Grampy's Magic Bars

Recognize these guys?

They were a welcome and familiar site on my grandmother's kitchen table back in the early 80's. Magic Bars. Could there be a more enticing treat for a gaggle of sweets-loving granddaughters? I think not. Grammyarta, as she was known, tended to agree.

Last week my dad, known as Grampy by many these days, celebrated his 76th birthday. Sadly, hundreds of miles away, we didn't get to spend the day with him, but we did whip him up a batch of Magic Bars. Happy birthday, Dad!

That's a good-looking 76, don't you think?!

Of course, the Magic Bars of yore were topped with chopped walnuts and sometimes, if we were really lucky, pecans. These days we avoid tree nuts here at Casa Kid Cultivation but guess what we don't avoid?

Pretzels. And pepitas. The two work together to deliver all the crunchy, salty, meaty flavor of nuts...without the nuts! So gather the troops and let the kids take the lead. This is the ultimate easy-peasy kid-friendly, grampy-approved recipe.

Grampy's Magic Bars
adapted from Eagle Brand

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips
1 & 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pretzels
1/2 cup pepitas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.

Put your graham crackers (I used about 7 ounces, or 1/2 a regular-sized 14.4 ounce box) in a large zip-top bag and let the kids bang the heck out of it with a rolling pin or baseball bat until you have crumbs.

Once you have crumbs, pour the melted butter directly into the zip-top bag, reseal, and mash the butter around into the crumbs until it's all combined.

Press the butter-crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Here's a trick. If you're careful, you can dump the crumbs into the pan, turn the plastic bag inside out and, placing your hand into what used to be the outside, use the messy, buttery inside of the bag to press down the crumbs like so. 

There. I just saved you a hand washing. You're welcome.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk in an even layer over the graham crackers.

Scatter the chocolate chips over the milk.

Add the pretzels and pepitas...

Then the coconut. Did I mention this is the perfect kid-driven recipe?

Pop them in the oven for 22-25 minutes until lightly browned. 

 Let them cool then cut into bars. Send them to your dad or grampy for his birthday.

 But make sure you save a few for yourselves.

Egg-Free Sunbutter Whirligig Cookies

Whirligig. Say it with me. Whirligig. See, you're having fun already!

I can never seem to bake just a few cookies. A double batch, sure, but who halves a cookie recipe?! Not me.

Inevitably though, after an initial warm out of the oven raid, Mufasa backs way off the cookie consumption. The munchkins, while avid cookie enthusiasts, possess stomachs the size of coin purses and are typically satiated at a one cookie per day rate. That leaves me, gluttonous martyr I am, to do the dirty work. I suffer my way through 3 dozen cookies threatening staleness if I wait too long to put them in my mouth. That, friends, is the hair shirt I wear.

But, oddly, despite strict self-imposed rationing on my end, this batch of whirligigs seems to be disappearing at a steady clip. That can only mean one thing. These suckers are good!

Whirligigs are not the easiest cookies to make. Nor are they the fastest, but don't be put off by the number of steps. Yes, they take a little time and a little nurturing, but stay the course. The reward of soft, chewy, nutty without the nuts, swirly, twirly, whirly cookies is totally worth it.

Egg-Free Sunbutter Whirligig Cookies
adapted from Baked Elements by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

For the cookie dough

2&1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 ounces (1&1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp canola oil
1 cup creamy Sunbutter
3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer well mixed with 3 tbsp water
2 tsp real vanilla extract
Parchment paper

For the chocolate filling

12 ounces best-quality dark chocolate
1/2 tsp light corn syrup

To make the Sunbutter dough:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter, both sugars, oil, and Sunbutter on medium speed for about 5 minutes until light. Add the prepared egg replacer and vanilla and beat again until everything is well incorporated. Don't forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl in between mixing.

Add half the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat again until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and beat again. Try not to mix more than necessary at this point.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and press into a disk shape. Wrap the dough first in parchment paper, then cover the whole thing in a layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.

Now you're ready to roll!

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line a large work surface with a sheet of parchment paper. Dust the parchment paper lightly with flour. Break the dough disk in half. Use a rolling pin to roll half the dough out into a rectangle approximately 9 inches x 7 inches and 1/2-inch thick. Don't worry if it's not perfect, but don't roll the dough too thin. If your dough is very soft and pliable at this point, place the rolled out rectangle back in the fridge to firm up a bit. My dough was quite firm already so I skipped this step. Repeat the process with the remaining half of dough.

Next, make the chocolate filling. Melt the chocolate and corn syrup together in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Paint, pour, or spread the chocolate over the rolled out dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border free of chocolate along one long edge.

Take a deep breath. Starting at the long, chocolate-covered edge, use the parchment paper to help you lift the edge and start rolling the dough into a log. You should be rolling toward the edge with a chocolate-free border. It's probably obvious, but just in case, make sure the parchment remains on the outside of the cookie dough unless you want paper in your cookies.

Take your time and try not to freak out of things don't do exactly as planned. If the dough cracks, gently press the crack back together with your fingers. If the chocolate starts oozing out the ends, great. You know you used enough chocolate. And if your dough snaps apart mid-roll like this...

pour yourself a cocktail and carry on, rolling the broken dough right into the center of the cookie roll. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough. Eventually, you'll end up with something along these lines.

Have I mentioned that I am not a perfectionist? These are whimsical cookies. Expect a little mess. Wrap the dough logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate again, for at least 3 hours and up to a full day.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple of baking sheets with more parchment paper. Unwrap a chilled cookie log and place on a cutting surface. Using a very sharp or serrated knife dipped in hot water, slice the log into 1/2-inch thick rounds. After much trial and error, I found a small, serrated knife dipped in hot water between each and every cut worked best for me. Repeat with the second log and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 10-13 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through bake time. They're done when you see the first hint of brown start to form. Remove from oven. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

They'll keep for a few days tightly covered...if they last that long!

Timber Ridge Resort Lake Geneva, WI

I've run my mouth a lot in the past about our less than ideal allergy experiences at various restaurants (I'm talking to you, Bahama Breeze!) but after a recent visit to Timber Ridge Lodge and Waterpark in Lake Geneva, WI, it's time for a big shout out. Thanks, Timber Ridge, for taking food allergies seriously and making our celebration of Bean and Roo's 5th birthday so much fun!

I'm 5!

Dealing with food allergies, there's not much worse than being far from home, starving, without an Enjoy Life Chewy Bar in the backpack, faced with the dire prospect of eating at a restaurant where the apathetic staff feigns knowledge and wishes you would just leave. We've been there time and again. Thankfully, Timber Ridge Resort is a different animal.

First and foremost, Timber Ridge Resort rooms have kitchens. Full kitchens!! Note there are no ovens, which could complicate some tasks (like baking a birthday cake for instance) but there is a full size refrigerator, stove top, microwave, coffeemaker, blender, toaster, sink, dishwasher, basic pots, pans, and dishes in each and every room. With Roo's allergies, this is a godsend for us, but having a kitchen at your disposal can only simplify the lives of anyone traveling with kids, allergies or not. 

Despite the kitchen, we ate at Smokey's Bar-B-Que House and the Hungry Moose Food Court at Timber Ridge over the course of our stay and were pleasantly surprised by the staff's accommodation of allergies at both restaurants.

Smokey's offers a binder filled with ingredient lists for every item on their menu. When I asked about food allergies, the hostess was eager to help me find the answers we needed. She didn't pretend to know whether or not there are eggs in the macaroni or if the french fries are fried in peanut oil but she knew exactly how to find out and was happy to do so. Having that peace of mind allowed us to focus on what we were really there for...water park!

Not to be misconstrued, my enthusiasm over the Timber Ridge restaurant scene has far more to do with addressing allergy concerns than gourmet meals. These are not 5-star restaurants by any stretch and that's totally okay with me. If you are in the market for something more refined, however, Timber Ridge sits on the grounds of the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, which has several restaurants of its own. A free shuttle runs every few minutes between the resorts.

We had Sunday brunch at the casual Grand Cafe at the Grand Geneva and found the staff to be just as friendly and accommodating of food allergies as they were at Timber Ridge. Our waiter wasn't troubled in the least by my slew of questions and spoke to the kitchen to find all the answers we needed. Bean and Roo even got coloring books to take home in honor of their birthday.

For special celebrations it appears you can coordinate with the resort to have festive signs, balloons, and probably ponies and princesses set up in your room upon arrival. I am a bad mother and coordinated no such thing. Thankfully the water park and an ice cream breakfast were enough for Bean and Roo, despite the many other birthday kiddos we saw celebrating in full regalia.

Happy birthday, 5-year-old!

The resort is not perfect. The water park is a bit small compared to others we've visited and I fear we're on the verge of outgrowing it but overall, it was a great way to spend a 5th birthday. Everyone we encountered on staff from the water park to the arcade to the trolley driver were pleasant and helpful. The resort is not luxurious but it is well-equipped and very family-friendly. Best of all, Mufasa and I were able to relax and enjoy the trip without having to stress over where Roo's next meal would come from.

Chocolate Sunbutter Rice Krispies Treats

How do you cheer up a grumpy 6-year-old whose first grade concert got rescheduled because of this:

With these!

While Looly pouted off the cancelled concert, Bean and I got to work. 

Halfway through, Roo jumped in for a little chocolate therapy. 

Chocolate Sunbutter Rice Krispies Treats

2 tbsp butter

10 ounces marshmallows

3 tbsp Sunbutter

6 cups Rice Krispies or other puffed rice cereal

8 ounces chocolate (chopped, or use chocolate chips)

Spray a 9 x 13-inch (or similar size) pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Stir in the marshmallows until melted. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the Sunbutter until it's runny and well integrated with the marshmallow. Finally, stir in the cereal until coated with sticky Sunbuttery marshmallow. Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. Using a buttered spatula or a sheet of wax paper, press the the mixture into the pan. Let cool.

Microwave the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring between heating until it's melted. Pour the chocolate over the Rice Krispie treats and spread into an even layer. Allow the chocolate to cool and set. If you're in a hurry and need to garner a smile from an unhappy child sooner rather than later, pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the chocolate.

Use a sharp knife to cut into squares and serve with plenty of cold milk.

And sure enough, look who's smiling again. 

Simple Sesame Noodles with Ginger Poached Chicken

Rotini, penne, bucatini, ditalini, elbow macaroni, linguini, fusili, shells, orecchiette, angel hair...The KC kids like pasta especially when it's buttered and buried under a snowbank of Parmesan cheese shaved from a hunk, not shaken from a can.

After 6 and a half years of sauce therapy, Looly is now almost as likely to choose spaghetti with meatballs and marinara as she is to opt for plain (that is, buttered and Parmesan-topped) pasta. Bean and Roo remain steadfast in their loyalty to butter. Progress is not fast.

Asian noodles would be such a welcome change of pace if only I could get the troops on board. Pad Thai and Peanut Noodles don't bode well for the nut-allergic, so we generally avoid Asian restaurants but that doesn't mean we can't rock scallions and soy sauce at home with our noodles.

Perhaps somewhat embarrassingly, my past attempts at any remotely Asian-style noodles, while decidedly edible to me, have been met with unsettling facial contortions and breathy grunts by the KC kids. They complain they're too spicy, too salty, too fishy, too saucy, too sticky, but mostly...there's just not enough Parmesan.

After a lot (and I do mean a lot) of trial and error, we have a winner! It turns out the key to my children's stomachs is simplicity. I really love big, bold, Asian-y flavors and have a tendency toward the more is better philosophy but in terms of impressing the munchkins, restraint is key.

Simple Sesame Noodles
adapted from The Hakka Cookbook

1 pound udon noodles, soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp thinly sliced scallions
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
lime wedges
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Thai red chili paste (optional)

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, drain and rinse. Combine the oils, soy sauce, green onions, and lime juice in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add noodles and toss to coat. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro. Serve with red chili paste for some extra oomph, if desired, and ginger-poached chicken (recipe follows).

Ginger-Poached Chicken
adapted from The Hakka Cookbook

6 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
6 quarter-size slices of fresh ginger (unpeeled is fine)
3 cloves garlic
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 tsp salt

Combine the stock, ginger, and garlic in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Carefully, add the chicken pieces, cover, and remove from heat. Allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and serve over Simple Sesame Noodles (recipe above). Stir the salt into the broth and serve alongside the noodles and chicken.

Bonus: If you happen to be having a wintery, runny nose, tickly throat kind of day like me, I highly recommend you stir a solid tablespoon of Thai red chili paste into your own bowl of broth. Your sinuses will thank you.

Lemony Chicken Skewers with Sunbutter Satay Sauce

Ordering Thai takeout is a perilous operation here at Kid Cultivation. The risks are great with Roo's peanut and tree nut allergies.

Generally, one parent gets the kids to bed while the other places a covert phone call to Bodhi Thai. While stories are read and molars of unwitting children brushed and flossed, a lone wolf slinks out to procure the contraband soup, dumplings, and noodles. Thirty minutes later we eat in stunned silence, slurping and savoring the bright, salty, citrus-y freshness and making peace with the crunchy peanuts we've been missing.

Then it's hazmat time. The trash immediately goes to the dumpster out back, counters are wiped, tables scrubbed, mouths disinfected, clothes burned, fingernails removed...okay, maybe not but it is a process to say the least.

Fortunately Sunbutter is our friend. And Lemony chicken with Sunbutter satay sauce is our Thai infatuation.

Sunbutter Satay Sauce
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1&1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup creamy Sunbutter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp dry sherry
1&1/2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed

1. Heat a small, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add both oils, shallots, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the shallots are tender and transparent, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Cool to room temperature and serve with lemony chicken skewers (recipe below).

Lemony Chicken Skewers
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Juice of 3-4 lemons
3/4 cup olive oil + 1 tbsp
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced
2 pounds chicken tenders
wooden skewers

1. To make the marinade, combine lemon juice, 3/4 cup oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and green onions. Stir well. Place chicken tenders in a glass dish or large zip top plastic bag. Pour marinade over the top. Marinate in refrigerator overnight.
2. Heat a grill pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to pan. Cook chicken tenders until done, about 3-4 minutes per side. Allow to cool slightly, insert wooden skewers lengthwise and serve with Sunbutter Satay Sauce and fresh lime wedges.

Halloween Treats that Won't Rot Teeth

An enormous tarantula is spinning a web on our front porch and a gang of menacing pumpkins is eying my every move but things are about to get a lot scarier once Thing 1, Thing 2, and a miniature Santa Claus return with sacks full of sugar balls and chocolate next week.

I like candy as much as the next kid. Kit Kat, Snickers, Twix, I'm game. Consider this my butt's official thank you note to nut allergies for making a Halloween sized bag of Butterfinger off limits in our house. When Halloween time rolls around, we could all benefit from a little restraint and a wholesome treat.

A few weeks ago, Rhodes contacted me about trying their frozen bread products. As much as I enjoy the scent of my own fresh homemade bread baking in the oven, it's definitely not a regular menu item here at Casa Kid Cultivation. So, after taking care of the compulsory allergy check, I was more than ready to give Rhodes a try.

By the way, the Rhodes White Dinner Rolls that we used are egg-free, as are many Rhodes products and recipes, and better still, Rhodes doesn't use any peanuts, tree nuts, meat, fish or shellfish in their products!

No eggs, peanuts, or tree nuts in here!

I was already on board with the idea of easy, egg-free, nut-free, dinner rolls. What I didn't anticipate, was all of the fun things we could do with the dough. Typically, once I've taking the time to rise, knead, rise again, with my own dough, I don't have the heart to hand over a hunk of my beloved dough to the kids and say go crazy, make whatever you want. Rhodes frozen dough solved that dilemma for me and the kids had a blast watching the dough rise for our first batch of plain rolls...

then making this Apple Pull-Apart Cake

and finally, making these festive Halloween Dippin' Ghosts, pumpkins, caterpillars, and worms.

We skipped an egg wash due to Roo's allergy. Instead I dabbed a little milk on our ghosts, worms, and pumpkins before baking. For the pumpkins and caterpillars, I also added a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano over the milk, which I highly recommend. Last we made a party platter complete with warm marinara and apple butter for dipping.

Looly's homework time snack

The rolls are tasty on their own but even tastier with a slather of Balsamic Strawberry Jam with Cracked Pepper, and get this. Roo ate that whole ghost. My bread-loathing boy likes Rhodes. At this rate, keep the holidays coming and I'll make him any shape he wants. Just keep chewing, little bub. 

Last but not least, I am no artist, as evidenced by my slightly owl-ish ghosts, so I stuck with the most basic of shapes but you should know that Rhodes offers instructions for several other fun Halloween recipes. I'm thinking these hilarious Halloweiners might be able to compete with all those Tootsie Pops and Smarties when Wednesday night rolls around.

Divvies Egg-free Banana Muffins

It was a bleak and pitiable day a few years ago when Roo received his initial eosinophilic esophagitis diagnosis (EoE). Our GI team assumed that dairy was largely to blame and we eliminated it cold turkey. Just like that, one half hour doctors appointment and no more pizza, ice cream, Goldfish crackers, Parmesan on pasta, you get the idea. Shortly afterward, a skin prick test revealed Roo was also IgE allergic to peanuts and eggs. That's the scary anaphylaxis-causing kind of allergic, as opposed to IgG mediated allergies which cause his EoE. Then he lost all the tree nuts. Then peaches. Beef. And apples.

Suddenly very alone and flailing in a sea of Earth Balance, Veganaise, and Enfagrow Soy Formula with Christmas approaching, I was pulling out all the stops to come up with something remotely palatable to bake that we could all enjoy. It was not going well.

Just as I was about to call off the reindeer and torch the stockings, I discovered Divvies, nut-, dairy-, and egg-free cookies, popcorn, and candy. Thanks to Lori Sandler, Christmas came after all.

Even with dairy and apples back in play for Roo, Divvies is still without a doubt one of my favorite sources for baked goods. The cookies are top notch, not top-notch for allergy-free cookies, but rather, someone please take these things away from me before I eat the whole plate good. The Sandler family's attitude is proactive, inclusive, and upbeat. And though she might not know it, I credit Lori Sandler with single handedly pulling me out of the little pity party I was having for myself when Roo was diagnosed.

So, when Divvies came out with a cookbook, can you guess who was first in line? The Warm Apple-Apricot Cake on page 19 is ridiculous even though we modify it a bit. Apples are ok for Roo now but apricots are still a little too close for comfort to peaches, so I use orange marmalade instead of apricot preserves. The chocolate cupcakes are the best I've ever tasted from a home kitchen. The fudge is decadent and well, super fudgy, but the recipe we end up making more than any other in the book, is the banana bread.

My girls adore quick breads and this banana bread is their favorite of the bunch. Roo, a relative latecomer to the world of breads, will eat this over most any other. Throw some of the batter into mini muffin tins and you have one of our favorite lunchbox treats.

Egg-Free Banana Muffins (or Loaves)
adapted slightly from The Divvies Bakery Cookbook

3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
5 ripe bananas
1 cup baby food pears (or pear puree)
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
2 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Alternatively, spray loaf pans
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.
3. Peel the bananas and place in a separate mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until pureed. Add the pear puree, oil, water, and sugar and beat until all elements are well-combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat at medium speed until well combined, remembering to scrape down sides of the bowl.
5. Bake full-sized loaves for 65-80 minutes, mini-loaves for 45-60 minutes, muffins for 25-27 minutes, and mini-muffins for 12-15 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness.
6. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack (muffins 10 minutes, loaves 20 minutes) then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Makes three 9x5-inch full sized loaves, six 5x3-inch mini-loaves, 12 muffins, or 36 mini-muffins