How To Deal With Holiday Cookin/baking?

[LuvMoosic4life]

This has been depressing me to no end. I'm the only person in my family who recognized they have a gluten intolerance...I dunno if it's celiac or not. I REFUSE to eat gluten, but there is no way in hell my family will accept my choice 100% or even understand it or even change thier ways at all. Which is fine,whatver, I dont live with them, but it would be nice to have a little support from them

I have just been thinking about the future and all of the holidays involving food- thanksgiving /xmas. When it comes to cooking and baking, most of it is my role. Especially homeade rolls and cut out x-mas cookies, which my family would probably cry if I didnt make them. I don't mind still baking and cooking gluten stuff for them, but I would much rather not, especially since flour usually flies all over the place when I bake. I'm just worried about cc. I am not EXTREMELY sensitive like some on here, but I do notice when I get CC'd and I really really dont like it. Is it safe for me to still bake for them? I do plan on experimenting with some gluten free recipes (in hopes to get them to like it better) but there are some foods my family JUST cannot go without during the holidays since it has pretty much become the tradition for years. Maybe I'm just getting gluten paranoid, but I just feel like no matter what I do, I will be cc'd when staying with family for the holiday.

and I'm really sick of people putting me down for not being about to eat gluten. I really dont even like explaining it anymore, especially at work when people bring in cookies..ect... I know what is good for me and gluten-free makes me happy, but people have to keep rubbing it into me that it sucks. I dont think it sucks at all b/c I am so glad I'm not walking around with aballoon and buring knife in my stomach 24-7. I am glad to give up bread the rest of my life, but people think I'm crazy, as much as I explain I dont miss gluten. (sorry had to rant again aaarrgg!)

[cruelshoes]

You are at great risk of glutening yourself cooking with gluten flour. That stuff gets everywhere. We do not allow gluten of any kind in our house, but especially not flour. My feeling on the matter is that I will not cook or bake something that I cannot eat. Period, end of story. If my family wants cookies, they are gluten-free. If they want rolls, they will be gluten-free, or get the brown and serve ones from the store that you just have to warm up in the oven. This last christmas I made russian tea cakes, candy cane cookies, cut out sugar cookies, fudge, and about a dozen other things. None of then had gluten and nobody even noticed. I didn't bring a single cookie home with me from any family event. Here is a Open Original Shared Link that will knock your socks off.

You have plenty of time between now and the holidays to experiment and find recipes you like. I'm sure you can find lots of gluten eaters in your life to sample and tell you know how things taste. Don't mention anything to your family, just smile and assure them that everything will be taken care of. Then when Christmas rolls around, let them dig in to the cookies, and then you casually start eating them too. Their jaws will drop when they think you are cheating, but the joke will be on them because they will be eating gluten-free without even knowing it. HA!!!

When somebody at work brings in cookies, I say "none for me, thanks." If they want to give me a hard time, I just smile and thank them for their concern. I really don't have many people giving me grief about it, though. I think if we have a positive attitude about it, it carries over to how people treat us (barring the occasional dimwit who just doesn't get it.)

[dionnek]

I agree with Cruelshoes - I refuse to cook with gluten flour. I LOVE to bake, and at first was devastated when I was dx with celiac 2 years ago, but I have adapted all of my "famous" recipes to be gluten-free and no one knows the difference. I still make sugar cookies at Christmas (gluten-free, of course), and banana bread and rolls and all the family birthday cakes, and they all love it (and are even more impressed that they are gluten free!). You can find a lot of great recipes on this site and other internet sites. I like to use Pamela's gluten-free baking mix for most of my baking, but also do the rice/tapioca/potatoe flour/starch blends (need to buy some xantham gum if you are going to make your own flour mix).

I also just smile and say "no thanks" to all the treats at work. If people give me a hard time I just say I'm allergic (so much easier).

[MNBeth]

Amen to all of the above. Bread baking was my primary hobby for about 10 years before my diagnosis last fall, but I won't bring wheat flour into the house any more. After I went gluten-free I got sick just cleaning up my grain mill to give it away. Flour is just too hard to contain.

I know it is maddening when your family doesn't understand, but I don't think risking your health because they don't accept your situation is the right answer.

Gluten free baked goods really can be very good. Not, in my opinion, yeast breads, unfortunately. I really only likes really good yeast breads before I went off gluten, so gluten-free yeast breads just aren't worth the calories to me. Quick breads, cookies and cakes, however, can be barely distinguishable from their gluten counterparts. I just made a Texas Sheet Cake this weekend that everyone was crazy about and no one could tell was gluten free. I make muffins all the time, and cookies, too. Mostly I've just adapted my own favorite recipes from before. I'm pretty picky about my baked goods, but have been really happy with what I've been able to do.

It would be good, though, to use these months to play around and get your recipes tweaked to your satisfaction. Then when the holidays roll around, buy some good bread and make gluten-free everything else.

And if, after all that, your family still insists on having gluteny baked goods, they are welcome to make them themselves. There is no reason for you to feel obligated to accomodate their unreasonable demands.

[gfpaperdoll]

You can make all your Christmas goodies gluten-free. I bake things like: hello dolly cookies, lemon bars, chocolate chunk cookies, mincemeat cookies, little fruitcake like cupcakes - just all fruit & nuts with a bit of an egg batter with a little gluten-free flour, they taste excellent, you of course can pour a little brandy on them. Really almost all dessert recipes can be easily converted to gluten-free, carrot cake, banana bread etc etc. chocolate cake turns out perfect.

There are also the lemon ice box pies, fruit pies, & the candies homemade fudge, divinity, peanut brittle, etc

All my goodies are excellent & everyone loves them - yep even the gluten eaters - that do not care what they are eating as long as it tastes good!!!

[kbtoyssni]

I wouldn't cook anything with gluten. I understand that this might be upsetting to the family, but holidays should be able the people not about the food. Most of your old recipes can be made gluten-free. I substituted a gluten-free flour mix for the wheat flour and added 1/2 or 1 tsp xanthum gum to all my old recipes, and it's hard to tell the difference.

[Jestgar]

I say, if you're the one cooking, you're the one deciding what to make.

[Puddy]

I'm really not the 'baker' in my family, my daughter is. But I told her no more wheat flour or cake mixes in the house and she's actually been having a ball trying out the old recipes using gluten-free flour. She's had the best luck with Pamela's gluten-free baking mix and I've even made some pretty delicious blueberry muffins. Nothing has tasted terrible, just different than it used to and when it comes right down to it, pretty delicious.

[ShayFL]

I agree with Jestgar!!

I made chocolate chip cookies today and my daughter ate one and said "Mom are you sure these are gluten free?" Well of course they are!! You really cannot tell a difference. Especially if you can still use real butter and real sugar. I dont eat those...so the cookies I made today was just for my DH and DD. On a scale of 1 to 10 on my desire to eat one (10 being strong desire)...I was about at a 3. I continue to be surprised at just how little I want junk anymore. I am eating whole foods now and loving them. Fruits taste so sweet now.

Anyway, I would bake gluten-free of whatever you normally bake and let em try to figure it out.......

[LuvMoosic4life]

thanks so much everyone. I'm definitly making all gluten-free x-mas cookies and cant wait to experiment with baking once I can afford to!!!. I am pretty much refusing to even get near baking with the "evil" white stuff I figured what I will do is give my mom a couple of my recipes that I used to make with gluten. she can make them at her place (I dont live there) and just bring it with in a container for my oh so picky family (and keep it away from my food). My brother will absolutely not go through a holiday without homeade rolls (unless I can make a recipe gluten-free that tastes really close to what i did- maybe I'll experiment) seriously, when I used to make them he would literally stand next to the oven and grab one and butter it the minute I pulled the tray out I figure at worst my mom can make the dough at her place for the gluten rolls and bake them in the oven where we have the get to gether (after all of the food has been cooked/baked of course)

has anyone ever tried making stuffing with gluten-free bread? I would think that wouldnt taste much differant- if not, better. I also need to experiment with gluten-free green bean caserol, which should be easy, I can just carmelize some onions and make a gluten-free sauce.....now I'm making myself hungry...

[LuvMoosic4life]

You are at great risk of glutening yourself cooking with gluten flour. That stuff gets everywhere. We do not allow gluten of any kind in our house, but especially not flour. My feeling on the matter is that I will not cook or bake something that I cannot eat. Period, end of story. If my family wants cookies, they are gluten-free. If they want rolls, they will be gluten-free, or get the brown and serve ones from the store that you just have to warm up in the oven. This last christmas I made russian tea cakes, candy cane cookies, cut out sugar cookies, fudge, and about a dozen other things. None of then had gluten and nobody even noticed. I didn't bring a single cookie home with me from any family event. Here is a Open Original Shared Link that will knock your socks off.

You have plenty of time between now and the holidays to experiment and find recipes you like. I'm sure you can find lots of gluten eaters in your life to sample and tell you know how things taste. Don't mention anything to your family, just smile and assure them that everything will be taken care of. Then when Christmas rolls around, let them dig in to the cookies, and then you casually start eating them too. Their jaws will drop when they think you are cheating, but the joke will be on them because they will be eating gluten-free without even knowing it. HA!!!

When somebody at work brings in cookies, I say "none for me, thanks." If they want to give me a hard time, I just smile and thank them for their concern. I really don't have many people giving me grief about it, though. I think if we have a positive attitude about it, it carries over to how people treat us (barring the occasional dimwit who just doesn't get it.)

thanks for the recipe! I will have to try it, but substitute something for the potato starch since I'm finding potato bothers me, especially the processed kind in gluten-free foods.

[JNBunnie1]

thanks for the recipe! I will have to try it, but substitute something for the potato starch since I'm finding potato bothers me, especially the processed kind in gluten-free foods.

You can use arrowroot starch and tapioca starch, 1/2 & 1/2 is best, to replace potato starch.

For stuffing, the Ener-G tapioca brown loaf that comes in that little creepy bag on the shelf works AWESOME for stuffing. It's not edible any other way, because it has no taste whatsoever, but for normal stuffing with onions, celery, and chicken broth, it's delicious. We were amazed.

[happygirl]

has anyone ever tried making stuffing with gluten-free bread? I would think that wouldnt taste much differant- if not, better.

Yes, and it always turns out great. Stuffing is an easy one, luckily.

Hang in there---it will all work out.

[dbmamaz]

You can put gluten-free corn bread in a corn bread stuffing and not notice the difference.

My 4 yo, who is not off gluten, loves these roll-out cookies better than any other cookie, pretty much.

Sugar cookies

1

[Ridgewalker]

Please don't bake with wheat flour. You'll end up sick every time. I'm still trying to get my mom to see this. It flies EVERYWHERE. There's no keeping it under control. The precautions you'd have to take for yourself are extreme: doing all the measuring AND mixing outside, wearing a surgical mask, and changing clothes and showering as soon as you're done. Who wants to go through all that for a food you can't even eat?

I almost always substitute corn starch for potato starch, simply because it's so cheap. So far, I haven't made a single recipe that that didn't work for.

I haven't found a dinner roll recipe that measures up to gluteny rolls yet. Still looking.

Here's my favorite recipe for rollable, cut-out cookies. Got it from Melissa/Crittermom, and it's awesome- all the gluten-eaters scarf them. Definitely use REAL butter if you can tolerate dairy. If not, Smart Balance is gluten-free and vegan- which should make it dairy-free, I believe, and it has a good flavor.

Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-3/4 all purpose gluten-free baking flour (see note)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture.

Cover and chill for 1 hour or until easy to handle. (Leaving it in the fridge overnight is fine, but the dough will become very hard, and you'll need to set it out on the counter for awhile before using.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/4 in thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Note: I use an all purpose blend that I keep made up at all time so I can grab some when I need it: 2 c. white rice flour, 1 c. tapioca flour, 1 c. corn starch

[MyMississippi]

I think your best plan, in order for you to not be miserable and stressed, is to just cook all your goodies the gluten free way and DO NOT TELL ANYONE------- Dollars to donuts, they will never know the difference.

Most of your recipes wil convert to gluten free with a few alterations---- No one has to feel deprived----

Then after they have been eating the baked goods for awhile and LIKE them, you can break the news to them and say "since you don't know the difference, this is how I will be cooking from now on."

[kbtoyssni]

has anyone ever tried making stuffing with gluten-free bread? I would think that wouldnt taste much differant- if not, better. I also need to experiment with gluten-free green bean caserol, which should be easy, I can just carmelize some onions and make a gluten-free sauce.....now I'm making myself hungry...

I freeze all of my failed breadmaking attempts as well as yucky gluten-free bread I've purchased to use as bread crumbs for stuffing. It tastes fine once it's in stuffing form.

[LuvMoosic4life]

Please don't bake with wheat flour. You'll end up sick every time. I'm still trying to get my mom to see this. It flies EVERYWHERE. There's no keeping it under control. The precautions you'd have to take for yourself are extreme: doing all the measuring AND mixing outside, wearing a surgical mask, and changing clothes and showering as soon as you're done. Who wants to go through all that for a food you can't even eat?

I almost always substitute corn starch for potato starch, simply because it's so cheap. So far, I haven't made a single recipe that that didn't work for.

I haven't found a dinner roll recipe that measures up to gluteny rolls yet. Still looking.

Here's my favorite recipe for rollable, cut-out cookies. Got it from Melissa/Crittermom, and it's awesome- all the gluten-eaters scarf them. Definitely use REAL butter if you can tolerate dairy. If not, Smart Balance is gluten-free and vegan- which should make it dairy-free, I believe, and it has a good flavor.

Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-3/4 all purpose gluten-free baking flour (see note)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture.

Cover and chill for 1 hour or until easy to handle. (Leaving it in the fridge overnight is fine, but the dough will become very hard, and you'll need to set it out on the counter for awhile before using.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/4 in thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Note: I use an all purpose blend that I keep made up at all time so I can grab some when I need it: 2 c. white rice flour, 1 c. tapioca flour, 1 c. corn starch

thanks! I will try that recipe. it looks very similar to the gluten cut outs I used to make! have you ever tried domata flour?

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