A Gluten, Dairy, Yeast, Egg, Honey, Color-Free Happy Birthday! Jordan is 2!

Jordan birthday is still a few days away and my older son still has 3 weeks until he’s 4, but we celebrated Monday since the grandparents were visiting. What does a birthday party look like without dairy, wheat, food coloring, eggs, yeast, honey, and minimal sugar? Well, it was GREAT! It took a bit of planning ahead of time, and keeping my eye out for something he might actually enjoy. He has yet to eat a gluten-free baked item. He takes one bite and spits it out – even things I consider quite good. So, I happily finish off his blueberry muffins and sweet potato biscuits (they taste like a pumpkin spice cookie/muffin cross!). However, I didn’t go to all that work making these special things for my enjoyment. And, with his birthday fast approaching, what was I going to make for his birthday dessert? And, with grandpa and grandma here, it must be something people with normal eating habits would enjoy too…that’s a tall order. Grandma is known across their region of the midwest for her wonderful homemade pies and other such delectables. And grandpa is a self-proclaimed beef and white potatos man, oh, and don’t forget ice-cream conossier! So, the way we eat here, well, not so much to their liking. But, we have a birthday party coming…so I started with what Jordan LOVES – berries – and went from there.

Just in case the food was a flop, I thought I’d get some decorations this year. We usually do birthdays REALLY simple: normal dinner, special birthday dessert, presents. I pull out the birthday candles that are still in the cupboard from last year (well, actually the last 4 years), and that is the sum total of our birthday celebration. But, this year just in case we didn’t have food to help us celebrate, I bought some balloons, foil stars to decorate the table with, streamers, plates and napkins with balloons on them, and a candle in the shape of a “2″ and “4″. Jordan LOVES balloons! And they’re 1/3 of the cost of all the Disney or cartoon character decorations! Ok, so I only spent $7 or $8 dollars for all this, but for us, this constitutes going all out!

Back to the food, particularly, the dessert. I saw a recipe for biscuits that can be adapted for shortcake, so thought that since Jordan LOVES berries, maybe, just maybe, Strawberry Shortcake would work for him AND for everyone else. Although, I had never tried this shortcake before, and you just never know how something will turn out. But it was GREAT! Very delicious! Jordan got half way through his, before he realized he was eating shortcake with his berries. He didn’t spit any out, but must have tired of it 1/2 way through because the rest of his bites, he sucked all of the strawberry sauce off and left the shortcake - ha! He was quite delighted with his dessert and with getting to blow the candle out!  Even Grandpa had seconds – wow! The shortcake recipe was taken from “Special Diet Solutions” by Carol Fenster.