An Allergen Free First Communion and Baptism…

Yesterday was a day to remember. John celebrated his first communion and baby Michael received the sacrament of baptism. It was a gorgeous day filled with so much love, laughter and memories with old friends. As many of you know both of my parents passed away before any of my children were born. So often these types of family celebrations are difficult, and not just because I am always trying to figure out what to serve for food that won’t have everyone screaming… “oh great, ANOTHER allergen free creation” (cue the sarcasm here.)

But this time it was different. As much as I miss my beloved mother, and as much as I would have loved to have her there to share in my children’s special sacraments, I was profoundly grateful for everything I have. My family, my health and my children’s health…it’s all that really matters. NOTHING else matters. As a parent of a food allergic child, we are always worried to some extent for our children’s health and well being, because it could be seriously compromised at any given moment. But sometimes there are moments in my life where I forget all of that, and focus on the now. For me, yesterday, it was watching my son John walk down the aisle with his hands crossed, looking so happy. He looked like any other kid, and in that moment I forgot that he was the one who will have to live his life being more careful than most, that I will always worry a little more about him than my other children. It was truly one of those moments when I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for all that I have.

Now, on to the party. It was a blast, and I have to give a huge kudos to Whole Foods who blew me away. I met with them prior to the event to discuss our dietary restrictions and John’s allergies. We carefully went through every label and discussed what would be safe and what wouldn’t. We discussed cross contamination issues and how it would be addressed. In the end I was so impressed with their gorgeous, delicious vegan trays. Everyone else was too, and raved about how fresh and yummy the food was. After this fantastic experience with WF, I would highly recommend them to anyone else looking to do a party, whether they have allergies or not. They GET it.

Finally, the desserts. I let John pick out whatever he wanted from my book. He chose Lemon Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Russian Teacakes and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Everyone devoured the treats…nothing was left. Not even a crumb or a lone chocolate chip. It was gone, and no one ever asked, does this have eggs, etc? They are so much better than store bought treats yet they are completely safe. I love that EVERYONE enjoys the treats, and just carries on with zero discussion of food allergies. It is nice to take break once in a while from the food allergy subject, and just enjoy good food with friends and family. It is a world I am still hopefully we will see someday….

Happy Baking everyone and I hope to post a yummy new recipe very soon…working on it!