lpellegr

Kraft will clearly label any gluten ingredients, so if you don't see any, it's fine. Skippy is also fine.

I love lebanon boloney. If you grow up in Pennsylvania you encounter a lot of this stuff. If you've never tried it fried, cut each piece in half and make a few slashes in the edge. Put in a hot frying pan and watch it shrink like a shrinky dink. Cook on both sides. I used to pile a whole bunch of these up on some soft white bread and let the smoky grease soak into the bread, but I guess that's out now! Mmmmm, you'll be burping up smoky goodness the rest of the day. All the other brands of lebanon that I have checked out are also gluten-free.

Alia,

I think the Ian's chicken nuggets are the possibly the nastiest gluten free product on the market. Or at least I hope there is nothing worse.

I guess you've never had Enjoy Life No-Oats Oatmeal cookies! I went around sharing these with people I work with just to see the look on their face after their first bite. Nastiest gluten-free thing I've tried so far.

I second (or third or fourth) the Bell and Evans frozen breaded gluten-free chicken. My non-gluten-free son requests them over regular ones or homemade.

I think we should all contact Campbell's and beg them to make some gluten-free soups, using Rice Chex as an example of a manufacturer now getting thousands of new customers. We need cream soups for baking, tomato soup, and just about anything else! If enough of us ask, maybe they'll start thinking about the thousands of customers they're losing.

I read about it - another little Pennsylvania earthquake. Apparently they occur frequently but are hardly noticeable. When I went to college in Lancaster I experienced one - just a Boom! and a slight jolt like somebody dropped a piano on the floor above. Found out later that was an earthquake. Who knew they had earthquakes in Lancaster?

Try baking an extra 5 minutes at a time, and tapping on the bread until it seems solid. Also make sure not to let it rise too much - the top should just be to the top of the pan when you put it in. I have found that baking at 25 degrees less than called for can help keep it from getting too dark. I have better luck with recipes calling for 2 cups of flour than 3 cups of flour. All that said, sometimes it's perfect (like in my picture here) and sometimes it squashes down to half size! Usually the old familiar recipes work and new ones don't, so each recipe might have its own idiosyncracies. I kept trying things with one recipe until I got it consistent, rather than trying different breads.

Whenever I read recipes that say you can double them, they always say DON'T double the yeast! That's already a lot of yeast for that much flour, so you should be fine. Good luck with it! If you get a nice chewy crust, post it for those of us who like it that way.

So, if I basically use one of each catergory this will be my multi purpose flour? Now, with this flour can I use it in any recipes asking for regular flour? Another words can I use it for breads, doughs, cookies etc.?

I would caution you that if you're new to this and you think you can just substitute this gluten-free flour mix in your old recipes and get the same results you're going to be disappointed. Very seldom is it that simple. I would recommend that you buy a gluten-free cookbook or two and start trying out the recipes as written until you feel comfortable with them, or look up recipes on this site. If you have been a baker in the past and made your own bread, forget all of that. I used to knead bread all the time and make pizza from scratch once a week, but gluten-free baking has been a challenge even after 4 years, especially since I am too cheap to buy premade mixes. I buy rice, tapioca, and other flours at an Asian market to get the best prices and make my own flour mixes. I do have to pay more for xanthan gum and exotic flours at Whole Foods or online, but sometimes it's necessary. After you have been experimenting for a while you will find a few recipes for breads and muffins and cookies that work for you and you'll be able to satisfy your needs with them, but expect to have a lot of flops at first. Look through this forum for recommendations on which cookbooks - I started with Bette Hagman, but from what I've read in recent years there are others that might be more successful and simpler. Bette uses a lot of ingredients that most people don't have on hand and her textures could be improved upon. Whatever your results, keep trying. And remember, flops can always be made into crumbs for another use.

Chocolate mousse pie. If you don't have a springform pan, bake it in whatever you want - it just might not come out of the pan pretty at the edges. I have made it in foil cupcake papers too, just baking for less time.

10-1/2 oz chocolate (they specify 70% cocoa, but use what you want. This is 2-1/2 of the Ghirardelli baking bars. You get to eat the other half while you bake)

1-1/2 c sugar

1-1/4 sticks of butter (could maybe sub Crisco or margarine or some other fat to avoid dairy) = 10T

5 eggs

ground almonds (can do without)

pinch of salt

powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. If using a springform pan (they say 8 or 9 inch, but I use a 12 with no problem), spray it with cooking spray and dust with ground almonds if you have them.

Break the chocolate into pieces, cut up the butter, dump into a bowl along with the sugar. Microwave 30 sec at a time until everything is melted, stirring in between, until all is melted and smooth. Add a pinch of salt.

Beat 5 eggs + 1 T of ground almonds (you can totally skip the almonds with no difference) in a second bowl, then fold into the chocolate and stir several minutes until thickened.

Pour into the prepared pan or cupcake papers and bake 45 minutes or until top is set and begins to crack. Go less time for the cupcakes. Remove sides of pan and let cool. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.

This comes out like slightly gooey fudge or very wet brownies. It does not cut cleanly, so the pieces aren't necessarily pretty, but it tastes so good (and a small piece goes a long way) that nobody will care what it looks like once they get a bite.

Do you know yet how you react to oats? Most oats are cross-contaminated by grains we can't have during handling. Some of us even react to gluten-free oats. If I were you I would avoid oat products until you know how you react to gluten-free oats, and then I would stll avoid oats if they're not guaranteed gluten-free.

Saltines. And Ritz crackers. What's the point of finding Heinz tomato soup that tastes like Campbell's and is gluten-free if I can't crumble a whole sleeve of saltines into it? Sigh.

I got the gluten-free oats and chowed down on a batch of oatmeal scones, and unfortunately found out that I can't eat oats even if gluten-free. I had the same reaction from those that I had from any other gluten source (although I figured I was already screwed and went ahead and ate the rest, my last taste of oats). For folks like us, you might want to keep oats out of your products to avoid cross-contamination of the oat-free products. And to think I ate 3 bowls of Cheerios a day for 30 years before I made the connection.

Just to throw a little goofiness into this discussion, here's what I had for breakfast this week:

leftover baked beans (B&M)

leftover roast beef and mashed potatoes

scrambled eggs with cheese and leftover bacon

frozen homemade corn muffins with butter and honey

homemade split pea soup

I'm out of leftovers from last weekend's cooking binge, so tomorrow will probably be plain yogurt with chocolate syrup and cashews. I used to stress over the lack of breakfast options until I decided that food was food, no matter what time it is. Time for another cooking binge to last me through next week. Mmmmm, meatballs for breakfast would be fantastic....

Yes, the scoops could cause cross-contamination if all they do is wipe them off with a paper towel between grains. Even though buying in bulk from open bins seems like a good idea in terms of price, the risk of cross-contamination is too high. Customers could also put the wrong scoops in the wrong bin and you would never know.

I know this store has ordered gluten-free wedding cakes for customers. They are about 15 minutes across the PA/NJ border taking Rt 95. Ask them for help.

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Yes, it does suck to be gluten-free. Nobody here will argue with that. As for meats - Some brands of prepackaged deli meat are gluten-free (but don't get it sliced at the deli counter because you don't know what else was on the slicer). Hillshire Farms ham and turkey are good and easy to travel with. Oscar Mayer deli meats are also gluten-free, if you can face bologna after all that meatless time. Their hot dogs, too. Boar's Head salami, pepperoni, and those kinds of meats are gluten-free, as is their bacon, and they clearly label it with "gluten-free". Bell and Evans makes frozen breaded gluten-free chicken strips and nuggets, just make sure the box is labeled gluten-free because they also have regular - these are nice to keep around for when you don't know what else to eat. Al Fresco chicken sausages are gluten-free. Applegate Farms makes a lot of gluten-free meats. Steak-Umms are gluten-free and easy to break up and add to just about anything you're cooking. Raw chicken, beef, or pork should be fine, but avoid anything pre-marinated. If you keep an eye on this forum you will see a lot of info on brands that are gluten-free. Also look for frozen shrimp on sale as a nice protein to throw into a stir-fry or risotto. Canned tuna is another option (avoid hydrolyzed veg protein if it isn't identified, but if it's from wheat they should have to say so). Even Spam is gluten-free!

It might take a while for you to find the stores around you that have the items you need. I gave up on most gluten-free baked goods except for the occasional Van's waffles. I figured out over the course of time which stores around me have the items I need - none of them have it all except maybe Whole Foods. So I go there for specialty items and get a lot at one time. I go to several regular grocery stores, each of which has a few items, and just keep mental notes of which store has gluten-free pretzels, which has Nut-Thins crackers, etc. I go to an Asian store for rice flour and tapioca for my baking. Don't expect to find it all in one place, and if you learn to live without processed foods, you won't have to look as hard to find stuff to eat.

Just made this one tonight and it was great - not too thick, crisp on the bottom, good crunchy crust.

1-1/2 c gluten-free flour - I used Bette Hagman's original (rice, tapioca, potato starch). I left myself a note on the page that says not to use the bean flour mix.

1 1/2 t baking powder

1 t xanthan gum

1/2 t salt

1 t sugar

2 t (1 packet) yeast - Rapid Rise for thicker, regular for less so

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. I sometimes throw in ground flaxseed for fiber.

Mix the wet ingredients with your mixer:

1 egg

1 T oil (i use olive oil)

7/8 c warm water (don't put all in - hold some back until you see if you need it)

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth. It should be a little too wet to hold together in a ball.

Pour out onto a greased round pizza pan, spreading with a spatula and building up an edge all around. Let rise about 15 minutes.

Add toppings and bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes.

The original recipe had you put the yeast and sugar in the water and let it foam before adding it to the egg and oil, but this works just as well.

I have never seen a recipe that calls for that much mixing. I use mostly the Bette Hagman recipes, which call for 3 minutes of mixing in a stand mixer. If you're going to make bread frequently it would be worth the investment to get a Kitchenaid mixer to do the hard work for you. Once the xanthan gum gets wet, these doughs are very hard to mix by hand or even with a lightweight mixer. Lately I have been having better luck with my bread not falling by following these steps - I turned the oven down to 375 where the recipe calls for 400. I make sure the short end of the bread pan faces the door, not the long side - this keeps the bread rising evenly as it bakes. I use recipes that only call for 2 cups of flour - I have worse luck with 3 cup recipes. I only add 3/4 of the water until I can judge the consistency of the dough - it should not form a ball, but be just wet enough to not do that. If it looks too dry I add water a spoonful at a time and see if it "unballs" while it mixes. I only let it rise till the highest point is at the top of the pan, and heat the oven while that happens so it is really truly at temperature when the bread goes in. When the time is up I tap on the top - if it gives at all, I give it 5 more minutes, and more if it still needs it after that. It has taken me a while to start getting good results consistently - keep trying and keep track of what works and note it on your recipe. Good luck and remember you can always use your failures for croutons and bread crumbs.

Yup, it's a form of wheat. Also stay away from einkorn, kamut, and spelt, all forms of wheat. Feel better soon, and at least you gained knowledge and experience from your misfortune.

As I understand it from years ago when I was a milk-beast myself for my newborns, colostrum is the first milk produced by the mother after the birth of her infant. It is rich in maternal antibodies among other things that the new little mammal needs, but it is definitely milk. I didn't think you could find such a thing commercially, considering what a limited supply each cow or other mother would make. You'd have to compete with the newborn for its first nursing. I would expect anything coming out of the udders of a cow to contain lactose, whether raw or otherwise.

Here's another butter/spritz cookie recipe that works well for me and has that nice sandy shortbread texture.

1 c butter

2/3 c sugar

3 egg yolks (do not substitute whole eggs if you want them sandy, because egg whites will cause them to puff up)

1 t almond or vanilla flavoring

2 c brown rice flour

1/2 c sweet rice flour

1/2 t salt

Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg yolks and flavoring. Add in the sweet rice flour and the brown rice flour and salt and mix until it makes a nice non-sticky dough. You may need to add a little more or less flour to get it the right texture. Put through cookie press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake at 400F for 7 - 10 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.

Alas, I don't think anyone has mastered gluten-free hard pretzels. Those are one of the few things where I'll bite the bullet and buy the gluten-free substitute instead of making it.

Sorry if you needed this by Thanksgiving, but I just saw the thread. Try this, adapted from the Gluten-Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman. It tastes just like the Crisco recipe and handles well.

1 c white rice flour

3/4 c tapioca flour

3/4 c cornstarch

1 rounded teaspoon xanthan gum

3/4 t salt

1 T sugar

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in 3/4 c of shortening or butter.

Mix: 1 egg, slightly beaten

1 T vinegar

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Start adding cold water, 1 T at a time, and tossing with a fork to mix. Stop adding water when everything can be balled up together and not leave dry stuff behind. Don't mix it or squeeze it more than you need to or it will get tough.

Cut it in half - if you don't need two crusts you can freeze one. I have used one a year old with good results. Wrap up each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes (you can skip this and it will still work). Roll out each piece on waxed paper, dusting with rice flour as needed. Invert the pie pan over the rolled dough, slip your hand under the waxed paper and flip the whole thing over to get the crust into the pan. Finish as you would usually. Prebake or bake with filling as called for in your pie recipe.

You could try a "dump cake" - get a can of whatever fruit pie filling looks good and put it in a baking dish, pour your box of cake mix over it, cut up a stick of butter and scatter that on top, then bake until the top is crusty. Mmmm. If you serve it over ice cream while it's still hot it's amazing.

When my kids were little we put edible ornaments on our trees outside, mostly smeared with peanut butter and dipped in birdseed. We cut shapes out of toast with cookie cutters and made a string loop just big enough to slip over a branch. We also did the same with fallen pine cones. We did notice that the decorations tended to disappear, so I think the squirrels ran away with them. Use natural fiber for the string loop because it would probably cause fewer problems if eaten than something synthetic. Might be a good way to use up stale, nasty gluten-free bread.