Welcome!

I'm really excited about starting a food blog, especially with a bunch of people contributing. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but my basic idea is to have one place where we can share links, recipes, allergy info, and anything else that seems relevant. Most of my recipes are not original- I'm a great cook because I can read and follow directions. I hardly ever make things up. Let's just all remember to give credit where it's due if it's not your recipe, girls, okay? :) I don't want to step on any toes.

And why Can You Eat This? My family has tons of food allergies. We find ourselves asking each other that question all the time. Can you eat this? I don't know...let me read the label... oh wait, no, it has peanuts/tree nuts/malt flavoring/wheat/shellfish...... we're a mess. And although not all the contributors have food allergies, everybody brings something to the table that they're working on- cooking with and for toddlers, weight loss and lowfat recipes, party food, and all kinds of other yummy things. Can we eat it? I hope so!

So. For the first few posts, let's all tell a little bit about ourselves- what kind of food do you like to cook, who are you cooking for, and what other parameters are you working with?

I'll start. Because I Am The Boss. At least for this post.

Shut up. I AM.

I'm kelli. I cook a lot more than I used to. My son and I were recently diagnosed with celiac disease, which is an intolerance to all gluten. That includes wheat, rye, oats, and barley. In addition, my daughter is severely allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts. Gluten-free nut-free foods can be done, and done very well, but sometimes they're tricky. Certainly it takes a lot of the spontaneity out of our lives. There are just a handful of places we can eat out, and we always have to check the website beforehand and make a big deal about talking to the waiter. It's easier to just come up with home-cooked alternatives most of the times.

I also run a daycare in my home, and pretty much all the standard "kid" lunch foods have to be thrown out or adapted- chicken nuggets, fish sticks, pizza, mac and cheese, pbj... all no good for us. I cook for seven kids at breakfast and lunch, and then my family of six (me, hubby, 2 kids, and my parents) at night.

My focus is mostly going to be on gluten-free nut-free, obviously, but I want to post a lot of different kinds of things. Stuff that just happens to be gf and doesn't take any weird flours or special ingredients is a bonus. I also want to create a section for eating out with food allergies and maybe compile some menu options from different restaurants.

I haven't decided if I am going to include a lot of pictures in my recipes- my mom has already asked if I'm going to do that, a la Pioneer Woman or Buns In My Oven. I have a feeling I'll try, but that I will completely forget to take half the shots I need, and that the other half will be bad. Perhaps laughably bad. Maybe it will add to my charm? Or something?

There you have it. Me in a nutshell. Wait. Not a nutshell. We don't buy those. A handbasket? No. Wait...

Next up: my grandma's potato salad, after all the introductions are complete. :)