Category: severe peanut allergy


Feb
2010

my shopping trip (day 2)

categories: 40 till 40, cup'a caffeine, my family, severe peanut allergy, Uncategorized
BEST Out-of-Town Birthday Shopping Trip EVER! 

That was my day today. 

My husband & son took me out of town today. 

Not only that, but they took me to all of my favorite scrapbooking stores (Archivers & Michaels), Target, they let me pick lunch,(Chili’s which included FREE birthday dessert for me) and of course Starbucks. 

They not only took me to scrapbook stores, but followed me around endlessly, (and I do mean endlessly….even I was wiped out after Archivers) without complaining. 

It was wonderfulllllll. 

***I had previously posted about Starbucks new doughnuts and the fact that they are peanut-free.  If you look at their website, they do not list peanuts in the ingredients, nor do they list it on their allergen checklist, but to much disappointment, when double-checking in the store, the barista checked the package and they are ‘processed on shared equipment’.  Huge disappointment. 

***Chili’s Molten Lava Cake, although it doesn’t directly contain peanuts,  it is ‘made in a facility which also processes peanuts’.  Bummer. 

2 days till 40~ 

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day tomorrow!!! 

Feb
2010

yes, please (day 4)

categories: 40 till 40, cup'a caffeine, severe peanut allergy, Uncategorized
Yes, please.  One of each, please. 

  • Starbucks Valentine’s Day cups
  • Chocolate Mini Sparkle Doughnuts
  • Vanilla Mini Sparkle Doughnuts

I guess these are all new products at Starbucks! 

The doughnuts are only 120 calories each, which is low for a doughnut.  AND according to the website, they are also peanut-free!   

…hoping to get some soon! 

…only 4 days till 40! 

Jan
2010

on your heart (day 18)

categories: 40 till 40, new camera pix, severe peanut allergy, simply scrappin, tasty treats, Uncategorized
Ever wake up in the middle of the night and instantly someone comes to your mind, but you don’t understand why? 

I believe that God has placed that person on your heart. 

What do I mean? 

I feel that it is a call to prayer. 

To action. 

God has placed that person on your heart, so that you can remember them in prayer. 

Maybe even send them a card in the mail, (or email or text). 

Or bake some cookies for them. 

Just to let them know YOU were thinking about THEM. 

Maybe they need encouraged. 

Maybe they are going through something and they feel all alone. 

They need to know they are loved. 

They need to feel God’s love…..maybe THROUGH YOU!  

I encourage you, the next time someone comes to your mind, out-of-the-blue, 

stop & whisper a prayer for them. 

You don’t need to know the details.  God already knows. 
Today I baked some cookies.  Snickerdoodles.  (My hubby’s favorite.) 

Plus God had placed someone on my heart that was having some physical problems, so I thought that maybe some homemade cookies would help sweeten their day. 

Here’s the yummy recipe for Betty Crocker Snickerdoodles. 

This is the recipe, plus my timing for using baking stones instead of cookie sheets: 

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose/unbleached flour
  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions: 

  1. Heat oven to 400′.
  2. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in a large bowl. 
  3. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. 
  4. Shape dough into 1 1/4inch balls. 
  5. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. 
  6. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Place 2 inches apart on baking stone (or ungreased cookie sheet). 
  7. First batch (on cold stone) bake 12 minutes, removing from oven and allow them to rest on stone for another 3-4  minutes.  Then move to wire rack.
  8. Remaining batches (on warm stone) bake 10 minutes, removing from oven and allow them to rest on stone for another 2 minutes.  Then move to wire rack. 
  9. (Using cookie sheet, bake 8-10 minutes or until set.  Then move to wire rack.)

Yields: approx. 48 cookies 

*These cookies are peanut-free. 

Above is an altered clipboard that I made.  It can be used to display a favorite photo or a t0-do list.
I love wrapping homemade goodies in pretty cellophane.  I also made this tag to match the card & clipboard. 

Below is the finished “Warm Winter Wishes” set. 

Only 18 days till 40! 

Jan
2010

my mocha biscotti

categories: cup'a caffeine, new camera pix, severe peanut allergy, tasty treats, Uncategorized
As we know, I love coffee.  I recently have discovered homemade biscotti.  Last year, my sister-in-law surprised me with her homemade chocolate biscotti…it was AMAZING!!!!  Never before had I tasted a biscotti that I liked, but hers was out-of-this-world. So, there was hope.  Store bought biscotti is nothing compared to homemade. 

This Christmas, my mom made biscotti for the celebration.  Her recipe was delicious also.  You can find it here, Chocolate Chip Biscotti, (she omitted the hazelnuts, because of food allergies).  I admit, I am not a ‘fruit with my chocolate’ kind of person, but this biscotti was really good. 

Tonight, I wanted to make some biscotti for a friend’s birthday, so I checked out the Betty Crocker website and found this one for Mocha Biscotti. 

I altered it a bit, here is my version: 

Ingredients for Biscotti :

  • 2 tbsp. instant espresso or coffee crystals, (I used 2 packs of Starbucks Instant Brew.  One Colombian flavored & the other Italian Roast…that was all I had on hand…it could easily use 1 or 2 more.)
  • 2 tsp. hot water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, slightly chopped (The recipe called for 1/2 cup semisweet bakingchocolate.  To tell you the truth, I didn’t even notice that it said baking chocolate until right now, as I type the recipe…lol…that’s why I used chips.)
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted & chopped (I omitted these because of food allergies.  Instead, I substituted about 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips…there can never be too much chocolate!)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for Chocolate Drizzle :

  • 3 oz. semisweet baking chocolate, (I used some semisweet chocolate chips)
  • 1/2 tsp. shortening

Directions :

  1. Heat oven to 350′.
  2. Dissolve coffee crystals in hot water.  In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs and coffee with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.  Stir in all remaining Biscotti ingredients.
  3. Shape half of dough at a time into rectangle, 10 x 3 inches, on ungreased cookie sheet.  (I always use my Pampered Chef baking stones.  I also covered it with parchment paper this time.)  Bake about 30 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.  Cool on stone 15 minutes.
  4. Cut crosswise into 1/2inch slices.  Place slices, cut sides down, on stone.  Bake about 15 minutes, turning once, until crisp and edges are light brown.  Immediately remove from stone to wire rack.  Cool completely.  (Because I’m impatient, I proceeded to the chocolate drizzle as soon as they were moved to the wire rack.)
  5. In 1-quart saucepan, heat all Chocolate Drizzle ingredients over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.  Drizzle chocolate over one side of each biscotti.  Let stand until chocolate is set.

*Recipe claims to make 3 1/2 dozen.  I must slice them extremely large because my recipe only produced about 16.  I could slice them in half, but I’m giving them as a gift and I want them to be large and pretty. 

*This recipe was made nut-free by omitting the almonds and checking all ingredients for allergens. 

*Nutritional values are on the Betty Crocker website. 

I haven’t been on the treadmill since my bout with the stomach flu, but chilly weather makes me want to bake, so I better get back on it! 

Dec
2009

chocolate soynut butter cookies

categories: holidays, new camera pix, severe peanut allergy, tasty treats, Uncategorized
soynut-cookies-dec-17
Found a yummy recipe online for “Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies”, but changed it up a bit, so that it would be peanut-free. 

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup creamy soynut butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup canola oil (I used vegetable oil)
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 large egg
  • 12 oz. all-purpose flour (about 2 2/3 cups)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate minichips (I used over 1 cup–1/2 a bag– of regular semisweet chips)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350′.
  2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.
  3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
  4. Add flour mixture to soynut butter mixture, stirring just until combined.
  5. Stir in chocolate chips.
  6. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on baking sheets (I used a Pampered Chef Medium scoop and Pampered Chef baking stones).
  7. Bake at 350′ for 12 minutes or until golden.  (When using stones, I baked for 14 minutes, then removed from oven and allowed them to sit on the stone for at least 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.)
  8. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: approx. 3 dozen

Nutritional info based on using peanut butter:  Calories 128; Fat 4.5g; Cholesterol 6mg; Carbohydrate 20.5 g; Sodium 106mg; Protein 2.3g; Fiber 0.6g

Dec
2009

my chocolate chip cookie recipe

categories: holidays, i recommend, new camera pix, severe peanut allergy, tasty treats, Uncategorized
cookies-2-dated
(Wednesday evening) I was baking some cookies for a Christmas party that is today. 

I didn’t have any holiday M&M’s, so I went with my no-fail chocolate chip cookie recipe. 

I love these cookies!! 

Here’s the recipe:

Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from an online recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cake flour OR 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ( I use the all-purpose flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened (I usually don’t use real butter, however this time I doubled the recipe and used half real butter and half margarine sticks)
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups to 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (ok, this is where I go crazy… the more chocolate the better is my theory, so I usually use at least 2 cups of semi-sweet chips PLUS 2 cups of either M&M’s or chocolate chunks, or mini-chips or mint chips…whatever chocolate chips I have on hand)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375′.
  2. Combine all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder & baking soda in medium bowl.
  3. Combine butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl. Beat until creamy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla extract.  Beat until well mixed.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.
  5. Stir in morsels.
  6. I use the Pampered Chef large scoop to place dough on Pampered Chef Baking Stone, a few inches apart….(my PC stones have never failed me….my cookies never burn…although, you can use an ungreased cookie sheet if you want!)
  7. Bake for 16 minutes on a stone.  Remove from oven and leave them on the stone for 5 minutes, before moving them to the cooling rack.  Cookies will look lgolden brown on the outside and ooey gooey in the middle.  Cookies will continue to bake slightly when left on the stone.  (If you are using a sheet, 10-14 minutes are recommended or until golden brown and cooling for 2 minutes before moving to rack.)

Yield: 1 batch using large scoop = approx 35 cookies

*My recipe is peanut-free.  *Make sure to check your chocolate chip ingredients if this is a concern for you. 

Do you enjoy holiday baking?  I do.  Chilly weather makes me want to bake.  Maybe I should move my treadmill into the kitchen so that as I am eating my cookies I can walk off the calories instantly! lol
cookies-1
cookies-3

Nov
2009

whoooo are you thankful for?

categories: holidays, my family, new camera pix, severe peanut allergy, simply scrappin, Uncategorized
hoot-bag-3
Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that everyone has had a great Thanksgiving, full of lots of delicious food and time spent with loved-ones. 

Well, as you can see above, this is the completed project that I made my lil miss hoot & her hunky hoot friend for. 
hoot-bag-9
Here’s how:

  • First I gathered a few assorted pieces of cardstock.
  • Using my Cricut Expression, “Bags, Tags, Boxes & More” cartridge, I cut a bunch of “popcorn containers” (6 1/2 inches)
hoot-bag-8
  • Using my bone folder stick (or whatever it’s called), I folded all of the sides & flaps.
hoot-bag-10
  • The absolute best way to seal the edges are to use one of these adhesive applicators.  This is the perfect size to run along the edges.
hoot-bag-11
  • After assembling the container, I simply press all of the flaps to make sure that the adhesive has stuck. 
hoot-bag-12
hoot-bag-4
  • Next I cut a length of ribbon to go around the container and then one to use as a handle. 
  • The ribbon that will go around the container, I ran through my sticker-maker.  I find that it is the best adhesive for ribbons. 
hoot-bag-14
hoot-bag-13
  • Using the computer, I printed up this little sentiment to place on the backside.  I wanted to give these to different people in our lives that we are very thankful for.  I wanted to be able to tell them that we are thankful for them.  I simply attached this with double-sided tape.  (I used a cotton-swab to ink around the edges a little.)
hoot-bag-2
  • Using the cute little hoot tags that I had made previously, I attached them to the front.  You can use whatever adhesive you prefer.  I used double-sided tape and a little glue. 
hoot-bag-15
  • I filled the bottom 1/3 with a few Hershey Kisses.  (Because they are yummy & because I needed something to help weight it down and make sure it would stand once I added the homemade chocolate lollipops.)  (Both the Kisses & lollipops are peanut-free.) 
  • I then filled it with crinkled paper, used for gift-bags.  I chose brown so that it would look like a nest…lol…  
hoot-bag-7
  • It’s hard to see in the picture below, but I they are homemade chocolate lollipops, in the shape of owls.  (Very simple to make.) 
hoot-bag-151
  • Here are the owls as they are placed in the container. 
hoot-bag-6
  • Below is the finished chocolate owl bouquet. 

Who are we thankful for?  We’re thankful for YOU! 
hoot-bag-5

Jul
2009

waiting for zucchini bread

categories: new camera pix, severe peanut allergy, tasty treats, Uncategorized
bread-in-stove-edit
ohhh yum. 

i love this time of year! 

fresh zucchini from the garden, zucchini bread baking in the oven, 

and chewy hardly able to wait another minute for it! 
chewy-waiting-edit
chewy LOVES zucchini bread.  he’s so funny. 

he knows the cupboard where i keep my bread knife, he knows it all….one sound and he comes running for the kitchen. 
bread-edit
this bread recipe is fab.u.lous!  my BF lisa gave me the recipe a few years ago….it never fails!!!  it’s delicous!  (& the recipe is peanut-free, so it is safe for those with an allergy to nuts) 

i thought i blogged the recipe last year, but i couldn’t find the post….if you would like the recipe, leave a comment.   

as you can see below, it’s time to snack on some bread!! 

enjoy your day! 
chewy-up-edit

Jun
2009

summer snack review {3}

categories: severe peanut allergy, summer snack review, Uncategorized
biggby-mint-chip-edit
hello 

it’s summer snack review {3}! 

today we are reviewing Biggby Coffee’s Mint Chip Freeze 

same rating as before, 1 poor, 5 fabulous:

  • overall taste:  5  (if you love mint chocolate chip ice cream–you will love this!) 
  • added goodies:  4  (this was loaded with chocolate pieces, a spoon would have been better than a straw towards the end and the whip cream was super…the drizzle of chocolate could have been a tad more, but can there ever be enough?) 
  • size/value:  3  (i think we paid around $4.50 for a tall–which is a small….pretty pricey…although it is good)
  • “coffee-ness”:  doesn’t apply to this drink 
  • nutrition facts:  2  ( 677 calories / 30 grams of fat / 92 carbs / 81 grams of sugar)  oh my gosh! 677 calories for a small!  good thing my husband & i split it!!!!!  yikes!!!!

Over-all rating of Biggby Coffee’s Mint Chip Freeze:  3.5 

special note:  i was NOT able to locate ingredients on the Biggby website, so if food allergies are a concern for you, please contact your local Biggby before trying the Mint Chip Freeze.

have you had one?  what did you think?  let me know! 

Jun
2009

summer snack review {2}

categories: cup'a caffeine, severe peanut allergy, summer snack review, Uncategorized
frosty-cino-2
welcome to the second edition of “summer snack review”!! 

today we are discussing Wendy’s new Frosty-cino 

here’s how it rated…scale of 1 to 5, (1 poor, 5 fabulous):

  • overall taste:  2 (i thought it tasted like any ol’ chocolate shake)
  • added goodies: 1 (a tad of whipped cream with a tiny drizzle of chocolate…not even close to the picture)
  • size/value: 2 (i think i paid around $2.49 for a small….) (only available in small or large) 
  • “coffee-ness”: 1 (i don’t remember even tasting hardly any coffee-flavor…bummer)
  • nutrition facts:  2 (390 calories / 10 grams of fat / 62 carbs / 52 grams of sugar)  i guess that’s not too bad as far as calories go…it is better than their other new item that we reviewed previously!

Over-all rating of Wendy’s Frosty-cino: 1.6

special note: according to Wendy’s site it does not list peanut products in the ingredients, so it should be safe for those with a peanut allergy (you may want to investigate further). 

have you tried one?  

did you like it?