At the end of April we were blessed and overjoyed to welcome Will’s baby sister Josephine into our family. So, while not everything has changed, we had to take a break from Will’s Kitchen for a while, but we are happy to say that we are back on our game — the allergen free game, of course. And while we hope that you didn’t miss us too much, we have still been cooking egg, dairy and nut free while following our routines of keeping up with all things allergic…. we just haven’t had the time to share. Moving forward, we hope to be checking in more frequently, but may not be able to on a weekly basis.. Here’s what’s been going on lately:

• Right before Josephine was born (and I mean like the day before) Will and I did take the time to make Sweet Potato Biscuits from The Kitchn, pictured above (sans Maple Butter)… Although the biscuits were tasty, they were rather heavy so we are working on changing the recipe to be a little less filling… And The NOSH – Did Will Eat It? Yes!

• Will had a visit with a new Allergist that offered us some alternative thoughts on our situation. I wrote a silly blog post over at For the Birds, from a parental perspective… We are still discussing where we go from here in terms of the new advice…
• Since April, we have continued making several of our favorite recipes — Corn Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookies, AND – with the garden fresh basil – lots and lots of PESTO…
• We are super excited about trying out this Cinnamon Sugar Radish Chip recipe [the kitchn] and really appreciated the idea of Avocado and Olives Bruschetta from A Scientist in the Kitchen (who knew!)…
• AND, Will’s Dad and I made these Pork Chops with Magic Dust [Serious Eats] last night — YUMMY, although I do recommend cutting the recipe in half even for 4 chops as there was a lot of spice wasted… although Will would never try this at 3 years of age, it still counts as dairy, egg and nut free!

AND because the internet is all knowing, a few other links on allergies include:

• Allergy Girl comes out of her shell [Wall Street Journal]
• Another Nut-Free Mom has some advice on traveling with allergies [The Nut-Free Mom Blog]
• Introducing Milk through baked goods may help fight the milk allergy [Private MD Labs]

Related articles

• Easy, Food Allergy Friendly Dutch Oven Camping Recipes (thefoodallergymom.wordpress.com)
• Outgrowing Allergies (everydayhealth.com)
• The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Ever. (momsvegankitchen.com)

We just added a little Plum Vinegar for some sweet & sour, Cole Slaw mixture of cabbage and carrots as well as a few Parsnip shavings..

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? Well – we caught him testing out the texture of the rice paper — which is a HUGE step in the war against strange and unusual textures… We feel confident to say that we are on the road to taking a bite… Any day now!

You don’t need one of these to cook rice, but if you do have one then you know — nothing is better than perfect rice. One thing though.. If you spend too much time admiring the gadget’s glory — the two year old prep chef will do this with the rice while your back is turned.

Be Prepared.

For 2 1/2 people:
Brown Rice – One Cup (fresh rice– not the stuff from the floor)
Water – 1 3/4 Cup (or what your rice preparation requires) + 1 Cup for the Pork
Medium Sweet Onion – 1 chopped
Red Bell Pepper – 1/2 chopped
Orange Bell Pepper – 1/2 chopped
Canola Oil – 3 Tablespoons
Gomasio – 1 Tablespoon
Cinnamon – 3 Tablespoons
Black Pepper – 1 Tablespoon
Chili Powder – 1 Tablespoon
Sage – 2 Teaspoons
Boneless Pork Chops – 6 thin & lean chops

You will need: Rice Cooker or pot for preparing rice; Cutting Board; Knife for chopping – watch little fingers!; Spatula; Large Spoon; Wok or large skillet

And now, back to the Rice Cooker. Like I said, you don’t have to have one to make rice, but when you are cooking with a child, it makes life much easier. You can trust the rice cooker — you don’t have to keep checking in on the rice or worry about over/under cooking it. All you do is add the rice according to the directions that come with the gadget and then step aside. Once its all cooked through, the device sets to warm, and you’re ready to go.

Moving on to the Stir Fry, chop up the Bell Peppers and Onion, set aside and mix together the spices. Add the Canola Oil to your wok or skillet. Take out the Pork Chops, trim as much fat as possible and then cut into thin strips–Add to the wok and turn onto medium heat. Let the pork cook until all the pink is gone and then stir in your mixed spices, cook for another 2-3 minutes and then stir in the Onions and Bell Peppers. Cook everything together until the Onion becomes translucent and then turn the heat down to low — just above a simmer. Pour 1 Cup of water over the contents and cook down until a nice sauce forms. By the time the stir fry is done, your rice should be too. We like to add a little Earth Balance to the rice while it’s warming — it keeps it from becoming dry. Dish out the rice and then top with the stir fry… I also dash a little more Gomasio, but that’s just because I’m obsessed.

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? Will loves rice, so that was easy. He ate the chopped Bell Peppers in raw form.. and said that he was going to try the pork. Funny how toddlers can change their minds so quickly — “No Mom, I fine.” Maybe next time.