angel-jd1

I just had sinus surgery and I can't walk, run, 'heavily' excerise, or lift anything over five pounds for two weeks. So basically waste away anyway, since I know I can't have playdoh, my folks went and got me a package of floam. It's all bubbly and squishy. I love to squeeze it!!! Problem is, being so out of it, I threw the package it came in and the bucket you put it in when your done doesn't have any contact info. So, I have no idea if it's gluten-free. Help?

-Ash

I tried to google "floam ingredients" and didn't have any luck, however did find recipes to make your OWN floam.....among other things. Looks like in this recipe they use glue....I know some glues are not safe....some are.....can you try to call the floam company?

HOW TO MAKE FLOAM

INGREDIENTS:

2-Tsp. Borax (available in laundry aisle at your

grocery store)

½-Cup Water (Tap water is fine)

¼-Cup White Glue (available in

Craft/Department/Discount Stores)

¼-Cup Water (Tap water is fine)

1-Zip Lock Bag (1 qt. Bag is best)

Food Coloring (Optional- kids like colors)

Styrofoam Beads (about 2 - bathroom 3 oz. cups

full for above)

MIXING DIRECTIONS -

1. Dissolve 2-Tsp. Borax Completely in ½-cup (4

oz.) water.

2. In a separate bowl mix ¼-cup (2 oz.) white

glue and ¼-cup (2 oz.) water.

Add food coloring of your choice to this

solution.

3. Pour the glue solution into a zip lock bag.

Then add 1-Tbs. of the

Borax/water solution to the glue solution. At

this point you will think that

this stuff will never come out of this bag.

4. Add Styrofoam Beads to the mixture to make

"Floam".

5. Seal bag and knead by hand until thoroughly

mixed. Let stand about 15

minutes, and then knead by hand again. Take out

of bag when the gel

("Floam") separates easily from the inside bag

walls. It will have the

consistency of dough.

Where to buy the microbeads [someone recommended

buying here].

Open Original Shared Link..

They currently sell

1 gallon of the teenie tiny microbeads (you

really want the smallest ones

you can find as they make for more realistic

Floam) for less than $12.

Personally, I bought my 1/2 cubic foot giant bag

of these beads, which

appears to me to be more than a gallon, at Hobby

Lobby for $14.92. Pay tax,

but no shipping (or waiting).

Floam

1 Tbs. Borax

1 Cup Water

¼ Cup White Glue(or 4% polyvinyl alcohol)

¼ Cup Water

1 Zip Lock Bag

Food Coloring

Styrofoam Beads

1. Dissolve 1 Tbs. Borax Completely in 1 cup

water

2. In a separate bowl mix ¼ cup white glue and ¼

cup water

3. Mix equal parts of Borax solution to equal

parts of glue

solution in zip lock bag ( ½ cup of each = 1 cup

of slime)

4. Add a few drops of food coloring

5. Seal bag and knead by hand

6. Add Styrofoam Beads to the mixture to make

"Floam"

Explanation: Borax acts as a crosslinking agent

or "connector" for the

glue (polyvinyl acetate) molecules.

The glue molecules join together to form even

larger molecules called

polymers: result - a thickened gel very similar

to slime.

If you have access to a chemical supply house,

try a 4% solution of

polyvinyl alcohol instead of glue for a less

rubbery polymer. It will be

more transparent & show off color better.

Blubber

½ Cup water

½ Cup glue

½ Cup water

2 Tbsp Borax

1. Do not use cheap glue that has too much water

in it.

2. Mix ½ cup water with ½ cup glue

3. In a separate container, mix ½ cup water with

2 T Borax (You'll find this

hidden away in a tiny recess of your detergent

aisle)

3. Now, while stirring the Borax mixture

constantly, add the glue mixture.

It should immediately glump up and look like

blubber (Or at least what we

imagine blubber to look like.)

4. If it isn't really glumpy and tough, mix up

more Borax mixture and add

that to it. Use the same toys as with silly

putty. This does not stick to

things as much as silly putty.

SLIME

1 Part Liquid starch

2 Part Elmer's Glue

Food Coloring (opt.)

Mix and enjoy. It's supposed to be like slime.

Modeling "Goop"

2/3 cup water

2 cups salt

1/2 cup water

1 cup cornstarch

beads, colored macaroni and other small objects

Add 2/3 cup water to the salt in a pan, stir and

cook over med. heat,

stirring 4-5

minutes until salt is dissolved. Remove mix from

heat. Gradually mix 1/2 cup

water with the cornstarch in a separate

container. Stir until smooth. Add

the

cornstarch mixture to the salt mixture. Return to

low heat and stir and cook

until

smooth. The goop will thicken quickly. Remove

from heat and use for modeling

objects. Objects made from this goop can also be

hardened in the sun. This

mix

will not crumble when dry. Objects like macaroni,

etc. can be added to the

goop,

and adhered to the models.

Flubber

Solution A:

1 1/2 C. Warm Water

2 c. Elmers Glue

Food Coloring

Solution B:

4 tsp. Borax

1 1/3 C. Warm water

Mix solution A in one bowl, mix solution B in

another bowl. Dissolve both

well. Then just pour solution A into solution B,

DO NOT MIX OR STIR! Just

lift out flubber. I made this with my daughters

class, and the teacher &

children loved it! It's neater than "Gak" or

"slime". And it also a safe

chemical reaction for the kids to see. I used a

glass bowl for solution B so

the kids could see the flubber form in the bowl.

It just becomes a big

"cloud" of rubbery stuff. Store in baggies. If

you half the recipe, you only

need to half the solution A and it will work the

same.

Homemade Silly Putty

2 parts white glue

1 part liquid starch

Mix ingredients and let dry until workable. Add

more glue or starch if

necessary. May not work on humid days. Store in

airtight container.

Modeling Clay

2 cups salt

2/3 cup water

1 cup cornstarch

½ cup water (cold)

Stir salt and water over heat for about 5

minutes. Remove from heat and

stir in cornstarch and cold water. Mix until

smooth, return to heat and cook

until thick. Cool before using. Store in plastic

bag.

Cookie Clay

2 cups salt

2/3 cups water

1 cup cornstarch

½ cup cold water

Mix salt with water in saucepan. Stir and boil.

Add cornstarch and cold

water. Keep heating if it does not get thick.

Roll out dough on board

floured with cornstarch. Dry and decorate

ornaments.

I made some mexican pizza today. It was pretty darn good. Cheezy and Saucey mmmmmmmm Maybe that will satisfy my craving for a while..........maybe

-Jessica

That is exactly why I do not trust many people to cook food for me. I would rather lug a whole cooler of stuff for myself than have a situation like that arise.

You were upset because he did not understand cross contamination and contaminated your food. He was upset because he "thought" he cooked your food very special for you and "thought" he went out of his way to be nice. When you did not eat the food and only explained that "you weren't hungry" thinking that would be the most polite way out of it, he felt like you made a big "to do" for nothing. Ahhhhhhhh so much mis-communication.

If it were me and I was in that situation I would have tried to pull him aside and explain why I couldn't eat the burger he cooked for me. I would thank him generously for trying so hard, but tell him that you really couldn't risk getting sick. I know that a 5 min. lesson on CC in the beginning of my diagnosis would not have been enough to "get it" and know how to cook something. Our diet is very hard and you can't rely on others to totally "get it".

In the future, however, bring your own food!!! It will save you a ton of headaches.

-Jessica

I usually dice up some mushrooms and add them to the sauce, sometimes even get a little "wild" and add some cooked chicken

-Jessica

I use the Classico Alfredo. I put it in my pampered chef micro cooker and warm it up in the microwave while the noodles are cooking. Then drain noodles and dump sauces over them....YUM!! Quick and easy.

-Jessica

I have not had a problem with classico. I eat both their red and white sauces. I am very sensitive to any gluten sneaking in. Hope you figure out your problem....maybe tomatoes or garlic?

-Jessica

They even have individual packets of sweet baby ray's bbq sauce!! that rocks!!

Open Original Shared Link

Awesome info!! Thanks.

-Jessica

I'm pretty sure A&W is.

A&W is made by cadburry schweppes just like Dr. Pepper and I'm almost 100% their creme soda is safe. I know their root beer is.

maybe you were just really hungry before you went to bed?

The girls and I have had great success with corn tortilla pizzas, you use the corn tortilla as the crust, put on some tomato paste and top it with whatever toppings you like (like pepperoni, bell peppers, and black olives) they taste close to pizza and are gluten free (if you get the right ingredients)

I am not much of a baker, so I have been afraid to try to make pizza crust..........

I sometimes do the tortilla pizzas also. I make them in the toaster oven so I don't have to heat up the whole house.

Take 1st tortilla lay it on the pan, top with cheese, then top with another tortilla. Spread sauce over the top, add toppings, and more cheese. Bake until crispy and meltey....I think that the 2 tortilla version makes it very crispy.

-Jessica

I'm a pepper, You're a Pepper, He's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, Wouldn't ya like to be a pepper tooo!!

Dr. P is gluten free. Enjoy!!

-Jessica

Jessica, you give me hope! Even if the cake didn't get eaten, just having made it was a triumph. I'm a baking fiend & newly diagnosed Celiac. After reading your post I just ordered the Annalise Roberts book & can't wait to bake from it! Thanks for being so adventurous-- you inspire me!

Leah

Leah-

Don't worry, the cake is TOTALLY being eaten. As a matter of fact, I had a beautiful piece of cake for breakfast this morning!

I'm glad I could inspire you, I inspired myself also. It was one of those "Hey I CAN do this moments" in gluten free baking. I know you will LOVE the book. It is amazing. Enjoy!

-Jessica

I'd like to share my experience with GFL magazine. I ordered it in Jan. and got the Fall issue within two weeks. As of today, I have yet to get the Winter issue and it was 80 degrees here yesterday. I have e-mailed the company twice and twice they apologized for being late with the Winter issue. I finally called Visa to contest 75% of my yearly subs. rate of $29.95 (for four magazines). I personally can not afford to pay $7.48 for a magazine that never comes. I'm only paying for the fall issue and now I'm going to get Living Without instead.

I think GFL is a very good magazine but I would just buy it in a store if possible or go without it. I feel bad as I think the magazine may be in dire financial straights, or they would have gotten their winter issue out in the winter, not the spring. Well I'm not sure it's even out now but I think it is, but mine never showed up and since I cancelled, I don't care why anymoe.

The same thing happened to me about two years ago with them. They were SOOOOO Rude!! The lady who I called to ask for info as to why my magazine never came, HUNG UP ON ME!! She kept blaming the problem on the postal service....it was crazyness. I canceled my subscription with them also and reported them to the better busisness buerau. They were horrible! Gluten Free Living Magazine stinks! ha

On the other hand living without magazine ROCKS!! I Highly Recommend that!!

-Jessica

I've been known to flip off a Pizza Hut as I'm driving past...

Totally my kind of person!! haha

-Jessica

Here is an article on the Krispy Kreme burger: Open Original Shared Link

How about a Krispy Kreme hamburger?

Minor-league club offers 1,000-calorie sandwich with cheese, bacon, donuts

Baseball

NBCSports.com news services

Updated: 3:02 p.m. CT March 10, 2006

The minor-league team Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League will begin selling a concessions item that is not for the calorie-conscious, ESPN reported.

"Baseball's Best Burger," as the Grizzlies call it, will consist of a hamburger topped with cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon — all between a "bun" made of a sliced Krispy Kreme Original Glazed donut.

The burger is not for the faint of heart — literally — and will contain roughly 1,000 calories and 45 grams of fat.

"We have had the opportunity to bring in a new concession item for the past two seasons and each of them have been very successful," Grizzlies general manager Tony Funderburg told ESPN.

Funderburg, who said he has eaten at least 10 of the creations, claims he got the idea after reading about a restaurant in Atlanta with a similar sandwich, ESPN reported.

Funderberg said the team hopes to sell 100 to 200 of them a night at $4.50 each. The burger will only be available inside the stadium gates, according to ESPN.

Two years ago, the Grizzlies created what they called "Baseball's Best Hotdog" — a frank with two strips of bacon, onions, sauerkraut and cheese sauce. Then, last year they debuted the "Swiss Brat" — a bratwurst sausage with a slice of Swiss cheese in the middle of it, topped with sauerkraut.

"Baseball's Best Burger" follows in the tradition of other great sports-related sandwiches, including the Roethlisburger. Created in 2004 in honor of the Pittsburgh Steelers young quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, it's sold at a place called Peppi's and includes beef, sausage, scrambled eggs, onions and American cheese, according to ESPN.

The independent club, located outside St. Louis in Sauget, Ill., is in its sixth year of operation.

© 2006 NBC Sports.com

Speaking of Krispy Kremes.....saw on the news yesterday that at a ballpark (don't remember which one) , they now serve a hamburger and instead of a bun they use a Krispy Kreme doughnut sliced!!!!!!!!!!!

It sounds totally disgusting, however since I KNOW that I can not have it, I TOTALLY want to try it!!

-Jessica

I think I need to go buy some hashbrowns........I had forgotten about this recipe ha

-Jessica

I know it will be ok....but days like today I feel like screaming at the tv "QUIT TAUNTING ME WITH YOUR FRIGGIN BUFFALO CHICKEN PIZZA"!!!!

-Jessica

I just have to vent. I am so sick of seeing the pizza hut commercials with their pizza and gooey ooey cheesey goodness all over ...............I then have major cravings for pizza. The OLD kind of pizza...the little personal pan pizzas from the hut. *sigh*

While I'm on the subject.......why in the world does every food commercial have to be filled with crunchy breaded goodness........geez!! Long John Silvers (which I always hated but now want to eat because it is crunchy food).....Kentucky Fried Chicken (which I also always hated) for some reason these places sound good to me!!

I have been gluten free for years now..........but lately the deep fried, breaded to the max, gluten loaded commercials are bothering me I guess I just need to make up a batch of gluten free junk food and then I can relax and forget about friggin pizza hut and their oooey gooey cheezy goodness gluten stuffs.

-Jessica

the gluten free dork

Sounds like you are having symptoms, just not "traditional" symptoms. I have a list of symptoms that was compiled a couple of years ago by someone on this board (forgive me as I don't remember who because people come and go so frequently on here) I am sure that you can pick out a few things that you are still seeing symptom wise in yourself even if they are not the traditional symptoms. I hope it helps you.

-Jessica

Most of this was compiled from the aafp.org and celiac.com websites info on celiac symptoms.

List of symptoms associated with Celiac Disease (also known as Celiac Sprue and Gluten Intolerance):

Lassitude (a term describing a feeling of tiredness, weakness or exhaustion)

Inanition (exhaustion, as from lack of nourishment)

Depression

Fatigue (often chronic)

Irritability

Fuzzy-mindedness after gluten ingestion

Dental enamel defects (lots of dental cavities due to weak enamel)

General malnutrition with or without weightloss

Any problem associated with vitamin deficiencies

Diarrhea

Constipation

Lactose intolerance

Flatulence

Anorexia

Nausea

Vomiting

Burning sensation in the throat

Abdominal pain and bloating

Borborygmi (audible bowel sounds)

Abdominal distention

Steatorrhea (fatty stools that float rather than sink)

Foul smelling stools

Bulky, greasy stools

Anemia (iron deficiency)

Hemorrhagic diathesis (bleeding disorder)

Osteoporosis/osteopenia (bone loss or thinning)

Bone pain (especially nocturnal)

White flecks on fingernails

Short stature (due to slow growth)

Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Arthralgia (pain in the joints)

Tetany (spasms and twitching of the muscles)

Parasthesia (abnormal or impaired skin sensation including burning, prickling, itching, or tingling)

Amenorrhea (absence of menstrual bleeding)

Delayed puberty

Infertility

Impotence

Cheilosis (inflammation, cracking and dryness of the lips)

*Angular cheilosis (specifically cracking in the corners of the lips)

Glossitis (swollen tongue)

Stomatitis (any form of inflammation or ulceration of the mouth, such as mouth ulcers, cold sores, thrush, etc.)

Purpura (purple or red spots on your skin caused by bleeding under the skin, more common in elderly)

Follicular hyperkeratosis (corns, calluses, plantar warts, psoriasis, nail fungus)

Atopic dermatitis (a tendency towards allergies and a predisposition to various allergic reactions)

*Scaly dermatitis (inflammation of the skin, includes dandruff and topical allergic reactions)

Hyperpigmented dermatitis (can't find the definition, must have something to do with the color of the rash?)

Alopecia areata (loss or absence of hair, leaving the skin looking and feeling normal)

Edema (accumulation of serum-like fluid in the body tissues)

Ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity-the space between the abdominal wall and the organs)

Selective IgA deficiency

Seizures, with or without occipital calcification

Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver, may be acute or chronic)

Dermatitis herpetiformis (skin rash characterized as intensely itchy skin eruptions like red bumps and blisters. Burning, stinging and itching is very bad. It appears in groups around the body, most often on the head, elbows, knees, and buttocks, much like the lesions of Herpes which is why the name is herpetiformis-meaning "like herpes". Must be diagnosed by a doctor. Only occurs in celiac patients.)

Liver disease

Xerophthalmia (an eye disorder which causes the conjunctiva and cornea to become abnormally dry)

Night blindness (inability to see well in dim light)

Thyroid disease

Unexplained neuropathic illnesses, including ataxia and peripheral neuropathy

*Peripheral neuropathy (disease, inflammation and damage to the peripheral nerves, which connect the central nervous system to the sense organs, muscles, glands, and internal organs. Damage to sensory nerves may cause numbness, tingling, sensations of cold, or pain, often starting at the hands or feet and moving toward the body center. Damage to the nerves of the autonomic nervous system may lead to blurred vision, impaired or absent sweating, headaches, episodes of faintness associated with falls in blood pressure, disturbance of gastric, intestinal, bladder or sexual functioning, including incontinence and impotence. In some cases there is no obvious or detectable cause)

*Ataxia (incoordination and clumsiness, affecting balance and gait, limb or eye movements and/or speech, making one appear as if they were drunk)

Dementia

Diabetes mellitus type 1

Sjogren's syndrome (eyes, mouth, and vagina become extremely dry)

Collagen disorders

Down syndrome

IgA neuropathy

Fibrosing alveolitis of the lung (body produces antibodies against its own lung tissue, creates a dry cough and breathing difficulty upon exertion)

Hyposplenism, with atrophy of the spleen (underactive spleen)

Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)

Lymphoma (any group of cancers in which the cells of the lymphoid tissue multiply unchecked)

Leukopenia (abnormal decrease in white blood cells, often reducing immune system function)

Coagulopathy (blood clotting disorder)

Thrombocytosis (low blood platelets/damaged platelets, causing large amounts of bruises due to uncontrolled bleeding under the skin)

Melanosis (black or brown discoloration of the colon, usually due to chronic constipation)

Erythema nodosum (red-purple swellings on the legs and sometimes arms, with fever and joint pain)

In children:

Failure to thrive

Irritability

Paleness

Fretfulness

Inability to concentrate

Emotional withdrawal or excessive dependence

Nausea

Pale, malodorous, bulky stools

Frequent, foamy diarrhea

Wasted buttocks

Anorexia

Malnutrition:

*With protuberant abdomen (with or without painful bloating)

*Muscle wasting of buttocks, thighs, and proximal arms

*With or without diarrhea

(as well as any number of the above diseases and disorders)

Additional information:

Reactions to ingestion of gluten can be immediate, or delayed for days, weeks or even months.

The amazing thing about celiac disease is that no two individuals who have it seem to have the same set of symptoms or reactions. A person might have several of the symptoms listed above, a few of them, one, or none. There are even cases in which obesity turned out to be a symptom of celiac disease. list from celiac.com message board

I just use bob's red mill white rice flour, then the potato starch flour, and then tapioca flour in the appropriate measurements....but I have never had any complaints with using the white rice in any of my cakes...........I find them rather yummy and so do the other folks who pig them down ! ha

-Jessica

That info stands for the dry packets also.

-Jessica

I have never been able to be brave enough to even try the store bought rotisserie chickens. I watch how they are cooked and it screams cross contamination to me! They stick 8-10 chickens in a huge rotisserie, some may be plain, lemon pepper, garlic etc and they are ALL in the same thing cooking and spinning and dripping on each other! If one of those flavors aren't safe, then that makes the entire bunch not safe in my opinion.....maybe other stores do it differently, but this is how I have seen it done in my area and I just can't risk it.

-Jessica

I went to all of the trouble to bake that wonderful beautiful cake......lugged it to the wedding.....sat it in a safe place so no one would contaminate it......then got busy dancing and talking and totally forgot I brought cake! ha Soooo lugged it back home at the end of the night and had myself a big piece! ha I'm such a dork!

Just a "fun" piece of info.....the wedding cake (gluten filled cake) was a disaster. I think the baker dropped the cake!! It was like the leaning tower of Piaza (pizza? sp) Frosting was all messed up, I felt SO bad for the bride! She took it well she said "if this is the worst thing that happens today then we are doing well "

-Jessica

Thinking along a soap opera theme............"These are the poops of our Lives"

-Jessica