This dessert is easy to put together and only takes about a half-hour. It is gluten-free, corn and soy-free, and can be dairy-free if you simply substitute the butter for spectrum palm oil. (more…)

If you have issues with sensitive skin, and especially if you have recently been diagnosed with allergies or intolerances, you may want to take a long look at your soaps, deodorants, perfumes, and cosmetics bag and perhaps do a little purging this weekend. Many favorite name brand cosmetics and personal products are full of common allergens and known cancer causing toxins. After having had a few strange reactions after using popular drugstore brands over the years I finally switched to high end cosmetics only to find that even those irritated my skin. I soon became an occasional makeup wearer, but now there are better options available for women with sensitive skin and known allergies. Not only will your complexion improve, and your confidence, but you may actually feel healthier too. (more…)

If you have drooled over the Starbucks bakery display or have dreamed of having just one more scone again, I am here to tell you that it is time to wake up and get cooking! Little chef and I bought a scone pan from Nordicware while at our local Dominick’s store, a Safeway affiliate. It wasn’t cheap, and I hesitated to buy it, but at the last minute I gave in to my little chef’s cajoling.

This morning we decided it was time to try it out. The pan is made out of heavy cast aluminum and it makes eight large triangular shaped scones. We altered the recipe supplied by Nordicware and had tremendous success! All three boys thought it was delicious, and I even caught little chef picking the crumbs off of his plate. I think our version was a bit on the sweet side (well at least for our tastes, as we have been low sugar for about a year now). But it may be perfectly suitable for the average sweet-tooth. To put it into perspective, my diagnosed son wanted to know why we were allowed to eat dessert for breakfast….. (more…)

I practiced a lot this past holiday with some of our family’s favorite home-baked cookie recipes, a tradition among the women in our extended family that dates back to a time long before I was born. This was our first gluten free Christmas, and it began with several mishaps and a lot of perseverance. Here is my all time best success this year.

These mini-muffin sized sweets are perfect for entertaining or that special occasion you’d like to attend. Also known as “Nut Cups”, this allergy friendly treat passed the test with all our gluten eating friends and family. They couldn’t taste the difference, nor did they see one. (more…)

In the spirit of Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious, I have developed a veggie- packed lasagna that even your toughest critic will love. This is a great dish to serve when you have a lot of vegetables on hand and you don’t want to serve them as a side dish that will only get pushed around your child’s plate. Normally we struggle to get our kids to eat anything green, but they readily ate this recipe, secretly jam packed with zucchini, spinach, and even asparagus! This dish is gluten and corn-free. (more…)

Who says you can’t get festive without all the artificial ingredients? I love pumpkin in just about any form, so in honor of harvest season I decided to get a little experimental on a traditional favorite: spice cake. This recipe is fast and easy. And if you are stocked up on Miss Roben’s cake-like-doughnut mix and corn-free powdered sugar, you may be able to whip it up tonight. It takes just five minutes to prepare and nearly an hour to bake. Of course this spice cake is also suitable for the Feingold diet, but it does contain milk as one of its main ingredients. (more…)

Here is my recipe for white sauce, by request. It makes two cups when cooked and is thick, rich, flavorful, and creamy. Here’s how you make it. Prepare the meatloaf recipe, only increase the meat portion to 2.25 lbs. Then using a tablespoon measuring scoop, form rounded scoops of meat mixture into meatballs, approximately 30 ml each in size. The recipe should produce approximately 24-28 meatballs.

Place meatballs on a metal baking rack inside a baking pan. Be sure to add a splash of water to the pan to help keep the drippings from drying up and getting crusty. This is important, as you will need those drippings in lieu of a bouillon cube in the sauce. This recipe is gluten and corn-free, and appropriate for those following the Feingold diet. (more…)

This soup is a perfect way to take advantage of the potato harvest. It can be prepared in either a crockpot or a dutch oven and tastes best when simmered for three hours. Spicy and thick, but not high in saturated fats like traditional Tuscany soup, this version is also gluten-free, corn-free, and also follows the additive-free Feingold diet. (more…)

These muffins are so good you will find yourself eating more than one. Lighter than the typical gluten-free dessert bread, they can easily double for cupcakes that you can pack and send with your child to a birthday party in lieu of the regular birthday cake that will surely be offered. This recipe is fast, easy, and is gluten-free, corn-free, and Feingold friendly. It stores well in the freezer too, so you can bake up a dozen at one time and then just pull one out at a time when the occasion presents itself.

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If you are practicing a gluten and maize-free diet (GF-MF) and are still struggling with allergy symptoms it may be due to your condiments. It is a little known fact that condiments often contain hidden corn or gluten components that only the experienced allergy sufferer may be aware exist. Condiments are usually made with vinegar. White vinegar can be made from any fruit, or any material containing sugar, including and especially corn. So if you tend to use a lot of ketchup you may want evaluate whether or not the kind you use is safe from allergens. Ketchup is a favorite condiment for just about any meal, so let’s look at some familiar and harder to find brands…. (more…)