Migraine Safe - Sugar Cookies

1              C             Butter, softened

4              C             Flour

1 ½         C             Sugar

2              tsp          Soda

½             tsp          Salt

½             tsp          Almond Extract

2                              Eggs

½             C             Milk

In a medium sized bowl, cut flour into the butter.  Mix in sugar, soda, and salt.  Net add the extract, eggs, and milk.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least one hour.  Divide dough into 3 sections.  On a flour counter, roll out 1 section of dough to 1/8” thickness.  Cut dough into shapes and place on cookie sheet.  These cookies raise versus spreading out, so depending on the size of your cookie cutters, you can place approximately 15 cookies per tray.  Repeat with remaining 2 sections of dough.  Bake on 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Cookies do not brown so be careful not to over bake.  Makes approximately 4 ½ dozen medium sized cookies.

Frosting

½             C             Butter, softened

½             tsp          Vanilla extract

¼             C             Milk

4              C             Powdered Sugar

In medium mixing bowl, mix butter, vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar (gradually).  You can use all white frosting and then add sprinkles or you can divide your frosting and add food coloring.

Country Shephard's Pie - A Migraine Safe Recipe

1 1/2 - 2 lbs             Ground beef
1             tsp             Salt
1/8          tsp             Pepper
10           oz              Green beans, frozen
2 - 10      oz   Cans   Tomato soup
9             med           Potatoes, peeled and diced
1             tsp             Salt
1/8          tsp             Pepper
2             T               Butter
1             C               Milk
8             slices         American cheese (optional)

Cook ground beef with salt and pepper.  Drain grease from meat.  Stir in the green beans and tomato soup, cook on low for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, peel and dice potatoes.  Cook potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until the pass the 'poke test'.  Drain potatoes.  With mixer, blend until fairly smooth.   Add the salt, pepper, butter and milk.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

Transfer meat into 3 qt baking dish.  Spread evenly.  Place cheese on top of meat.  Spread mashed potatoes over meat and cheese.  Serve.

Place leftovers in the refrigerator.

Snickerdoodles - A Migraine Safe Cookie Recipe

1  C      Butter, softened
3  C      Sugar
4           Eggs
2   tsp   Cream of Tarter
2   tsp   Baking Soda
1   tsp   Salt
5  C      Flour
             Colored Sugar

Mix thoroughly butter, sugar and eggs with an electric mixer.  Blend in slowly, cream of tarter, soda, salt and flour.  Chill one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Use cookie scoop to scoop cookies.  Roll top and sides of cookie ball in the colored sugar.  Place twelve cookies per tray.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  I always set my timer for 1 minute shy of the lowest time because ovens bake differently and we don't want to burn our cookies.  These cookies will not darken.  Remove from cookie sheet immediately after removing from oven.  Makes approximately 6 dozen.

Migraine Safe Foods You Can Buy Off the Shelf

First time I went shopping for foods with no soy or preservatives I cried.  But here are a few foods you can quickly buy without worry.

Buffalo Chicken Wings - Migraine Safe Recipe

1/2    C     Ranch dressing (see previous recipe)
1       T     Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
2       T     Butter, melted
16             Wings

In a medium sized bowl combine the first three ingredients.  Stir in the wings until well coated.  Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Grill on low heat.  Serve with additional ranch dressing, carrot and celery sticks.

Ranch Salad Dressing

1/2     C.     Milk
1        C.    Mayonnaise
1        T.     Dried, minced onion
1        tsp    Basil
1        tsp    Parsley
1/8     tsp    Garlic Powder
1/8     tsp     Pepper
3/4     tsp     Salt

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients with a wire whisk.  Chill for one hour before serving.

Holiday Eating

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, the real eating season is here.  We have holiday parties every week laden with foods us migrainers should not eat.  But let's face it, we can't even go to the grocery store and buy migraine safe foods...not processed anyway.  All food labels must include allergen foods such as soy (one of my biggest triggers), high on the migraine do not consume list.

The good news is, there are foods out there that we can eat.  For example Hormel lunch meats in the red and brown packages in the prepackaged meat and cheese section.  There is also Prima Della Roasted Turkey Breast at the deli counter at Walmart.  And you have Boars Head Meats that are sold at specialty markets and Fry's (grocery store out west).  Giant Eagle (grocery store in the midwest) carries hot dogs and bacon that have no preservatives added.  You can often find these foods near the foods labeled as All Natural.  Just remember...soy is natural so always read your labels.

I have found that dressings and sauces advertised as made with Olive Oil also include Soy Oil.  Your best bet is to seek out foods made with Canola Oil instead, like Hellman's Canola Oil Mayonnaise.  Prego Traditional Spaghetti Sauce is also safe to eat.

Over the next few weeks, I will be uploading recipes to help you through the season and coming years.  I hope this helps you lead a healthier, migraine freer life.

Baked French Toast

¾         c          melted butter

1          c          brown sugar

1          can       pie filling

18        slices    bread

1          pkg      cream cheese

1 ½      c          milk

1          tsp       vanilla

6                      eggs

                        cinnamon

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.  In a small bowl, mix together the butter and brown sugar.  Pour the butter mixture into the baking pan.  Evenly spread the pie filling over the butter mixture.

On a cutting board, evenly spread the cream cheese over 12 bread slices.  Next, create 6 stacks of bread, each stack should have two slices with cream cheese topped off with one plain slice.  Cut each stack in half then place them on top of the pie filling and butter mixture.    

Mix the eggs, milk and vanilla together.  Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cover the dish with tin foil and place in the refrigerator over night.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place covered baking dish in oven and bake for 45 minutes then uncover and bake for additional 15 to 25.  Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I have used apple, peach and cherry pie filling.  They are all amazing.

Migraines

Nearly 37 million Americans suffer from migraines.  The number is staggering.  My heart goes out to everyone who suffers.  The best thing you can do for yourself is find the right doctor. 

My first migraine attack happened when I was in first grade.  I had been outside on recess when my head began to hurt and my stomach didn't feel so good.  I told my teacher I needed to go home, but since it was so close to the end of the school day she didn't even allow me to go see the nurse.  

On the bumpy bus ride home it happened.  My lunch found its way to the floor.  I don't know which was worse, having the migraine or the embarrassment that went with my lunch being on the floor.

I'm now forty-four years old.  My migraines have evolved over the years from what I consider a 'normal' migraine (one lasting from one to three days, to the one's that cause temporary vision problems, to finally the female version of Clusters.

I thought I would die during the three years it took to be diagnosed.  But finally I found Dr. Carol Foster.  She was the first doctor to truly listen to me, listen to the symptoms I described, listen to what I thought was wrong with me (self-diagnosis).

Dr. Foster concurred.  With the right medications, diet, and exercise she had me on the road to recover on the first visit, something doctors had been unable to do for the nearly three years prior. My family and I will be forever grateful.  

Through her, I also discovered my number one trigger wasn't orange juice but soy.  And let me tell you, I cried the first I went to the grocery store after discover that because soy is in almost everything.  I had to adapt.  I began creating my own trigger-free recipes.  The first recipe I will share is my famous Baked French Toast.

 

Becky Lower in USA Today

Becky is profiled in an article about the comeback of the Historical Romance.

The resurgence of the American historical is under discussion today at USA Today’s Happy Ever After column. Here’s the link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2014/10/29/becky-lower-american-historicals-duplicitous-debutante/18067603/

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