Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding (Allergy friendly)

I used to be the kind of person who would ask for the dessert menu first so that I could see if I needed to save room for dessert after my meal.  Those years have sadly passed as I have gotten older and cannot eat as much as I used to. Those were the days!

A couple weeks ago, while we were in Michigan, my husband and I got a recommendation to a restaurant in Muskegan, Michigan. This restaurant was fairly new but was amassing a favorable reputation in the restaurant community. As we walked in, I noticed a large blackboard listing the specials of the night. One of those items listed, the maple glazed bread pudding caught my eye and I knew that I would need to save room for dessert on this night. Bread pudding holds a special place in my heart because it is a dessert my Dad and I would make for our late night snack as we watched our nightly Twilight Zone episode. I was not disappointed; it was heaven on a plate. It was so good that before I knew it, I had barely saved any for my husband.

Since it is Fall and pumpkins are everywhere you look, I decided to make a bread pudding with pumpkin in it and added some chocolate for an extra bit of sweetness.  Like all my other recipes, My Allergy Friendly Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding recipe is made without any dairy, eggs or nuts.

Allergy Friendly Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding

6 cups bread cubes (I used day old French bread)

1 cup  rice milk

1 cup organic pumpkin puree

1/2 cup brown sugar plus ¼ cup for later

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt                         

1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips (raisins as an alternative)

2 tsp. maple syrup

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8x8 baking pan.

In a medium mixing bowl combine rice milk, pumpkin puree, ½ cup brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and other spices until mixed well. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the pumpkin mixture until the bread is well-coated. Add the chocolate chips. Let sit for 5-10 minutes so the bread can soak up the mixture.

Place in your prepared baking dish and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon. Combine the remaining ¼ brown sugar and the maple sugar and spread on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is lightly browned then let the pudding sit for a few minutes before cutting it up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. It serves 6-8 and is best served warm.

A Retreat Update

In my last post, I talked about the difficulties of my teen going on a two day trip with her friends to a retreat two hours away. While this may seem like it is not a big deal, it was a big step for my daughter who is allergic to so many different foods.

I am happy to say that it went very well. She had a great time with her friends, met some new ones and didn't have any trouble with her food allergies. The food I packed for her remained untouched but it seemed she survived on fruit and a delicious dinner they made especially for her. The most important thing is she felt just like a normal teenager who is now a bit more confident with her allergies than she was two days before. That is priceless!

Retreat

My daughter just took a big step towards independence with her severe allergies. She has decided to go on a two-day church retreat with her friends. This is a very big step for her because she has never been on a retreat or to a camp in her 14 years. She is going to be off on her own for the weekend—in charge and in control of her own allergy problems.

At first, it was just easy to sign up for day camps and not worry about her going away and how we are going to make sure she is safe with all her allergies. This was fine when she was young but as she has gotten older, she has sat back and watched as all her friends have gone off to one camp or another. She has been patient when they talked about the fun activities they did or the cool new friends they have met.

A couple years ago I started talking to her about finding a camp for her to go to. How about going to a special camp for kids with allergies? No! What about going with a good friend to this camp? No! How about we find a camp where I can work while you are there? Absolutely Not! I don’t blame her I wouldn't want my Mom there either! Still, it seemed quite daunting for both of us!

I think part of the reason she didn't want to go was that she was nervous about what she could or could not eat. Can you imagine watching your friends laughing and telling animated stories at the camp table as they are gobble down their food not even caring about what they are eating? Instead, she is wondered if that same food, someone else had made, would give her a reaction. Or more likely, what on the menu besides fruit, could she even eat?

Our daughter’s list of severe allergies is so extensive, (dairy, eggs, peanuts, all nuts and sesame) that we couldn't even imagine what she would be able to eat even if she was to go. As far as I remember, the “Camp” fare usually comprised of eggs, french toast or muffins for breakfast, and pizza, mac-n-cheese or peanut butter sandwiches for lunch or dinner.

So when her friend asked her to go on a Church retreat and she said yes, I was very excited but also a bit concerned. This was a big step for her and for me. I tried to keep the enthusiasm in my voice as I told her that I thought it was a good idea but I would have to look into the food accommodations. That’s when her face fell. For the first time, she had felt like a normal teenager and hadn't even thought about her allergies getting in the way.

I talked to the Church organization and they were very excited to have her come. We talked about the food they would be serving during those two days. As I thought, there wasn't much she would be able to eat but I didn't want that to stop her from going, so we talked about allowing her to bring her own food. I was very pleased when they seemed receptive to the idea, but was disappointed when my daughter who had been full of jubilance about the trip, told me she didn't want to go anymore.

After a few days, we talked about it again. The reality is that she needs to start taking bigger steps towards allergy independence; after all, she will be going away to college in four short years. Another objection she brought to my attention was that people would know she was different and she would be embarrassed, all because of her allergies. At this stage in her life this was very important to her. According to FARE, 1 in 13 children are diagnosed with a food allergy, so there are a lot of kids out there who may also be struggling with the same issues. We found out that two other kids will be bringing their own food for the trip. That seemed to boost her confidence enough that she once again decided the trip would be a lot of fun.

We also talked about how it isn't bad to be different and that as you get older, you realize that having food allergies doesn't make you unusual, it makes you unique. So my advice to her was to embrace what makes her special and to let others know she is okay with being different.

It’s retreat time!