

Ella, striking a pose

I cannot believe how fast the summer has gone. On Monday, my little Ella will be starting Kindergarten. It is so hard to believe; exciting; terrifying. She cannot wait. Today they had a Milk & Cookies orientation event at her school. It was hosted by her teachers. I have been looking forward to it as an opportunity to talk to her teachers about all of the ins and outs of her various food allergies. But alas, I have been stuck in bed for the past 3 days with a nasty cold. And today, my throat was hurting me so bad that I completely lost my voice. The only place I was headed to was the doctor's office.

Thankfully, we have had the help of our beloved babysitter all week. She took both kids to the event, after I threw some allergen free cookies in the oven for Ella to enjoy. My husband went to school before heading to his office to try and get a moment to talk to her teacher. But she was in the midst of a CPR class at that moment (pretty cool) and he wrote her a note, asking her to give us a call so that we can discuss everything with her over the phone.

All of my other "to do" items have been checked off the list; got the Epi pens updated and new bottles of Benadryl are ready to be packed into her emergency kits, her updated Med Alert bracelet arrived just yesterday, everything is labeled, forms have been filled out and turned in. Now all I have to do is focus on getting healthy and to CALM my nerves. Ella will be starting up at a new school and there are a lot of new people for us to get to know. Thankfully, she has a small class and we live only walking distance away from her school.

But I will be on edge, at least until the school year gets rolling.

Free, Downloadable Allergy Labels

Free Printable Labels for Kids with Food Allergies from Kori Clark Designs. How cool is this?

To Microwave or Not? That is the question...

For years, friends have been telling me how bad microwaving food can be for your health. When Ella was a baby, I had a strict "no microwave" policy. No doubt I have annoyed many family members by asking to use one of their pans, rather than sticking a plate in the microwave. As time has gone on, I have gotten much more lax... as much as I hate to admit it. After all, there is a reason why microwaves are a busy mom's best friend. But I read this article today on the HuffingtonPost and now I am thinking about going back to my original policy.

Is This Common Kitchen Appliance Harming Your Health?

Cleaning up after peanuts

Just got this sent to me via my Google alert. It is from eHow...

How Do I Clean After Eating to Protect Those With Peanut Allergies?

WOW! That sure is a lot of work. Think I'd rather pass, thank you!

Also, in case you were thinking about using hand sanitizer to clean your hands,

"A 2004 Johns Hopkins Children's Center study showed that hand sanitizer is ineffective at removing peanut particles from the hands and other surfaces. Rather than removing the allergen, it simply spread it around."

This is why nut safety in schools is so important. The stuff is nearly impossible to clean up. Or at the least, takes a LOT of effort. And I can imagine that school maintenance staff can sometimes be overwhelmed by this task. Or doing it the correct way.

Egg Recall List

Wondering if your eggs are on the massive recall list? Go to this site to find out...

http://www.eggsafety.org/mediacenter/alerts/73-recall-affected-brands-and-descriptions

So far, 380 Million Eggs have been recalled. That is a LOT! Check those eggs!