Restaurant

Being a bartender at a restaurant myself, I know what a pain in the butt it is for a customer to make changes to a menu item. But all they have to say is that they are allergic to something, and I will take extra precautions with their order because I can commiserate. I guess I don't share that same degree of care with every server.

Remembering my tomato allergy and Mike's fatal dairy allergy, we have to pay attention to restaurant menus very carefully. The other night, a simple salad was the downfall of our meal. One no tomatoes with ranch, one no cheese with thousand island. It took the server three variations of those instructions to get it right. Neither one of us could afford to pick out the allergens. Restaurants are so tough for us, because its hard to say if the server will adhere to our allergy demands.

Incidentally, I have been aware of a great new website that matches your allergies to a suitable restaurant in your area. Its called Allergy Eats, and I have placed a link to their website under Sites of Interest. Hopefully, we can all enjoy an allergy-free meal sometime.

Pesto

I have to admit that I've cheated recently and ate a plate of spaghetti. And I'm paying for it. But sometimes, I just don't feel like alfredo sauce, too creamy for my taste. Here's a great alternative with no tomato! YUM!

Pesto:

Ingredients

* 3 cups fresh basil leaves
* 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
* 4 cloves garlic, peeled
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup olive oil
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.

The Pea

I have been so focused on testing my tomato allergy it had slipped my mind that peas were another of my unusual food allergies. I felt it was so easy to abstain since I don't like peas anyhow. However, in many Asian food restaurants, they add peas into their rice. I usually just pick them out. I guess that's not a good idea.

I either accidentally ate one or there's pea residue to take into consideration. Last night the peas allergy rendered such an enormous attack that not only did I heavily blow my nose from the congestion, it also caused a migraine (yet another affliction I suffer from). This migraine literally crippled me, and if you ever get migraines you know what I mean. My eyes start to blur and light itself can blind me; my head pounds as if my heart were beating in my temples; the slightest sound is deafening; and my whole body becomes limp and lifeless from ache and nausea. There is no cure. I must huddle under a blanket in a dark, soundless room alone, to sleep for the an entire day.

God help me to remember I'm allergic to peas!