MNBeth

When I read her comment about the bread, I assumed that her family was eating that, not her. Might that not be a possibility?

You were thrilled about finding gluten free tomato sauce, and then went on to eat regular bread. Eating regular bread would be far worse than getting the small amount of wheat you might find in tomato sauce, are you crazy?

I know this post is over a year old, but I was pretty excited to have some Aurelio's earlier this week. I grew up going to Aurelio's in Homewood, and through the twenty years I've lived in Minnesota, I've made a point to get some pizza when I went home. Then gluten intolerance happened and I thought that was it.

So it was really fun for my son and I to go stay w/my brother and get some good ol' Aurelio's! Sure, the crust isn't the same, but, the rest is, and that's something you just can't get anywhere else. (Even at the one Aurelio's here in MN - it's not the same!)

So, YAY! It was a treat!

Now if only Sanfratello's in Glenwood would jump on the bandwagon...

We keep a limited-gluten kitchen - no gluten flours, but gluten cereal and sometimes burger buns. No one in my family was big into sandwiches even before, so the bread hasn't been a big loss for anyone around here.

I have very strict rules about how the gluten items are to be handled in our kitchen, and my husband and 3 non-GI kids have been very cooperative. If we're having burgers, they'll get everything else before they touch their bun, then wash their hands as soon as they're done. Things like that.

I don't worry about mixing dirty dishes, or having gluten dishes on the counter by the sink. I don't actually worry too much about the dishcloths, either. All the dishes that get washed get rinsed last, so even if there was gluten on the dishcloth, I'm not persuaded that it's going to be on a dish after it's rinsed. As for counters, since we don't generally eat food directly off the counters, and I never prep food in the area right next to the sink anyway, I'm not afraid to let a glutened dish touch that area. I wipe it up and move on. Same w/ the kitchen table - the only other area in the kitchen where gluten food or dishes go. I'm just not persuaded that minute traces of gluten possibly left by the dishcloth on the counter or table are going to somehow end up in my food.

To some that will seem lax. To my extended family - even the other gluten intolerants in it - I'm over-the-top fastidious. We're all on the spectrum somewhere.

I'm still figuring out what flours I like, but sorghum is way up there on the list. I mix it with a LOT less starch, though, as I prefer to eat as much whole grain as possible. I've been using a mix of three parts sorghum to one part starch (usually some mix of tapioca and potato) with good success, and I'm pretty fussy about my baked goods. I haven't tried that mix for yeast bread, yet, but I've made some really good muffins with it.

I'm just returned to my own refuge after a week staying with various family members, and I'm exhausted. I have a wonderful, kind family, and I'm not the only one off gluten. But I am the only one that checks out every packaged food I at and the only one who worries much about cross contamination. Both my mom (Dad's a celiac) and my sister (she and her oldest are GI) keep thoroughly mixed kitchens. They try to wash things carefully, but they share pans and utensils, and the family grazes from gluten foods to everything else like nothing's changed - eating pizza or sandwiches and then picking cut fruit out of the bowl or chips out of the bag with their fingers.

It's so hard to protect myself in that environment without seeming to criticize my mom & sister for the way they do things. How do I tactfully refuse something my mom's been serving my dad for months or years? It's like I'm accusing her of not taking care of him. I do it, but I hate it.

Even when they make a point to do things my way - like serving the spaghetti sauce for the kids so they don't rub the ladle across their gluten spaghetti - I know they're only doing it for my sake, and I feel like a pain in the behind. In our family it was always a mortal sin to burden anyone with any fussiness, so even though they don't complain, it's mightily uncomfortable.

I know I have it so much better than many people do, but I still regret the intrusion of awkwardness into my treasured family relationships - especially since we live a couple of states apart, and visits necessarily require shared quarters and kitchens.

Hummingbird - is your husband at all willing to go to bat for you on this? Since it's his mother, I think it would be good for him to come to your defense. Forgive me if that's butting in too much.

Beth

<Sigh> I just bought a package today, but now I'm afraid to try it. Better wait till after vacation, at least.

We're not health food purists, but I am pretty conscious of what I'm eating. Before going gluten-free, I had a grain mill and we ate lots of homemade whole wheat bread products (bread, muffins, tortillas, pancakes - I made it all whole wheat.)

So when my son and I were diagnosed gluten intolerant, I really balked at all the bare starch baked goods available as substitutes. My biggest challenge going gluten-free was finding a way to make more healthful gluten-free breads. Almost all the gluten-free cookbooks rely heavily on things like white rice flour and lots and lots of starch. I'm trying to use much more whole grain flours (sorghum is my favorite so far), with a much smaller proportion of starch mixed in. And, we eat a LOT less bread, now.

I only very rarely eat any packaged gluten-free foods; my 16 yo likes pretzels and some of the bars, but I'm put off by the thought of all those empty carbs most of the time.

Cooking dinners really hasn't changed that much, except that we don't eat bread w/meals anymore, and tortillas aren't so good anymore!

Grasping at straws here, but does anyone use KaMe Hot Mustard? I picked some up at the store - the only brand they had. Website is extremely vague and does not address specific products. Since KaMe also makes things like rice crackers, I don't necessarily assume that their "facilities" statement applies to mustard. Ingredients: Water, mustard, vinegar, salt, spices, turmeric.

Like I said, I know I'm grasping at straws.

Also, does anyone know about Equate (WalMart) Quick Action Dairy Digestive Supplements? I sent an e-mail a week ago, but no reply. I did find a phone #, but probably won't raise anyone before Monday.

I'm so sick of this!

My husband and I have a 10 hour layover in Vancouver Airport (YVR). Does anyone know if any of the many restaurants have any good gluten free stuff, other than reverting to the order of steamed veggies, no seasoning?

We flew in and out of YVR in June, but didn't really eat much. We surveyed all the quick places, but all the prep areas were so compact that I was too worried about CC to try anything from the grills. One place had some big fruit bowls; my son had one of those, I think I had a banana.

Probably the safest bet would be one of the nicer, sit-down restaurants, but I don't have any specific information about any of them. Here's the list of food options at the airport, in case anyone has information on any of them that I don't:

Bars & Restaurants

Hanami Japanese Restaurant

Jetside Bar

Koho Restaurant and Bar

Medallist Bar & Grill

Palomino Bar & Grill

Stanley's Happy Landing Lounge

Voyages

Casual Dining

Galiano Caf

Alton Brown took on gluten-free Choc.Chip Cookies a while ago. We love these:

gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Chewy Gluten Free Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Show: Good Eats

Episode: Sub Standards

8 ounces unsalted butter

11 ounces brown rice flour, approximately 2 cups

1 1/4 ounces cornstarch, approximately 1/4 cup

1/2-ounce tapioca flour, approximately 2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup

10 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 1/4 cups

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.

In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Add both of the sugars to the bowl with the butter and using the paddle attachment, cream together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, approximately 1 hour. Shape the dough into 2-ounce balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes, rotating the pans after 7 minutes for even baking. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the pans for 2 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cooked cookies in an airtight container.

My view new posts button appears to have dissapeared, which is weirding me out a little bit, because that's how I navigate the site! Is this happening to everyone? Mods, do you know anything? Please tell me it isn't permanent!

Same here. I'd hate that to be gone forever!

I use Original Glo and it's not shimmery for me. I am wondering if you had shimmery residue left on your brushes?

You may well be right; I hadn't thought of that!

I thought about that and that may be what happened, but I also did some checking and found the following information I'd like to share. Some companies dust their manufacturing lines with flour to keep the beans rolling along. The gluten from the flour can soak into the oil of the beans. The only hope of knowing for sure is to contact the company, hope they don't subcontract and that they are honest.

Guess I won't be buying coffee from the warehouse-type stores anymore! Never had a problem until this month, and I've been gluten-free for nearly 2 years -drinking coffee for 38 years.

I would really appreciate it if you could tell me where you found the information about flour on the manufacturing lines. Do you remember where you found the information?

Thanks!

Hi MNBeth,

Thanks for the encouragement to go beyond my mixes and try it on my own. Also, thanks for the recipe. I can see I'll have to go shopping for several of the ingredients, but I'll have to give this a go soon. And the buns option sounds really good too.

Recipe credit goes to FiddleFaddle. Haven't tried that one myself, but have heard good things about it!

I got my second sample kit last week, and haven't liked anything.

First I tried the Pearl Pick Me Up concealer, and very quickly discovered that shimmer is not flattering to me at all. My skin is bumpy from a mysterious skin condition, and the shimmer just accentuates every little bump.

Naturally, then, it turns out that everything else I got is shimmery, too - two* Original Glo foundations and Walkee Talkee blush. (*The 3rd foundation I ordered for my biracial daughter; that didn't work, either.)

Anyway, by the time I had all that on, I looked like the Tinman! I'm sure I overdid the PPMU, but even the Original Glo is more shimmer than I want. Am I the only space cadet that didn't notice the shimmer in the Original Glo before?

I also got the Spring Berries lip gloss. I like the color a lot, but prefer to wear something on my lips that wears a little longer. I really like the liquid lipsticks like Cover Girl Outlast, and have found that the EDM lip glosses make good replacement topcoats for those - Natural to tone down too-intense shades, and Spring Berries to deepen too-light tones. So I'm happy with that. (I think the Natural lip gloss is AWFUL by itself. When I read "natural," I didn't think they meant the same color as the rest of my face!)

So now I'm trying to put together another sample kit, with NO Original Glo or shimmers or sheens or whatever, and still trying to match foundations for myself and my biracial daughter. The look book had two models with very different coloring both wearing Sandy Medium, so that was confusing. Not sure which direction I'm going with that.

This much I do know: I'm spending too much time w/my make-up these days!

Susie,

I'm sooo glad you're happy with your new mixer. Takes a bit of the stress out of it, doesn't it? Can't wait to get a new one myself, but I can't decide what to get.

I'm sure you'll have no problem moving to baking from scratch, but mixes make a great transition tool. They'll give you a good idea what to expect the dough to be like, which is really helpful. And there's a lot to be said for something easy ; there's plenty 'nuff in all this that's complicated!

Congratulations on a successful outcome!

Beth

Our family went on an Alaskan cruise in June, and these were a highlight for my boy. He's 16, and he and I are both GI. We did have some trouble finding things to eat, so I passed all the gluten-free breads to him to keep him filled up. I tasted one, though, and they were pretty good. Couldn't get over only 3 in a pack, though, when I looked for them after we got home! Maybe I'll have to order some.

Sorry, I meant what model of Kitchen Aid MIXER do I look for?

Sorry, Susie; we've had 8 houseguests and then the forum was down.

While I am always happy for anyone who is happy with what they're using, I personally would not recommend a hand mixer. It can work, but I think a stand mixer is going to be easier to work with. I am not aware of any Kitchen Aid mixer that would not be suitable for making gluten-free breads; I would expect one of the cheaper models to be just fine.

I bought the one I used to have many years ago, though, when there weren't so many to choose from. Perhaps someone else will chime in, or you could look at reviews elsewhere. What you're looking for is durability - there isn't going to be one that's better for gluten free than the others. They all work in the same manner.

Have you returned the other mixer, yet? Hope they don't/didn't give you any hassle!

Beth

Coleman makes a gluten-free, nitrite-free hot dog, too. I get them at Costco.

Hi Susie,

How recently did you purchase your mixer? Do you think it might be worth trying to return it? Seems like it couldn't hurt to try.

Hi Folks,

Susie and Tim, I really hate to say it, but I think Sunbeam makes a very poor stand mixer. I had one when I was first married, and was soooo happy when I was finally able to replace it. Whatever they may say about a "powerful motor," I don't believe the mixers are very sturdily constructed. It's been years since I've used one, but there are lots of reviews on Amazon that would suggest that the problem is the same now.

I also think the two beater design is ill-suited to gluten-free breads. I have a Kitchen Aid hand mixer that can handle stiff cookie doughs, but gluten-free bread dough always climbs the beaters, and I've never been able to find a way to prevent it.

I really don't think a dough hook is the right option in any case. I don't think a dough hook can do the thorough mixing and aerating that gluten-free bread needs.

I wish I had a good recommendation. I'm looking at a replacement myself at the moment, as the huge mixer I have was wonderful for whole wheat breads, but doesn't seem very well suited to gluten-free bread, either. Right now I'm looking at a Bosch Universal or maybe a KA. Bosch mixers have a great reputation for power and durability, and you can get a Bosch Compact for about the same price as the Sunbeam.

Not what you wanted to hear, though, I'm sure!

Sorry!

Beth

Yes, from Clan Thompson it's like a subscription. You pay a yearly fee and then several times a year you can download an updated version. So after a year if you don't want to renew you still have the old version - it just won't get updated.

Seems like the price for subsequent years ought to be less, since you're getting the software the first time around and just updates in subsequent years, right? Or am I completely out of my depth, here?

This will vary from brand to brand. Kettle brand are safe; I don't know about others. (I just bought some Old Dutch Salt & Vinegar chips, but apparently they aren't gluten-free, so I'm not eating them.) Many brands use malt vinegar, which, of course, is no good.

Gluten is a compound consisting of the glycoproteins gliadin and glutenin. Gluten itself is not the problem, but when it's digested it's broken down into polypeptide fractions by peptidases (enzymes). This allows the peptides to cross the cell membrane as amino acids which then causes the damage. These digestive enzymes are crucial in the process of turning gluten into the actual offending proteins that are so harmful to our health. Without enzymes there would be no reaction between the gluten and our intestinal walls but that would also mean that no digestive processes would occur and we would die of starvation.

This is confusing to me. I thought I had understood that gluten did not cause damage directly, but that it was the antibodies reacting to the presence of gluten that causes the damage. Maybe I'm just getting way ahead of myself even asking, but does the gluten itself actually react with intestinal walls?

Forgive me if this is a silly question, but what happens after the first year? Do you have to make a new, full purchase every year?