Cauliflower Potato Soup

This soup is great on it's own or as a base for other dishes!  I serve it as a meal with some freshly baked bread, oyster crackers, or a salad. It's creamy and mild, which also makes it a great base for my "chicken-pot-pieless", casseroles, or any other "cream-based" soups that you might want to make dairy-free! 

*This soup recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free fish-free, and shellfish-free. Top 8 Allergen Free! I've also included a vegan option! As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

Dessert Hobo Pies

Ok, ok...wipe the drool off your face, and start gathering up the firewood for this camp classic!

At least once a summer, we break out the pie irons, and make pizza hobo pies.  We use homemade sauce, Earth Balance to grease the irons, safe bread, turkey pepperoni or sliced Al Fresco chicken sausage, and Follow your Heart Vegan Cheese Alternative.  Delish!

This year, we really wanted to make dessert pies too, and here's what we came up with:

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free,  fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

"Not S'mores"  (we couldn't come up with a better name, it was late...)

Ingredients: (makes 2 dessert pies)

4 slices white sandwich bread
Earth balance bars
graham crackers
enjoy life chocolate chips
Sunbutter - creamy
Dairy-free mini-marshmallows
Cinnamon Sugar
Cast iron pie iron (ours is a double, so that's how I'm writing this recipe)

Directions:

1. Make a campfire!  Let it burn down a little.  You won't need a big flame, but you will need hot coals. Also, make sure you have a safe place to put the iron down when it comes out of the fire, and also a potholder or "Ove' Glove". 
2. Heat the pie iron in the fire.
3. Pull the iron out and open it.  Grease the inside of both sides of the iron with Earth Balance.
4. Place two pieces of bread in the cavity of one side of the iron.  
5. Place a graham cracker on each piece of bread.  Top generously with mini-marshmallows chocolate morsels.  
6. Spread a layer of Sunbutter on the remaining two slices of bread and top off the sandwiches in the iron. 
7. Carefully close the pie iron and place among the hot coals of the campfire.  Do not put the iron in the direct flames, it will burn the bread. 
8. After a few minutes, flip the pie iron.  
9. Cooking time will vary depending on how hot your coals are! Check after 5 minutes.  The pie is done when both sides are golden brown.
10. Remove pie irons to your heat safe surface.  Open the irons and slather just the top side of the pie with Earth Balance.  Then, sprinkle on a generous amount of cinnamon sugar!
11. Serve and enjoy!!!

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Kale Chips

So simple.  So healthy.  So yummy!  The joy of kale chips!  We got a LOT of kale in our CSA box this week, so we made some kale chips instead of popcorn for our family movie night! Get your kids in the kitchen to help rip some kale!

This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. Top 8 Allergen Free! As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

Steps marked with an asterisk (*) are child friendly!  

Click HERE for more information! 

Ingredients:

Kale
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. *Remove kale leaves from their tough stems, and roughly chop into large bite sized pieces. 
3. *Toss with olive oil, sprinkle moderately with kosher salt. 
4. *Spread onto baking sheets in a single layer.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes. 

It really couldn't be easier to make this healthy snack!  My 10 year son is getting braces, and popcorn will no longer be on the movie night menu for him.  I felt so proud when he exclaimed (with genuine excitement): "At least I can still have kale chips on movie night!"

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

The Most Valuable Freebie in my Kitchen...

There is one food "freebie" that I use religiously in my kitchen.  It is...bacon fat!  I'm going old school right now, and suggesting that all of you, my dear readers, maintain a jar of bacon fat.  Once you start cooking with it, you'll be seeing that beautiful white deliciousness as culinary gold. 

To collect it, simply drain the fat out of the pan, or out of one of those nifty microwave bacon racks, into a heat safe container, I usually use a bowl.  Allow the fat to cool a bit before moving it to a mason jar.   Then, cover and store. I prefer to store mine in the fridge, but you could store it in the freezer if you have a copious amount that you won't use within a month or so.



There are two camps on whether or not to strain out the little brown bits from your bacon fat. Some cooks always strain it, and some never do.  If you are going to use it fairly quickly, I vote to leave those golden brown bits in for the extra flavor they bring to the party.  However, if you'll be storing the fat for a while, strain them out, as they contribute to turning the fat rancid more quickly. 




Apple Maple Chicken Sausage browned with bacon fat. 
Breakfast doesn't get much better than this.

 *I also suggest using organic bacon.  Yep, I used the "o" word.  Calm down, I know, I can hear you now..."It's so expensive!"  Yes, it is a bit more pricey than "regular" bacon, BUT, you are getting a quality product that does not contain synthetic chemicals, additional nitrites and nitrates, or GMO laden ingredients. AND if you save the rendered fat, you'll have beautiful organic cooking fat for other dishes. This is one instance where I recommend consistently buying organic.

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

My first cookbook!

I am SO very pleased to announce that my first cookbook is now available for purchase!  I know I've been away from the blog for a while, but for good reason.  I have been working on developing and perfecting dessert and baked good recipes that are free from all dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts.  These recipes are now all available to you in "Love Letters from My Kitchen" !!!

Serious Comfort Food Series - Potato Leek Soup

Potato Leek Soup This is a wonderful, hearty, healthy soup for a cold day.  My kids actually request leftovers the next day!  There isn't any dairy in this recipe, and yet blending the soup with an immersion blender yields a creamy potato texture.  Substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock for a vegan soup. This Potato Leek Soup recipe freezes and defrosts beautifully, so make a pot and save some for later!

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, wheat-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. Top 8 Free! As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

Serious Comfort Food Series - Cream of Broccoli Soup

In honor of this flu and cold season, I'm going to post a series of comfort food recipes.  Often our favorite comfort foods are easy foods from a can, a box, or the freezer section; mac and cheese, any variety of soup, flavored noodle dishes, or frozen bag meals.  Just as often, these "pre-made" meals contain ingredients that are unfriendly or dangerous for those with food allergies. Make these flavor - packed, comfort food recipes and freeze in individual containers for an easy, safe meal when the "sickies" strike your family!

Let's kick off the "Comfort Food Series" with a personal favorite, Cream of Broccoli Soup.  I am going to give you my basic recipe AND the ingredient substitutions to make a dairy-free version that is just as yummy!

The version pictured here is non-dairy! Doesn't it look yummy and creamy?

*This recipe is peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free (if following substitution list), egg-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free. As always, check this ingredient list and your local products to make sure that this recipe is allergy safe for your family and/or friends!

Why "The Allergy Safe Kitchen"?

I love to see my kids invested in, and excited by their cooking! 
This is critical life-training for all food allergic children!

I've been meaning to write this particular post for a while now, but today I read an article that prompted me to sit down and devote some time to explaining why "The Allergy Safe Kitchen". The article was brought to my attention through Robyn O'Brien's "Allergy Kids foundation" FB page. In it, a 19 year old girl describes her life with a peanut allergy and how it has contributed to panic attacks, anxiety, and a battle with an eating disorder.  She equates food with possible death, and feeling empty/hungry with being safe.  She claims her parents didn't make her fresh food because it was too much trouble.  Which means that they also didn't teach her to cook safe food for herself.   She is being sent out into the world without the skills to keep herself safe and healthy. She is afraid of food. Is your heart breaking yet? Mine is. 

One of the reasons I started this blog, was to empower parents of food allergic children to cook - and to teach their children to cook.  Those with food allergies need the kitchen to be a safe place, a place of control, a place of empowerment - not a place of fear and confusion. 

My children walk out the door, and nearly every single place on earth offers a potentially deadly danger from substances that most consider highly nutritious foods.  Peanuts, eggs, dairy...we are told these are all fundamental parts of a balanced diet, thus, most families eat them.  That means every playground, every store, every public place and lots of private residences are places where my children could encounter an allergen.  The chance for accidental contact is high and often times overwhelming.  A good friend of mine is afraid to take her daughter to the grocery store anymore, because she has had such severe reactions from riding in the "kiddie carts" that are often available in supermarkets.  There is an underlying and constant, serious stress that lies in the hearts and minds of our food allergic children and loved ones.  Every social event is cause for them to go on high alert.  And that is why it is not enough for us to have just one safe counter space, one safe spatula, or one area of a pantry that contains safe food.  That is why we have chosen an "Allergy Safe" kitchen for our family.  A kitchen that doesn't contain foods they are highly allergic to;  a safe pantry, a safe fridge, a safe counter, and safe utensils.

"The Allergy Safe Kitchen" allows my children the chance to let go of that underlying stress that will accompany them everywhere they go in their lives.  It gives them a space to exhale, to feel safe, to feel confident in their health.  To borrow a phrase from Dr. Phil - it gives them a "soft place to fall." Our kitchen is a place of learning, of becoming "friends" with food, of feeling welcome, of time with family.  Our whole kitchen is a safe place for EVERY member of our family. An added bonus to having an allergy safe kitchen is that  my non-food allergic children are learning compassion when we explain that we don't have certain foods in the home in order to protect our loved ones.  Eliminating potentially unsafe foods from the home can be rewarding on many levels!

Parents - learn how to cook safe food for your food allergic children, and then teach them how to do it. Turn your kitchen into an allergy safe kitchen that is a safe and welcoming place for EVERY member of your family. If the grocery store is safe for your food allergic children, take them with you and teach them to read labels and become discerning consumers. Kids, teens, young adults, take charge of your health, learn to cook, become informed, and speak up for yourselves at social events and with your friends.

A final note to allergy parents: your children will have plenty of opportunities to navigate the scary world of possible cross contamination - don't let those opportunities be in your home.  Let your home and your kitchen be the places where they can exhale and feel the stress melt away.  A place for peace can be a highly impactful gift to your children.

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Time to Re"stock" the freezer!



All the veggies in the pot at the start of cooking.

The kitchen smells great today!  It's "restocking" day!  Store-bought stocks/broths can be full of MSG, unlabled "flavorings", and other additives and preservatives.  Some broths are clarified using egg-whites and egg shells.  With a life-threatening egg allergy in the house, I don't want to take any "mis-labeling" chances, so I make my own stocks; chicken, vegetable, and beef.  I make the stock and then freeze it for use in recipes, or to make homemade soup any time someone gets the sniffles! 

When I first decided to make my own stock years ago, I was a little intimidated!  I thought it was only something that professional chefs, or seasoned home cooks could pull off.  Boy was I wrong!  This is one of the easiest ways to "stock" (hee hee) your freezer with safe ingredients for your family or food allergic friends.  YOU control every ingredient that goes into the pot!  You don't have to worry about all that extra "stuff" that can aggravate the allergic body.  You can use your stocks to make soup, pan sauce, gravy, stir fry, and it's a great way to add flavor to rice instead of boiling it in plain water!  So here's what you need to know to set yourself up for some serious success in your YOUR allergy safe kitchen!

Chicken Stock:

I give instructions for making chicken stock in my YouTube video, "Leftover Chicken". Click on the link and get the recipe! In the video, I used the carcasses from four roasted chickens, you can use fewer roasted chickens if that's what you have available, OR you can use whole uncooked chickens.  If you use raw chickens, take the meat off the bones after it is fully cooked and return the bones to the stock pot to continue cooking!  Reserve the meat for chicken soup or use for lunch! 

Vegetable Stock:

This one couldn't be easier.  The basic process is: chop, boil, strain, freeze.  That's it. As you read this recipe, keep in mind that you can adjust any of the quantities to fit your needs or tastes.  If you are allergic to any of these ingredients, leave it out and replace it with a veggie you like!  For example, I omit tunips and parsnips because I don't care for them; I add mushrooms for deep flavor and color.  Here's the combination I that I have come to use:
     1 whole head of garlic with the top trimmed off
     4 cooking onions, quartered
     1 full leek
     6 medium carrots
     4 stalks of celery plus all the leaves I can pull off the bunch!
     1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, halved
     1/4 tsp whole peppercorns
     6 springs of parsley
     6 sprigs of thyme
     2 bay leaves
     14 cups of water
Place it all in a dutch oven or big pot, let it boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Continue cooking for 1 hour (or a little longer, there's no exact science here!).  Cool, strain and freeze!  SO simple! 

Yield is about 8 cups

*An easy way to gather ingredients is to have a big zip-top bag in the freezer labeled "FOR STOCK".  Any time you have an odd or "almost-on-the-edge" carrot/celery/fresh herb/onion/leek/greens leftover, toss it in the bag and freeze it.  When it's time to make stock, add the contents of the bag into the pot!

Beef Stock:

I think this is the most labor intensive of the three, but the reward is worth the effort!  Here's what you'll need:
     7 lbs of beef marrow bones, cut into 2 inch pcs.  (ask your butcher to do this)
     6 oz can of tomato paste
     3 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
     2 medium yellow cooking onions, chopped
     2 medium carrots, chopped
     1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
     6 sprigs of fresh thyme
     6 bay leaves (I use fresh, but you could use dried)
     1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
     2 cups of your favorite dry red wine (use organic if possible)
     24 cups of water ( I have an 8 cup measuring cup that I fill 3 times!  That's how I got this
                            measurement)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Place the bones on a roasting pan for 1 hour.  Then remove the pan from the oven and turn it down to 400 degrees F - smear the bones with the tomato paste (use a small spatula).  Lay the vegetables over the bones and roast at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Place the roasting pan on the stove and use the 2 cups of wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon.  (those browned bits are flavor - get 'em all!)  Place EVERYTHING from the roasting pan into a big stock pot and add peppercorns, garlic, and herbs.  Season with kosher salt and add the water.  Bring the mixture up to a boil and the reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 4 - 4 1/2 hours.  Cool, strain, and freeze! 





The fat will rise to the top as it cools.  Let it solidify in the fridge and then scrape the fat off the top!

Part of this batch is going to be French Onion Soup for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner after the kids are in bed!



I am pleased with my efforts today! Remember, you don't have to cook like this every day!  If you put in this sort of effort and planning every once in a while, you'll set yourself up to have safe ingredients for "quick" meals when you need them! 

As always, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods

The Superbowl is near and the children of our household are all aflutter!  It isn't because we are die-hard football fans, (although I do love a good football movie!), it is because it's the only day of the year we let the kids eat dinner in the family room!  As soon as Superbowl time draws near, the pressure to create a fun and tasty football feast is on!  

One of our family favorite, salty and sweet snacks for game day is a perfect one for parents and children to make together: Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods! 

Broccolini Basil Spaghetti

Head on over to my youtube channel to see the latest installment of our "in home" cooking show, "Allergy Safe Kitchen"!  We're making Broccolini Basil Spaghetti. 

"Broccolini" is the trademark name, and the actual vegetable is sometimes labeled as "baby broccoli" or "broccoletti".  Is is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale.  If you cannot find it in your grocery store, feel free to substitute regular broccoli in this recipe! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRxnM8A8GQ8&context=C388e208ADOEgsToPDskL5cBzuVqvj3Xc4xBD_tqfY

Before and After - a cook in the making...

When my husband and I first married, I knew how to cook very few dishes from scratch.  I was always calling my mom to find out how to do this or that, and I depended on a fair amount of box/frozen meals to round out our dinners for the week.  I made spaghetti sauce from the jar, defrosted meatballs from a bag, and popped frozen texas toast in the oven,  and I really thought I was COOKING, baby.  And truly, for a newlywed, it wasn't bad! 

I went from defining "baking" as boxed mixes and canned frosting to from-scratch dairy free, egg free, peanut/nut free cake, frosting, and fondant. If I can evolve like that, so can you!  This cake was made at a beach cottage for my sister-in-law's baby shower!

A Love Note about "Enjoy Life" Mini Chips

Finding allergy friendly chocolate is SO difficult!  When Aidan was first diagnosed with food allergies (about 7 years ago), there weren't that many companies that specialized in making allergy friendly food.  When Enjoy Life came on the scene in our local grocery stores, it was right around Easter (several years ago).  I couldn't afford to send away for the expensive "safe" chocolate bunnies, which you have to order WAY in advance, so  I was trying to find creative options for the kids' Easter baskets, and browsing through the tiny organic section in our local chain supermarket. My eyes fell on a new product:  "Enjoy Life Mini Chips".  The other organic chocolate morsels our store had always carried were dairy-free, but they had the dreaded "may contain" statement for peanuts and tree nuts.  But HERE was a beautiful bag of hope in the form of mini chocolate chips!  I read the label 5 times, just to be sure I could trust what I was seeing!  Enjoy Life products are free of all top 8 food allergens!!!  My kids could finally have chocolate in their Easter baskets? I could concoct CHOCOLATE CHIP cookies?  I could put morsels in our rice flour pancakes as a special treat?  My mind went spinning with birthday desert possibilities!  I am not ashamed to say that I cried right there in organic section.  It was like we were being gifted with a small bit of what other families would describe as "normalcy".

An acquaintance from church saw me and I was so excited that when she asked if I was okay, I could only choke out "They can have chocolate!"  I really don't think she knew what to make of the whole situation, but she knew our children had life-threatening food allergies, so she gave me a big hug and said something along the lines of "I'm sure that's wonderful news!"  As anyone on the inside of a food-allergy lifestyle knows, those on the "outside" don't always understand how hope-filled these seemingly small triumphs can be.  I am grateful that this particular acquaintence just "went with the moment" and shared my joy. 

We have used this one ingredient to create countless special treats, birthday desserts, molded chocolates...we used them in the Peppermint Patty recipe featured earlier on this blog! 

So, from my family to the Enjoy Life company:  Thank you.  We love you! 

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Make Your Own Pizza Night!

Nearly every family has pizza night once or twice a month...or week!  This convenience dinner IS still possible for families dealing with food allergies.  With a little preparation, you can be eating homemade, personalized pizzas in "take-out time". 

First, the dough.   If you are fortunate enough to be able to use a ready made, refrigerated dough, by all means, make your life easier, and use it! If not, here is one of our favorite recipes:

*Egg-free
*Peanut-free
*Tree nut-free
*Dairy-free
*Soy-free
*Shellfish-free
(If you have other food allergies, please read the recipe carefully to determine if it is safe for your needs.) 

For a Basic Pizza Dough -

1. Dissolve 1 Tbsp sugar in 1 1/3 cups of warm water. 
2. Sprinkle 1 packet of dry active yeast on top of the water (1/4 oz packet). 
3. Wait about 10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy and then stir in 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil. 
4. Combine 3 3/4 cups cups of flour and  1 1/2 tsp of salt in a large bowl. 
5. Make a well in the middle and add the wet mixture. 
6. Stir to combine and then turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
7. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the ball is smooth and elastic. 
8. Form into 2 balls, coat each in olive oil, put in bowls and cover the bowls tightly with plastic wrap.
9. Leave the 2 bowls at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours until the dough has doubled in size. 

*At this point, you can roll out, top, and bake the dough OR you can wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to a month!

10.  For a regualr sized pizza bake at 475 for 15-20 minutes - depending on topping load and desired crispiness!  (When we make 'mini-pizzas'  we start checking them at 10 minutes.) 

One of the great things about this dough, is that if you double or triple this recipe and freeze the dough balls, you can have enough fresh, safe pizza dough to have one pizza night a week for the entire month!  This is where one afternoon of preparation can set you up for success for a month!  Use the dough to make calzones, and other dough based treats.  We've even used it to make cinnamon sugar donut holes in the deep fryer!  Food allergy families know just how expensive organic and allergy friendly convenience foods can be.  This dough can offer convenience in the kitchen without breaking the budget!

When you want to have a pizza night, simply take the dough ball out of the freezer in the morning.  Place the frozen dough in a large bowl. Coat the ball of dough lightly with a fresh layer of extra-virgin olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or kitchen towel and leave it alone on a counter for 4 to 8 hours. At dinner-time, you'll be all set to go!  You can top it and bake it in as much time as it takes to order take-out!

Here's a list of toppings we like to use:

Follow Your Heat Vegan Gourmet Cheese  (for our dairy-free eaters)
Al Fresco Organic Chicken Sausage  (Slice and saute for pizza topping)
Artichoke hearts
Bell peppers
Mushroms
Mini pepperoni
Carmelized onions
Fresh mozarella (for our dairy eaters)
Homemade marinara sauce (I freeze it in 2 cup containers and defrost in the microwave)

We use these mini pizza pans by "Doughmakers". They are just the right size for children, and they allow each person to make their own SAFE pizza without having to worry about possible cross-contamination of ingredients on their portion.  Children love to eat food that they have created and mini-pizzas are no exception! 

I hope you enjoy your pizza night!  As always, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!

Welcome!

Hello everyone! Welcome to "The Allergy Safe Kitchen"!  I'm very excited about sharing my recipes and kitchen tips with you.  I have 5 children, and several of them have food allergies.  So many people in my life, especially with newly diagnosed food allergies, have asked me for recipes, tips on substitutions, hints for getting picky eaters to try new things; so I thought I might be able to help them, and others out there, by starting this blog!  Our home is currently egg-free, peanut-free, tree-nut free, and many of the dishes I make are dairy-free.  We spent several years as a gluten-free family, so this blog will include those recipes and tips here and there too.

My eldest son  is 7 years old; he has life-threatening allergies to peanuts and eggs, along with a host of environmental allergies.  When he was first diagnosed, he also had allergies to wheat, soy, dairy, and tree nuts.  Due to the high potential for cross-contamination between peanuts and tree-nuts, we still do not eat tree nuts.  After blood and skin tests suggested it was safe, we have successfully integrated dairy, wheat and soy into his diet. 

My 6 year old daughter, was recently declared "allergy-free" after spending her life up to this point with a dairy allergy.  While she still prefers organic, soy-based products, we are slowly integrating dairy into her diet. 

My soon-to-be-5 year old son, has no confirmed food allergies, although we notice significant behavioral problems when he eats dairy.  When he does not eat dairy, his tantrums are rare and mild.  When he eats dairy, his tantrums are record breaking in length and...shall we say, stubborness?  We strictly limit his dairy intake and err on the side of giving him a nearly dairy-free diet. His blood tests show no evidence of a dairy allergy, but his behavior suggests otherwise.  It's important to remember that allergies can manifest themselves in different ways.

My 3 year old son, is the only child who appears to be completely allergy-free, praise God!  He is also the only child of ours for whom we delayed vaccines until 6 months.  Just an interesting side note to share... 

My 1 year old son, was diagnosed at 3 months with a dairy allergy.  He has not yet undergone any further allergy testing.

We have a range of adventurous and picky eaters at our table and I do my best to make meals that are safe, tasty, and nutritious.  I'm happy to have a forum to share everything I've learned in the past 7+ years of being a food allergy mom.  I remember how daunting it all seemed when we first heard the diagnosis and cleaned out our pantry, and I hope I can help those of you out there who are just starting your journey.  And for the veteran food allergy moms, I hope you can find new recipes, fresh tips, and the comfort of knowing you aren't alone.  Let's all walk this road together!