Great.

Now I'm addicted to Facebook.

Here's a cute kid photo to enjoy while I go look up people from my past.

Things You Can Find Online

A make-your-own onion soup mix recipe.

Ways to be frugal.

Fun games.

A parenting magazine right in my own backyard.

A slideshow by my husband.

Three Months

Dairy-Free Fried Chicken

Katherine was asked to submit her favorite recipe at school for a class cookbook. She chose Daddy's fried chicken. Here is the recipe as she and Daddy submitted it.

Daddy's Fried Chicken

3 eggs
1/3 C. water
2 C. self-rising flour
1 t. pepper
chicken pieces (Katherine likes legs the best.)
vegetable oil for frying

Beat eggs with water. Stir pepper into flour.

Dip chicken pieces into the egg, coat well in the flour mixture. Fry in hot oil (350 degrees) until brown and crisp. (Dark meat takes about 15 minutes, white meat takes about 10.)

Freezes well - reheat at 400 until hot and crispy.

Reuse the oil - it tastes better the second time.

Buy This Book

People often ask me what resources I recommend to learn more about food allergies. Of course I mention the many wonderful online resources, but for a print one, I recommend Food Allergies for Dummies. Not because I think the people asking are dummies, of course, but because it is such a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about food allergies. The author, Dr. Robert Wood, has a food allergy himself, so he knows of what he speaks. The text is very accessible, and it is full of information about and reviews of other food allergy books and websites.

I recommend Food Allergies for Dummies to teachers, childcare providers, and parents of allergic children or just-diagnosed individuals who are learning about food allergies for the first time. I also think this is a great book if, say, your child's friend or classmate has a food allergy and you want to learn a little about it without delving into complex medical texts.

Food Allergies for Dummies, Robert Wood, M.D. and Joe Kraynak. $13.39 on Amazon.com.

[Written for Go Dairy Free.]

On the Internets

The newest Food Allergy Blog Carnival is up at Rational Jenn's, and Karen at Avoiding Milk Protein has posted a Nowheymama interview. You can find it under "Avoiding Milk Protein News and Information." Thanks, Karen!

Also, I finally got my postpartum self in gear and officially joined WEGO Health, which is shaping up to be a great online community. Come join us!

We Was Robbed!

Photo courtesy of Menshealth.com.

I'm kidding. We had a great time at the Bake-Off. I think any of you who are eligible should enter next time.

The winners are here. A blog about the event (Complete with photos of Scott!) is here.

[Edited to add: Here's some of the "bad press" Scott's recipe received, to which I have to say: Lighten up, Dudes.]

To Do List

1. Pack for Dallas!
2. Pick a travel outfit to wear while holding an infant lap child (white shirt and mustard yellow pants?)!
3. Clean for my parents who are watching the other kids at our house!
4. Plan easy meals!
5. Write down important information that my mom already knows!
6. Worry that we will be stuck in an airport and miss the Bake Off!
7. Surf for helpful travelling-with-an-infant tips!
8. Figure out cool places to go if we have any free time! (Besides here, which is included in our trip.)
9. Plan what to say to Sandra Lee if I meet her!
10. Cook dinner!
11. Wonder what I've left off the list!

I'm a Big Chicken Person

That's what I said on my first date with a guy when he asked me what kinds of food I liked. He laughed. A lot. I hope he's gotten some mileage out of that story.

So, speaking of chicken, here's the "top secret family recipe" of one of our postpartum meal delivery people. She was kind enough to let me in on the secret, and so I share it with you. I bet you could easily replace the egg and make it egg-free as well as dairy-free.

Also, have you ever had City Chicken? (Just replace the butter with margarine to make it dairy free.) Apparently, we Pennsylvanians and our odd customs are getting some national attention thanks to our April 22 primary.

I'm off to thaw ground turkey, not chicken, for our dinner. I'm a big turkey person, too.

Firsts

Katherine took her first communion yesterday and also lost her first tooth. If I were a certain type of writer, I would compose a thoughtful, heartfelt piece about the passing of time and the many ways our little ones are growing up. I would tell you how I felt full of joy at the sight of her serious face concentrating on her thimbleful of grape juice, and I would tell you how I felt helpless at the pre-tooth loss tears. "I don't want my tooth to come out!"
And, I would tell you that a little part of me didn't want Katherine's first baby tooth to come out, either. I would tell you about my sadness over the loss of that particular little smile. But helping our children change and grow is part of our job, so I would tell you that in the morning I reminded her to sit quietly in church during the communion service, and that in the evening I gently grasped the loose baby tooth and helped her pull it out.

Tell Me All Your Thoughts on Blogs

Like many of you, I don't like blogging about blogging, but here is my secret blog confession:
I don't use one of them there RSS thingys yet. (GASP!) It just always seemed too burdensome. But I think now is the time because I'm missing too much that's going on. I need a tutorial, please. How do I do this?

Also, what other bloggy accessories can you not live without?

Seven

Hey! Where have I been? I've been here, with my lists of seven. (I'm altering the rules, Ria.)

Seven aliments of the House of Hatfield:
1. stomach flu
2. ear infections
3. sinus infection
4. thrush
5. common cold
6. diaper rash
7. RSV scare (not RSV, another virus)

Seven dairy-free recipes we've enjoyed recently*:
1. Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs (renamed "Celebration Rolls" for Easter breakfast because the marshmallow "disappears" and they're empty when you cut them open. You know, like the tomb.) Also, if you're looking for more Easter/Springtime brunch ideas, check out Alisa's recipes.

2. Fruit Pizza (made with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese instead of dairy cream cheese for Eli's birthday)
3. Country Fried Steak and Gravy
4. Bubba's Beer Biscuits (I'm sorry, all of you Paula haters--We like her recipes.)
5.Back to School Sloppy Joes
6. Split Pea Soup (made with leftover Easter ham)
7. Lady Brownies
*Replace all butter with dairy-free margarine, of course.

Lady Brownies by Paula Deen
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I do 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 oil)
4 eggs
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
11/2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend together the sugar, oil, (applesauce,) eggs, cocoa, and vanilla. Add flour; mix. Add nuts; spread into greased 13x9-inch pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Seven books I'm reading a page of whenever I have a second:
1. The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook (Um, obviously.)
2. Birth
3. The Baby Book
4. The Soul's Code (An unlabeled gift I received in the mail. From my brother-in-law, maybe? )
5. A nonfiction political book. I'm trying to stretch, here.
6. Eat, Pray, Love
7. Felicity's Cooking Studio (This is Katherine's, but I'm really enjoying it.)

Off to do dishes and laundry before our next pediatrician appointment....

We Heart Eat n' Park

Here's my eleventh-hour entry for the awesome Food Allergy Blog Carnival that Rational Jenn keeps up and running. I am happy to be included as a carnival...er? ...ist? whenever I remember to send in a link.

This week's theme is "Restaurants." I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize Eat n' Park, a Pittsburgh-based chain that is very allergy-aware. I thought I'd written about them somewhere before, but I can't find a link at the moment. Maybe it was on someone else's blog. Anyway. Focus, Nowheymama!

Eat n' Park is just excellent. They have had Silk soy milk on their menu for at least two years, and the staff is very knowledgeable about what ingredients the menu items contain. We usually order the salad or breakfast bar for Katherine because she can eat many of the items on either one. If we worry about cross-contamination, the server will bring a serving of a bar item straight from the kitchen to Katherine. Also, if a usual bar item is missing (like apple butter, for instance) they will bring her a serving of it at no extra charge.

I wrote to them awhile ago to ask about which of their menu items would be safe, and they sent me an email saying that they didn't want to publish any information on their website until they were absolutely sure it was correct, but they told me the items that they were certain were dairy free. I noticed that their website now has a gluten-free menu listing.

My only complaint is that the Smiley cookies (that they give to every child 10 and under) are neither dairy nor wheat free, and they don't have an alternative treat.

Anyone Else?

Centerpiece by Katherine and Gramma

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated on Saturday with boiled dinner and green cookies. Mmmm....

I answered some questions that were asked during my maternity leave in the last post, and I didn't mean to leave anyone out. So, any questions you'd like me to answer? Fire away.

I'll get you started with a fun fact. The number one search for this blog is "Star Wars birthday party." True story.



Pistachio Pudding Cookies*

1 cup Bisquick baking mix
1 small package instant pistachio pudding
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients until the dough forms a ball. Shape dough into one-inch balls. Place about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie with a fork, as you would with peanut butter cookies. Bake until the edges are light brown, about eight minutes. Makes about two dozen cookies.

*Most pudding mixes are dairy free, and so is Bisquick. This recipe is from my junior high home ec. class, although I'm sure you could find a million variations of it online.

[Edited to add: Do NOT use sugar-free pudding mix. Just ask Swistle.]

Q&A

1. How are the preparations for the Pillsbury event going? --MyBuddyMimi

Very well, thank you! (And there is still time to vote for Scott's recipe!) Scott's even been on local TV. We'll be going to Dallas in a month so he can compete and I can laze around the hotel with only a newborn to keep me company. Aaahhh.... [Edited to add: Yet another photographer came to take pictures last night. Good thing I cleaned the kitchen.]

2. Helen's birth story? --Mommy Daisy and Saly

My induction was scheduled for 7 am on January 25, so my mom and my sister arrived at our house at oh-god-thirty (as my grandmother would say). Mom stayed with the kids, and Scott and Emily and I headed to the hospital. Because I love my particular OB/GYN, we had to travel to a hospital about 30 minutes away from our house, yet a different thirty-minute-away hospital from the one where Eli was born. So, three deliveries, three different hospitals. Anyway, we arrived and a very nice woman checked me in, saying, "In just a few hours, they'll be calling me with the registration information for your baby." Yeah....
We went to the maternity ward and after answering a billion questions, my lovely nurse, who looks like my college roommate, started the Pitocin. (Also, my doctor checked in before he went into surgery.) Aaannd, they upped the Pitocin and kept upping it all day long. By mid-afternoon, I was one or two clicks away from the highest level, and... nothing. My doctor stopped back in and prepared me for the possibility of stopping the Pitocin, letting me rest overnight, and starting again in the morning. Because of my earlier experience, this did not thrill me. The nurses and dr. kept asking if I wanted an epidural, but what little contractions I was having were not painful at all, and if I had to stay overnight, I didn't want to be coming off an epidural. So, we waited. (Emily and Scott are old pros at waiting around the hospital, so they came armed with books, movies on the laptop, and money for the cafeteria.)
Around 5:30-6 pm, my doctor came back in and checked me, and I'd made it all the way to three centimeters. He said we could wait overnight, or he could break my water. "Break it!" The contractions immediately became stronger, and yes, I wanted an epidural. The anesthesiologist was on his way in to the hospital to give an epidural to another woman; he'd see me after her. Did I want other pain meds? I decided I didn't at the last second. They tend to make me really loopy, and I didn't want to be out of it. Instead, I got to have lots of undulled Pitocin contractions. The anesthesiologist came to see me around 8ish. The night-shift nurse (who was awesome) checked me before he began, and I was at 4 cm. By the time he was done setting up the epidural, it was 8:45 pm. The nurse checked me again and said, "You're at 10 cm!" Me: "????" They hurriedly called the dr. and started bringing in all kinds of equipment and supplies. At a little after 9 I was told that the dr. was in the building and that I could go ahead and push. I pushed 2-3 times, and Helen was born at 9:17 pm.



3. Enough of this baby stuff. How about some new recipes and dairy-free content, Girlie? --Various

Dairy-Free Meat Pie (from my neighbor, Tracy, who is a saint)

1 lb+ ground beef
2/3 lb pork sausage (Tracy recommends Jimmy Dean.)
Brown meat and add a sprinkle of minced, dried onion. Drain off fat, reserving about 1 tablespoon.
Mix together with:
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sage
black pepper
Set aside.
To the 1 tablespoon of reserved pan drippings, add:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon beef bouillon
1/2 cup water
Boil down for a few minutes into a gravy. Add the gravy to the meat mixture. Put the filling in a double-crust pie (Pillsbury refrigerated crust is dairy free). Brush the top crust with egg white and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. (Optional, of course.) Bake at 425 for 40 minutes.

Tracy delivered it to us assembled but unbaked, so we could cook it when we wanted to. We served it with applesauce and green beans. It is sooo good. I can't wait to make it myself.

I've made some new dairy-free contacts over the past couple of months, or rather they've contacted me. Say hello to WEGO Health, Whey Out Chocolate, Boys Rule My Life, and The Boy Loves to Read, who reminded me that I need to order some Mabel's Labels for the fall.

Eternal Sunshine of the Postpartum Mind

Um, hi. Remember me? It was nice to take a six-week blogging maternity leave, but it's good to be back. I'm feeling a bit rusty, so bear with me. There's lots of news and a birth story to share, but I'm going to ease into things with a meme. Thanks, Mommy Daisy!

Da Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you. (See above.)
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. (I'm going to do seven facts about the past 6 weeks.)
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
5. Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

1. While I was away, this blog turned one year old, Eli turned two years old, and Helen turned six weeks old. Time is speeding by.

2. I received so many wonderful comments and emails--both baby and non-dairy related--while I was away. Thank you all so much for your good wishes and kind messages and for your patience with my lack of blogging and emailing. I will be writing back/catching up with all of you as soon as I can.

3. While I am very vocal with hospital personnel and pediatric nurses about soy vs. dairy ("Do NOT give my baby formula supplements--especially not dairy ones!" "Soy milk IS calcium fortified, you Nimrod, therefore my son and daughter DO get enough calcium!"), I am a big chicken when it comes to being honest about sleeping arrangements. ("Yep, the baby always sleeps in a bassinet or crib. Uh-huh. All the time.") Even though I truly believe that whatever NSSP works for your family is best, as evidenced by the co-sleeping/musical beds thing we have going on here.

4. It hurts my feelings a little bit that SO many people have asked if Helen is a family name. Like, "Dude, the only way you could have come up with that name is to pick it off your family tree." It is a family name, AND we think it's pretty, and it's not as if we named her, I don't know, Ethel or Dotty or something. (My apologies if those are the names of any of your present or future children.)

5. We received so many wonderful meals during our first few weeks home, and almost everything was dairy-free. I am collecting recipes as we speak, and I can't wait to share them. Mmm... meat pie.

6. I really cannot think of an instance where it is appropriate to ask someone if they are done having children or to say, "Please tell me this is your last one." Unless maybe you are their doctor and another pregnancy would kill them.

7. Oh, the birth? The baby? After a day on Pitocin, the delivery was mercifully, miraculously short. (Extended birth story still to come.) And Helen is an angel--a good sleeper and eater who is blissfully unbothered by her siblings' love and attention and overenthusiastic head patting.

I tag whoever hasn't done this meme yet, which I'm guessing is no one. But I'll have to read all of your old blog entries to make sure.

Induction Junction

My old friend Pitocin and I met again to duke things out. But it's hard to complain when this is the end result:

Helen Priscilla
9 lbs, 0 oz.
21 inches long
January 25
9:17 p.m.

Review-o-rama

Let's burn off some of this pre-labor energy by writing some overdue reviews for Go Dairy Free before Alisa fires me, shall we?



Authentic Foods Pie Crust Mix (gluten, wheat, and dairy free)

This made-from-almonds crust has a shortbread-y feel and taste that our whole family enjoyed. It is definitely made for sweet, not savory fillings. Scott and I think it works best with a creamy/custard filling. We filled ours with dairy-free pumpkin pie filling and it was lovely. (Yes, I should have covered the crust edges with foil. I forgot. Oops.) As with so many gluten-free products, you can't expect this crust to bake up like a wheat one would. But we really enjoyed the almond flavor and texture, especially with a smooth filling.

Ingredients: rice flour, natural almond meal, evaporated cane juice, tapioca flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, potato starch, vanilla, salt

We mixed in 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons plain soy milk, and 4 oz. of shortening. One package makes one crust.



Kinnikinnick Chocolate Cake Mix (gluten, wheat, and dairy free)

We liked this chocolate cake mix for many reasons, the most important being: it tastes like chocolate. Deep, dark, cocoa-y chocolate. Mmmm. I frosted it with dairy-free chocolate glaze.
I tend to like the texture and moistness of gluten-free mixes like those made by Namaste Foods, whereas Scott prefers a drier texture and finer crumb. This Kinnikinnick cake was just what he likes. Don't get me wrong, it is not a dry cake, nor was it disliked by anyone in our house. It's just a slightly different texture than other gluten-free mixes we have tried, which I think is a good thing. If at first you think you don't like gluten-free mixes, try, try again.

Ingredients: Sugar, potato starch, white rice flour, cocoa powder, sweet rice flour, KinnActive baking powder, guar gum, salt, pea protein, sodium bicarbonate, pea starch, pea fiber.

We made the cake with 4 eggs, 3/4 cup oil, and 3/4 cup cold water. The mix makes two 8x8 cakes or one 9x13 cake.



Kinnikinnick Pancake and Waffle Mix (gluten, wheat, and dairy free) (shown here with mixed berries)

I love this pancake mix. The kids eat it not knowing that it is any different from our usual pancakes. Scott said the only difference he could detect is that this batter is slightly sweeter than other mixes/recipes we've made. He doesn't mind the sweetness; he was just being pressured by his wife to comment on what, if any, differences he detected. I like the pancakes we make with this mix because I don't feel as if I have a lump of dough sitting in my stomach after I eat them. And I feel smug about feeding them to the children. "You're eating pea protein and liking it! Mwaa ha ha."

Ingredients: Pea starch, white rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, tapioca starch, dextrose, defatted soy flour, whole egg powder, KinnActive baking powder, inulin, pea protein, pea fiber, fructose, salt, cream of tartar, sodium bicarbonate, sodium, carboxy methylcellulose, vanillin, guar gum.

We mixed in 1 egg, 3/4 cup plain soy milk, and 1 tablespoon of oil with one cup of mix. One bag makes about 3 batches of pancakes. The mix does contain whole egg powder.

Yeaahh....

No baby yet.

Time to enjoy some online retail therapy where no one looks at me and where I do not run into a woman in the lotion aisle who says, "I just can never find a lotion that works!" before opening various lotion containers to sniff and spread all over her hands and arms. In the store.

Let's Get This Party Started

I don't have to be induced! I get to go into labor on my own! I... have no idea if I'll actually realize when I'm in labor! I've never done this before!

Brief Birthing History, TMI Edition (Look away, Dad.)

Baby #1: Admitted to hospital on Thursday evening, released Friday evening after a failed induction. (Note to medical personnel - TELL PREGNANT WOMEN INDUCTIONS MAY NOT WORK.) Went home and ate my weight in fried chicken livers while sobbing hysterically. Readmitted to hospital on following Tuesday at lunchtime. Water broke early Wednesday afternoon as doctor was filling out release forms to send me home again. When I told him my water had broken, he said, "Oh, Ok. (Pause.) It's going to be a long day." Baby born first thing Thursday morning, at 42 1/2 weeks. Cervidil and Pitocin were used liberally both times. Poor, poor baby was born with the help of a vacuum extractor.

Baby #2: Admitted to hospital Wednesday evening. Induction started without drugs. Reached 5 centimeters by morning but still wasn't in labor, so it was time for Pitocin. (Bleah.) Baby born early Thursday afternoon at 40 weeks.

So, 36 hours of labor, 3 hours of pushing, then 18 hours of labor, 1 1/2 hours of pushing. Do I hear 9 hours of labor and 45 minutes of pushing for #3? Hey, I can dream.

I had an appointment yesterday, and I have reached two whole centimeters all by my ownself, which has never, ever happened before. Also, this little girl does not appear to be a 9- or 10-pounder like her siblings, so there is time to wait things out.

But enough of this waiting stuff. I want to hear all of your voodoo tips to move things along. GO!