Creating an Egg-Free Egg

One thing about being an allergy mom...you have to start planning.  You can't run to the store at the last minute for a birthday cake, you can't head out the door with vague plans to 'eat on the road' while shopping with the kids, and if the Easter Baskets aren't planned by Maundy Thursday....you're not going to have a restful weekend!

Our baskets are usually filled with Peeps,  jelly beans (we love Gimballs) and some special chocolate treat from Divvies or Amanda's Own.  But this year, I really wanted the kids to share in my favorite Easter treat from my childhood basket...the Cadbury Creme Egg.  So I wracked my brain, did a little "field research" tasting the originals, and here is the result!  

The real Cadbury eggs are made by taking two halves of a hard chocolate shell, filling with fondant, and sealing up the edges with some chocolate welding material.  That procedure assures a true egg shape.  I don't have a chocolate egg form in my candy-making box (yet), so I went about this backwards,  making the fondant center in an egg shape and then dipping in chocolate. True to the original, they are complete sugar bombs.  The difference is that mine have a flat bottom from having to set them down after dipping. After wrapping in foil, the shape doesn't matter...and the kids didn't mind at all!

Oh, and another thing about being an allergy mom...you have to have a sense of humor (see bottom).

Egg and Dairy Free Cadbury Eggs!

Dare I say "Vegan Eggs"?

1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup dairy-free margarine or shortening (margarine tastes better and the final result is softer, but shortening holds its shape better during the process)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch of salt
2-3 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups of safe chocolate chips for dipping (I used Divvies this time)
1 tablespoon shortening

1.) With a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend the corn syrup and margarine together until creamy, add in the vanilla and salt and blend again. Carefully add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until creamy and smooth. Divide 1/3 of the fondant out and color with yellow food coloring. Wrap both colors in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
2.) Spray the insides of some mini plastic Easter eggs with cooking spray (I found mine at Hobby Lobby for 50 cents!) Have fun filling the eggs, then put in the freezer for an hour or so before dipping.
3.) Slowly melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave. (The shortening helps thin the chocolate, and is a cheater's way to avoid the dusty "bloom" that happens when ill-tempered chocolate dries...I can't temper chocolate to save my life...so I've given up) Remove the fondant centers from the plastic eggs. Reshape slightly if needed.
4.) Dip! I actually did a double dip. First, I did a really messy thin coat to make sure all the fondant was covered and let them freeze again. Then I re-dipped in a more pretty fashion.
5.) Wrap in foil and store at room temp if you plan to eat them in a few days, otherwise refrigerate for a few weeks.

Just in case the irony of making egg-free chocolate eggs isn't enough, how about my allergic kid's favorite little song...that she knows word-for-word.  Go on, click the link, I know you're so curious.

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Meatloaf: Not even close to photogenic

Okay, so photos of meatloaf are just not a good idea...believe me...I took a lot of photos that looked like....well...anyway.   A photo of the little one chowing his meatloaf...much better idea.  In keeping with my goal to create more Family Meals,  I was pleased to successfully adapt my favorite Martha Stewart Meatloaf recipe to be dairy, egg, and wheat-free!  I am also happy to report that it stayed together reasonably well!

 The Martha Stewart meatloaf is legendary around here.  Among our friends and family, there is simply no other recipe worthy of boasting and sharing the leftovers of.   The best part of this recipe is that it isn't baked in a pan, it is a free-form loaf...allowing more surface area for the glaze! A food processor is so nice to have for this recipe, if you don't have one, use a cheese grater for the veggies and bread.

Martha's Photo...way better than mine...but her photographers don't have to deal with complete lack of natural light in the Northlands at dinnertime and  hungry kids yelling in the background.

Martha's Meatloaf Meets a Speedbump

(Egg-Free, Dairy-Free and Wheat-Free Meatloaf for the Masses)

3 slices wheat-free bread (I used Food for Life White Rice Bread)
1 large carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, loosely packed
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons ketchup
4 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard (mustard powder)
8 ounces ground pork
8 ounces ground veal
8 ounces ground round
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus a pinchful for sprinkling on top (skip the pinch on on top if you are using dried)
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rings
1 Tablespoon olive oil


1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.) Trim crusts from bread, grate finely or process until fine crumbs form, about 10 seconds. Transfer breadcrumbs to a large mixing bowl.
3.) Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, and parsley in the bowl of the food processor. Process the heck out it, until vegetables have been minced, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. If you leave the veggies too big, the meatloaf will be crunchy...not cool. Transfer vegetables to bowl with the breadcrumbs.
4.) Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, pork, veal, beef, salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary. Using your hands, knead the ingredients until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Wash hands like you have OCD.
5.) Set a wire baking rack onto a parchment or foil-lined cookie sheet. Cut a 5-by-11-inch piece of parchment paper or foil, and place over the center of rack to prevent meat loaf from falling through. Using your hands, form an elongated loaf on top of the paper/foil.
6.) Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the glaze over loaf.
7.) Place pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
8.) In the meantime, thinly slice the red onion. Place in a small bowl with the 1 T of olive oil and the pinchful of rosemary. After 30 minutes, spread the mixture over the top of the meatloaf.
9.) Return meatloaf to the oven and continue baking loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees...about 25 minutes more. Let meatloaf cool on rack for 15 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy with mashed potatoes...and after making such a lovely loaf of love, don't feel the least bit guilty by turning to a little Steam and Mash with dairy-free margarine at moments like this.

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California Dreaming...Chocolate Bouchons

Ever since we took non-allergic kid #2 with us on a trip to Napa and Sonoma Valleys six months ago, pretty much eating our way through the countryside, I've been wanting to re-create some the best treats we had for allergic kid #1.  This is my version of the Chocolate Bouchons from Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.  The silicone mold came from Williams-Sonoma (that company is incredibly adept at getting me to stimulate the economy).

This is also my basic dairy and egg-free brownie recipe,  no fancy or crazy ingredients, making it easy to embellish or take as it is.   The great thing about this brownie recipe is that it can be made as a "brownie mix" in advance.  Just put all the dry ingredients, plus the chocolate chips in a ziplock bag, and when you want to bake, just dump it in a bowl with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of oil!

Basic Dairy and Egg-Free Brownies

1 cup flour
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I use Nestle right now, see my post on safe cocoa)
1/3 cup chocolate chips ( I used Enjoy Life because they are mini chips and melt in)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips together. Add the oil and water and mix well, but don't over-do it or you'll have bricks. Spread into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan, or spoon into your Bouchon molds! Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool before trying to cut or they'll crumble apart.

Have fun with these, frost them up, sprinkle them, add some vanilla or mint extract, serve with ice cream...whatever.

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