Donna F

Can anyone recommend a gluten-free tartar sauce? Hopefully something "mainstream"?

Thanks,

donna

Hi,

I can't find it in my internet search, but Caffiene Free Coca Cola is gluten free in the US and Canada, and I do believe that all of their other sodas are gluten free also, but don't quote me on this. (I'm not a soda drinker)

-donna

Thanks Richard,

I recently read the same thing, so, I went ahead and tried it with no problem at all.

Thanks!

Oh, that would be so nice - to be spontaneously cured!

I went into a sort of "remission" a few years ago. I went from the diet to eating "normal" and felt fine for several months until it finally caught up with me again just 5 or 6 months later. I had less antibodies before the remission, when I had been feeling really, really aweful. However, as soon as my symptoms returned (and not nearly to the extent I had had them previously) my antibody count was much higher. I guess that means they were building up regardless of the symptom-free period I went through.

Ah well, I pray for a cure or remedy or something. I can't wait to have my freedom back! Sure, I may be eating healthier overall, and I feel great now, but it would also be nice not to have to scrutinize every single ingredient and worry about contamination everywhere I go!

-donna

oh oh oh! My father-in-law was just saying how he'd like to go there!

I think that would be quite a drive though. At least 4 hours or more. I'd really like to see amish country too. I'll see what I can find out about the travelling distance for us......

thank!-donna

I have a lovely jam my mom bought me from her trip to Charleston SC and the only ingredient I'm unsure of is raspberry extract.

Are all extracts something to be weary of? Or is there something about vanilla extract in particular that we need to scrutinize?

Thanks,

-donna

Hi,

I'm in the same boat as you. I've been gluten-free for a year now and still can't gain weight. I'm pregnant now too, going into my 4th month and barely gaining anything at all. I crave the stuff I can't have and am bored with the things I usually eat. I just don't have enough variety in this diet, and quite frankly, I'm too busy and tired to cook all day, which leaves me trying to fill myself with little snacks all the time, like nuts, chips, yogurt, ice cream. I'm also somewhat lactose intolerant, meaning, I can have yogurt or ice cream later in the day, but I can not ever drink milk as a drink without feeling very, very ill. I don't like soy either, but, I have found goat milk to be a nice alternative.

Don't know if I've helped you at all, but at least you know you're not alone!

-donna

FYI, Carando Ham lovers,

I ate the spiral cut ham today and I feel just fine. I DID NOT have the glaze on it (it has wheat in it). I'm ultra sensitive, so.... if I'm okay, it must be safe

Thanks!

-donna

"Kraft labels well, but do they test?"

I'm sure they don't. If all you're going to buy is "tested" product, you'll be fairly limited.

richard

Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured. I'm going to go enjoy my ham now.

Have a good one!

-donna

Donna-

I called about the Carando Ham's Thursday. I was told that they have not been tested and they will not confirm that Carando Ham's are gluten free. I brought the ham back to the store and bought a Hillshire Farm Spiral with brown sugar glaze. Hope this helps.

Maybe this wasn't very safe of me, but I ran into this with a spaghetti sauce the other day. All the ingredients were gluten-free but the company wouldn't promise it was gluten-free. I had a bite with no problems. Honestly, if you can't rely on ingredients, then you can't trust anything, b/c I'll bet most companies don't test for gluten. Kraft labels well, but do they test?

-donna

Brown sugar is gluten-free. Can't say about the ham but the company's statement is standard CYA. MOST commercial products have never been tested. I doubt the Hillshire Farm ham has been "tested."

richard

Well, the brown sugar was the only ingredient I was not sure about. Other than that, I guess the only problem is possible contamination? Why else would I need to worry, if the ingredients are gluten-free? But it's not like ham goes through a lot of processing the way a bag of chips would go through a production line, so, perhaps there would be less chance of it containing any significant amount (?)

Well, I dont have much choice, so, I'll let you know how I turn out

Have a great Easter!

-donna

Hi,

I have a last minute problem figuring out if I can eat this spiral-cut Carando Ham. Can't call on the weekend. I know I can't have the glaze, but, the ham itself contains brown sugar. Is brown sugar always gluten-free?

Thanks,

-donna

Oooh, they both look like good recipes! Can't wait!

-donna

I have gotten sick from McD's fries on 2 occasions, from the same place - which I've also been able to eat successfully at. It could've been from being in the bag with the other food - maybe some breading from the nuggets got in there. It could've been from the people handling it. But after 2 episodes of that, I am officially done with McD's.

-donna

Don't mean to be a downer, but I've never particularly cared for any gluten-free bread. IMO, the Kinnickinnick (sp?) is too greasy. Maybe it's better toasted? I've never tried it that way. And it is so expensive to ship ($10!) that you have to order a lot to make it worthwhile, and stale frozen bread is not very appealing to me. Maybe I"ll try the Outside the Breadbox for a change. Oh, but I do like EnerG tapioca loaf, but ONLY toasted! I freeze it too, despite it telling me not to on the package. It lasts longer. Otherwise it sweats and gets a mushy coating on it - yuck!

-donna

Oooooh, that sounds so good!

I've always wondered about cider vinegar. What's the difference? Sweeter? I'm allergic to apples, so I don't use it. Wonder what a good alternative is?

I make my fish last night in peanut oil and it was fab! Gotta make my own tartar sauce though until I find one that is gluten-free.

Thanks for that recipe. I can't wait to try it!

Donna

And I always add (b/c this is something I kept being affected by) no to share condiments with your non-celiac family (get your own butter , jelly, etc.) and use your own toaster too. Make sure you are thoroughly washing pots after boiling regular pasta and spoons and such - they leave a residue sometimes if not washed really well. I found that I'd get sick even when I boiled up regular pasta for everyone else - don't know if it was the steam in the air or what, but it was impossible to correct, so, everyone eats gluten-free pasta now. And ditto about eating out. I know McD's french fries are gluten-free, but I've gotten sick 2x from them. Maybe they got contaminated in the bag, or when they were picked up. Who knows. Just try not eat out if you can. The margarine is a big issue too. Not only that, but I've seen butter with 'flavorings' in it, so you can't neccessarily trust butter either. Gotta check ingredients. Butter should be sweet cream and salt, unless you know the 'flavorings' are gluten-free. That makes eating out even harder. I don't trust anything. The people prepping the food don't have Celiac people in mind when they are cutting veggies and such. Salmonella and E-Colia are their primary concerns (raw meats and fish). I prefer to stay away from restaurants (well, I don't prefer it, but I prefer it to being sick ) Hope you're feeling better!

-donna

Congrats guys! I'm due Oct. 16! I gotta tell you, the nausea hasn't been easier this pregnancy (my 4th), but I'm also on prometrium, so, that might explain that. And yes, I am craving all the gluten-filled goodies! And being a tad bit more emotional than usual (!) doesn't help. We bought pizza and subs for the kids and my hubby this weekend and I actually cried while they ate it! I laugh now, but it's really hard when all you want to eat is hamburgers, fried chicken, and pizza. And my taste buds are REALLY PICKY right now. gluten-free food is not my craving if you catch my drift. I had to disquise my gluten-free waffles by dipping them into scrambled egg and sprinkling with cinnamon sugar (don't dip too long though, they fall apart) then cooking them like french toast. I can't even tell it's a waffle, or that it's gluten-free when I do that. Maybe the egg-i-ness does that, but it's VERY good! And meat? Ew! I have to disquise that too! I have to fry my fish and douse with tartar sauce. Today I'm making chuck wagon stew which is so spicy, you can barely taste the beef. Tomorrow I'm making american chop suey which ought to disquise the rice pasta and hamburg enough for me, and chicken stew I cook so long that the meat isn't quite as gamey and takes on some of the spices' flavors too. Every week I make something different (so far). Oh, and for snacks, we always used to make microwave popcorn, but lately? Ug! I can't stand the taste of the butter OR the smell! So....we're making it from scratch. I never cooked much, and when I'm pregnant I hate it even more, but being gluten-free has meant cooking MOST of the day! Like I'm not tired enough!

Geez, I didn't realize how negative this post is! Don't mean to make you worry more, but look at it this way, if you end up like me, maybe you can adopt some of these ideas!

I do hope you have a nausea-free and gluten-craving-free pregnancy! Remember it's only 9 months (it's only 9 months.....it's only 9 months.....it's only 9 months......) Mark your calendar every now and then for landmarks. I'm on 9 1/2 weeks (wasn't that a movie? don't think it was about pregnancy though )

Blessings!

-donna

Sounds very good, Stef, thank you!

Yes, I am looking for a bread dumpling - kind of like a bicuit, but I was actually looking through my pantry yesterday and found a gluten-free pancake and biscuit mix that ought to work just fine. If the flour is anything like the Bisquick brand I used to use, I should be able to mix it with water or milk until it's a pasty consistency and just drop them on top of the stew at the end for a few minutes. Aha, I see now. I will follow the pancake recipe on the back of the mix - it is by Arrowhead Mills. Ok.........

1c gluten-free pancake & baking mix

1egg beaten

1Tbs canola oil

1/4 c milk, water, soy or ricemilk (it says 1/4c +1Tbs, but you want it really pasty, not as watery as pancake mix - you may need even less than the 1/4c)

Then you just make a stew. Mine is real simple. Stef I'll put it here since you don't know what it is.

You can use a whole chicken, or legs or just a bunch of drumsticks. Enough to feed everyone. Just put it in the pot and cover it with cold water. Put it on the stove on med-med/high heat. Then add:

I use a cube of chicken broth from Herb Ox

1 or 2 bay leaves

1tsp Tarragon (this is my personal favorite

Salt and Pepper

Onions

Celery

When this JUST starts to boil (you don't want it to boil), turn it down low so that it is just simmering a little. May need to tip the lid so it won't foam over. Cook this for about 45mins to an hour, then add.....

Carrots

Potatos

And cook this for about an hour, or until the veggies are the way you like them. Then mix up your dumplings, drop them on top of the stew, and cook them until they look bready. If there is too much liquid in the stew, take a little out so that the dumplings will sit on top of the meat and veggies and won't get soggy. It's the steam that cooks them more so than the liquid.

When it's all done, just spoon ou the dumplings into a bowl or plate first, then dig into the rest! When I don't use dumplings, I just throw a bag of boil-in-bag rice at the last 15 minutes, and it gives the rice a fabulous taste. Mmmmmm.....I'm hungry now!

~Joy

Wow! Not bad! And I love Target too. It looks nice and compact. Thanks!

I buy mine from a friend who works for Market America. I take a mutivitamin, calcium, antioxidant blend (basically VitC&E) and the OPC and Orac. They are isotonic: a powder you mix with water that is the same PH as your body's natural fluids. After minutes of drinking it, once it enters the stomach, it immediatately opens the pyloric valve and is absorbed 95-99% (?) within 15 minutes (so they say). I used to work for this company too, and I admit, the stuff is pricey, but I haven't felt this good in my whole life - even before I ever had any celiac symptoms! Oh yeah, I take all those things in one glass, first thing in the morning, then I eat, and then I take a b-complex (also isotonic)and a magnesium pill as I hear it is best absorbed if taken with or after a meal. You can get aloe juice just about any health food store, but I prefer the Market America one with strawberry kiwi flavor(when I can afford it!). All those things I mentioned are gluten-free (obviously). I cringe when I look at how much money I spend on all this, but it has been so worthwhile. I am going to look into those liquid vits Kaiti recommended - maybe it'll save me a few bucks! Oh, speaking of, I get my OPC from www.opc.cc now. It's way cheaper and is actually stronger than the Market Am. brand (doesn't taste as good though)

-donna

Thanks, I'm going to try it with haddock tonight. Can't wait!

Don't want to disappoint you. I don't have the recipes you're lookin for, but I'm looking forward to some too! I've been CRAVING chinese food!!! Especially a good sauce, other than soy sauce (yuck).

However, you mentioned a deep-fryer, and someone else on a thread I had going mentioned it too (or maybe it was you?). Anyway, what is it like? Small enough for a counter-top? Have a lid to reduce splatter? Expensive? What brand?

Thanks,

-donna

Hunt's ketchup, eh? No wonder I've had problems! And I thought it was morning sickness! Oh, this makes me so mad!

Oops, nevermind, it is Heinz. must be morning sickness afterall!

Does organic go bad faster?

-donna

Kate,

Can you recall at all how it was made? Did it need sugar? Or egg? Oil? Any type of flour?

Thanks,

-d