This is a very exciting day for me. Not only do I get to tell you about Curtis Sittenfeldโs brand new short story collection โ You Think It, Iโll ย Say It, myย favorite of all the books sheโs written โ it is the day that the real life Curtis Sittenfeld makes a cameo on Dinner: A Love Story. Yes, thatโs right. This blog, this post in fact. In You Think It, Sittenfeld, whose writing we all fell in love with when we read Prep a decade ago, follows a menagerie of female protagonists navigating the most ordinary of circumstances โ running into grown-up high school queen bees, hooking up with Trump supporters, crushing on other kidsโ dads at school.ย Sittenfeldโs characters are my favorite kinds of characters: They are never exceptional, though they are often funny or smart without being pretentious. And they hate people who think theyโre exceptional, believing this to be a serious flaw.ย Sittenfeld is the master of the withering observation, and no one is safe from it here in the best, most entertaining way. Please doย yourself a favor and order her book for yourself today. (And when it arrives, read โA Regular Coupleโ first. Or maybe โGender Studies.โ Or maybe โVolunteers Areย Shining Stars.โ I canโt decide, but whatever you do, savor each one!) Until then, hereโs Sittenfeld chiming in my Top 10 Series with her list of her top, uh, almost ten allergy-friendly foods for kids. Thanks Curtis!
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Did you know that Oreos are vegan? If you did, thereโs a decent chance youโre the parent of a kid with allergies to milk and eggsโฆand youโre delighted that your child can actually enjoy these junky favorites. (That creamy filling is, well, not cream. I believe itโs canola oil and/or palm oil.)
After my second child was diagnosed in 2012 with allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts, I became a scrupulous reader of ingredients on food labels. I also ended up embracing foods I hadnโt previously been in the habit of eating or even necessarily ever tasted. My daughter can now eat milk and eggs, which has significantly expanded our options for family meals, but Iโll always be grateful to the products and brands that have in the last six years allowed us to enjoy tasty foodโฆ and one another.
SunButter At this point, I eat more SunButter, which is made out of sunflower seeds, than anyone else in my familyโI have it for lunch on a rice cake a few times a week. Itโs easy and delicious and protein-filled, like peanut butter without the peanuts. Iโve even traveled with a 16-ounce jar, so when I learned that SunButter had started selling single-serving cups, I was actively excited (sometimes you have to take your thrills where they come).
Cherrybrook Kitchen Cake Mix and Frosting My daughter has taken her own treat many times to birthday parties, and for years, our go-to was a cupcake my husband would make with this mix and frosting. Together, they make a cupcake look and taste likeโฆa cupcake!
Dum Dums Lollipopsย Dum Dums are made in a facility free of the top eight allergens, a fact they mention on their packaging. Because theyโre portable and donโt get mushed or stale, I usually keep a baggie with four or five in my purse, and if weโre out and about and unexpectedly find ourselves in a situation where other kids are eating treats, I give one (or all four) to my daughter. Dum Dums are also our usual offering for Halloween (I aspire to be the curmudgeon who gives out dental floss, but Iโm not all the way there yet).
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chipsย My husband had barely baked before our daughterโs allergy diagnosis, and he became a whiz at making pancakes and cookies that didnโt include eggs and milk but did often include these chocolate chips.
Made Good Granola Bars Itโs tough to find granola bars without nuts, but this Canadian brand is like Dum Dums in being produced in a facility free of top allergens. Unlike Dum Dums, Made Well granola bars actually contain a serving of vegetablesโsome almost magical mix of spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, and mushrooms that does notย affect the barsโ taste. The most popular flavors at our house are apple cinnamon and chocolate chip.
Fritos Okay, I wonโt pretend I was unfamiliar with Fritos prior to 2012. But Fritos and I certainly didnโt used to enjoy the very close relationship we do now. I like that Fritos have just three ingredients (corn, corn oil, and salt), meaning I donโt need to spend 45 minutes checking their label. I like that, unlike nichey granola bars, theyโre sold everywhere so if my daughter needs a snack on the fly, we can grab a pack from a gas station. And I like that theyโre delicious. As a Fritos connoisseur, I prefer the larger Scoops version.
So Delicious Coconut yogurt, Coconut milk, vanilla bars, and vanilla sandwiches : Oh So Delicious, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways! First, I love that these foods contain a satisfying richnessโthe vanilla bars, for example, can proudly go toe to toe with Dove bars. I also love So Deliciousโs labeling so much that I still almost weep upon reading it. Food labels and warnings are not created equal in terms of clarity, and some of the ones that say โMay contain nutsโฆโ feel as if theyโre saying, โYou have allergies? Tough shit! This food might be fine for you, but we donโt want to go to the trouble of making sure.โ By contrast, So Deliciousโs label, which I consider the gold standard, is almost a paragraph long and feels like the voice of a sympathetic and responsible friend: โProduced in a facility that processes other tree nuts and soy. We have a rigorous allergen testing program and apply strict quality control measures in an effort to prevent contamination by undeclared food allergensโฆโ It might be an odd thing to say about a food safety disclaimer, but So Deliciousโs labels are for me a beautiful affirmation of my own outlook about food allergies: Having them is a lot more complicated than not having them. But even with them, life can be, yes, so delicious.
Thank you Curtis!ย And now, a GIVEAWAY.ย (I know, the day just keeps getting better!) Comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of You Think it Iโll Sayย It. There will be TWO winners and the contest ends Thursday, May 3, 2018 at noon ET. Good luck everyone. UPDATE: The winners have been notified. Thanks for playing and congrats Stephanie and Asia!
I canโt wait to read this book.
love curtis sittenfeldโs writing and love dals too!
I am going to have to try those granola bars for my family. I am intrigued!
I have enjoyed all of Curtis Sittenfeldโs books and look forward to this one.
I became a Curtis Sittenfeld fan after reading Marrican Wife, and Iโm still a fan all these years later! Congrats Curtis on your latest book.
I have relished all of Curtis Sittenfeldโs writing since Prep (which I reread immediately upon finishing!). Canโt wait to read this latest!! On another note, my son does not have allergies but we try to always have gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free snack options on hand for play dates. We will definitely be trying some of these suggestionsโthank you!
This book looks great!
Favorite author, hands down! Canโt wait to read!
Iโm a teacher and made my students tiny gingerbread cookies as a treat. The cafeteria had pre-wrapped non-allergen cookies that were probably 4x the size of the cookies I made. I handed her hers and the kids around her gawked, so jealous. I said to her โSometimes the kid with the allergies deserves something bigger or better than everyone else.โ She gave me the biggest grin.
(โHerโ being the one kid in that class with allergies.)
So excited for a new Curtis Sittenfeld book!
Sounds like a good book!!
Great ideas for families with allergy concernsโฆwe navigated that path for years! Thanks for sharing.!
Always love your recommendations! Iโll have to check this one out too ๐
Nice to hear someone praise Fritos for a change!
Iโve loved Fritos since 1984! Love that they are allery friendly too now that I have kids.
Iโm all about short stories these days, I would love to read this!
Loved Prep and currently rereading American Wife!
Iโm so excited to read this book โ Iโd love a signed copy! While I did enjoy Prep, I have to say that American Wife is my favorite Curtis Sittenfeld novel so far.
Canโt wait to read it! Love her suggestions- healthy items mixed with some necessary indulgences!
The first paragraph totally got me. โHa! I do know Oreoโs are vegan! Oh snap, I do have a kid with allergies.โ If the rest of Curtisโs writing is as good/even better than this post I want to read her book!
I LOVED Prep and American Wife, so no doubt this new offering will not disappoint! I canโt wait!!
So glad to see you have a a new book out, Curtis! I canโt wait to read it โ whether or not I win.
I was at the birthday party of friendโs daughter (who has serious food allergies) and was surprised when she blew out her birthday candles which were jammed into Oreos! Iโd had no idea they were allergen free! Excited about the book recommendation!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I cannot wait to read thisโฆfavorite author!
Looking forward to this book! I enjoyed Prep and LOVED Eligible. And Gender Studies is our pick this month for short story club!