Often, allergen-free products are made because a family member develops the condition. In one of the more ironic situations, the Coffins, a Montana farm family that has been dairying for generations, had to remove all dairy products from the diets of mom and the kids.

After trying the less-than-satisfactory alternatives the family began to create their own substitutes, tasty enough that everyone—including the non-allergic—could enjoy. The WayFare line of puddings, cheese spreads (regular, Mexican and smoked, our favorite) and sour cream was the happy result. Ice cream is currently under development.

The “secret” ingredient in the line is certified gluten-free, whole grain oatmeal. In the course of using oatmeal to replace the body of milk, the products also became cholesterol free and vegan.

The line is 100% dairy-free, soy free, cholesterol free, trans-fats free and non-GMO. The products are certified kosher by Star-K.

So how do they taste?

The butterscotch and chocolate fare well; the vanilla, to us, doesn’t have significant vanilla flavor and works better as a hard sauce or creamy topping.

There’s a store locator on WayFareFoods.com, and information for retailers who want to amp up their lactose free foods.

FOOD ALLERGY FACTS

There’s an economic opportunity in products that address food allergies. Anheuser-Busch makes a gluten-free beer, the Girl Scouts sell three varieties of milk-free (lactose-free) cookies and General Mills reformulated Rice Chex earlier this year to be gluten-free. Kellogg’s makes its Pop-Tarts in nut-free factories. If vodka is your drink of choice, look for products distilled from non-grains, such as grapes and potatoes.

An estimated 12 million people in the U.S. have food allergies; 2 million more have celiac disease, a potentially deadly form of gluten allergy.

Medical experts don’t know why the number of people with food allergies is increasing. Theories include reduced contact with germs, exposure to certain environmental pollutants and, in the case of peanut allergies, the way peanuts are processed and at what point they are introduced into a person’s diet. Much research is needed; there is very little of it, even though allergic reaction to food causes about 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 to 200 fatalities each year.

Statistics from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) reveal that in the U.S.:

 
So read the labels, and look for more good food coming from allergen-free manufacturers.

But these ideas from Schwan’s have us thinking in new directions. You can whip them up and serve them immediately, or store them in the freezer.

You can add another layer of flavor before sealing with the top sandwich layer:

 
You can roll the ice cream edges in sprinkles, mini chips or confetti (as shown in the photo).

Whatever you do, you’ll have fun.

If you’d like to have these treats delivered to you, visit the Schwan’s website.

On a less jocular note, most of the barbecue sauces sent to us are simplistic recipes of what we pejoratively call “meat sugar”: ketchup (there’s already plenty of it in the ketchup), more sugar or high fructose corn syrup, and some onion and garlic powder that aren’t strong enough to cut through the sweetness.

Every now and then, we receive a barbecue sauce that we enjoy. It has complex flavors and a smaller dose of sweeteners.

So it was a good day when a box of samples from Le Pan’s arrived.

All natural La Pan barbecue sauces have more layering of flavors than we’ve seen just about anywhere.

Prior to developing his own line, Jon La Pan of Ladera Ranch, California was a foodie who liked to tinker with recipes to turn them into his vision of perfection. When he started to make barbecue sauce, his goal was “…to help anyone…turn a $5 piece of meat into a $50 steak.”

As tasty as the sauces may be, they won’t tenderize a $5 flank steak into anything resembling a $50 strip steak; but the sauces will taste good on just about anything.

Enjoy them with meat, poultry, hearty fish or tofu. Jon Le Pan uses them as a bread dipper, too. We prefer them with fries, instead of ketchup.

Foundation Gourmet BBQ Sauce

The first four ingredients in this barbecue sauce, are common to many recipes: water, tomato paste, sugar and brown sugar, along with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce and yellow mustard. More complex sauces add ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, molasses and natural smoke flavor. Spicy versions add cayenne pepper, chipotle and other chiles and hot pepper sauce,

But La Pan’s further layers on celery salt, cinnamon, coffee, cumin, honey, lemon juice concentrate, maple syrup, oregano, turmeric, and and raspberry juice concentrate.

That’s a lot of measuring, but the result is worth it.

Fiery Fusion BBQ Sauce

An excellent balance of fruit and medium heat, this sauce makes things interesting with the addition of apricot, mango, pineapple and habanero. Many spicy sauces just ratchet up the spice level on the basic sauce.

Don’t choose: try both. A 16-ounce bottle is $8.00 at LaPans.com.

The company also makes seasoning and Bloody Mary mix.

Find more of our favorite barbecue sauces.
  

Bloody Mary ice pops. Photo by Elvira
Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

This time, it’s serious: Bloody Mary ice pops.

You can turn any juice-based cocktail into an ice pop. We especially like Bloody Mary ice pops because they have no sugar (guilt free!) and because the kick of spices in the ice is very refreshing indeed.

 
Of course, you can also make Virgin Mary ice pops. They’re equally delicious.

Whether pop or slushie, enjoy!

“Official cocktails” are not news. Countries have often had them, to showcase their products. The official cocktail of Peru is the Pisco Sour, highlighting the country’s white spirit, pisco. The official cocktail of Brazil is the Caipirinha, made with cachaça. The Mojito is the national drink of Cuba, where there’s plenty of run with which to make it.

But “official cocktail” could become a closer-to-home trend.

 
And on the west coast of Florida, Naples has selected the Coquito Mojito as its official cocktail.

The Coquito Mojito was chosen among six cocktails created by a mixologist who was retained by a group of Naples restaurateurs, called the Naples Originals, seeking an official cocktail.
 
The Coquito is an eggnog-like beverage, a traditional holiday drink in Puerto Rico. It is made with coconut cream, coconut milk, egg yolks, rum, sweet condensed milk, and holiday spices: cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg (photo #2).

The Mojito is a Cuban highball of white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint.

The Coquito Mojito combines the two concepts, taking the basic Mojito recipe (rum, mint, lime juice, sugar, and club soda) enhanced with coconut-flavored rum and cream of coconut, omitting the sugar.

> National Cocktail Day is March 24th.

> National Mojito Day is July 11th.

> National Coquito Day is December 21st.
 
 
RECIPE: COQUITO MOJITO

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Utensils

[2] A classic Coquito is a variation of coconut egg nog. Here’s a recipe (photo © Koloa Rum).

[3] A classic Mojito (photo © The Sea Fire Grill | NYC).

1. In the cocktail shaker, lightly muddle the mint in the coconut cream. Add lime juice, rum, and coconut flavored rum.

2. Fill with ice to the top, cap the shaker and give it a long, hard shake. Pour through a strainer into a glass over ice.

3. Add a splash of club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig, lime wheel, and coconut flakes.

If you’d like an official cocktail for your town, approach the Chamber Of Commerce and volunteer to be on the committee. You could find yourself with some new, civic-minded drinking buddies.
 

Find more of our favorite cocktail using the Food Categories pull-down menu on the upper right of this page.