JennyC

They are a Hormel company so they should list gluten.

It is way out of my league too! I'm actually kind of scared! I ended up buying an airbrush for this project, which is sure to be a good investment. I just want Tristen to have a nice cake for his birthday, especially since he goes to birthday parties all year and can never eat the cute cakes! I will end up doing three layers for each cake. There are two cakes, a 1/4 sheet on the bottom and a 1/8 sheet on top. The very top with spiderman is plastic. Since the cake will be so heavy I will have to use dowels to support the second cake layer. I've NEVER done anything like this before, and I have to transport it!

Rachelle, if you ever need an airbrush for cake decorating let me know. I want to get lots of use out of my "investment."

It's too confusing to keep up with syrups, especially if they do not list all sources of gluten in the ingredients. I don't think Pinnacle foods has a gluten disclosure policy, but does any one know for sure? We just buy pure maple syrup now. There is only one ingredient, which means there is much less to worry about.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I did test my oven temperature, and it is accurate. I only have this problem with some recipes/mixes, including Pamela's. I did not have a problem with Namaste, Laurel's, or the one bowl chocolate cake recipe. It's just that I really like the flavor of Pamela's and I NEED to use a mix because the cake that I am making is very complicated for my cake decorating skill level, and I want to decrease my stress as much as possible.

Thanks again for all the input!

Here's a link to the Spiderman cake if any one's interested:

It's the Spider-Man 3-Spin DecoSet

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Have you been drinking Gatorade? The green and purple varieties make my son's poop green.

Ok, most of the time when I make cakes they end up pretty flat and thin. I often use Pamela's cake mix but it also happens with others as well. I just made Pamela's chocolate cake in 9 inch rounds and the cakes might be one inch tall at the most. I'm making a Birthday cake for my son and I would really like the cake to be a normal thickness. Last year I made a 9x13 cake and ended up making two cakes, one for the top layer and one for the bottom layer. It weighed a ton. What do you guys do when you really want thicker cakes? I was thinking of making up two Pamela's mixes and filling the cake pan extra full, but I'm afraid that would backfire somehow...

Any thoughts?

I was also told the same thing, but I have not contacted them since December. I too worry about cross contamination with blended drinks. Occasionally if it is not busy I will ask for them to use a clean pitcher and we'll order the strawberries and cream blended cream frap. or the blended lemonade. They are usually very nice about it. I just make sure that I tip.

That seems like a great recipe, thanks for posting!

Frito-Lay salt & vinegar chips are gluten free. You have to be careful with their products. Many people seem to react badly to them.

Here's the latest Frito-Lay gluten free list:

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My son is four years old and he was diagnosed a year ago. Prior to diagnosis he always seemed to have a cold. He still continues to catch the interesting stuff: Rosella, fifths disease, croup, scarlet fever, and so on. Your son is young and his immune system is still developing. Unlike our immune system, his does not have much "memory" yet so he gets sick much more frequently when exposed to pathogens. I would continue to take him places, this process is actually good for his immune system.

How ridiculous! They still never answered your question, since they seemed to use gluten and wheat interchangeably and never even mentioned barley, rye or oats. I did really like your email response to them though!

So does that mean that See's labeling is pretty obvious? I know to avoid anything with cookie bits, but it's all that other junk like "natural flavors" and malt. So I can pretty much eat them? I always cut those chocolates in half first just to make sure.

I'm not sure if their labeling is pretty obvious...but most things are gluten free. The store employees or the company's customer service rep. should give you a small list of things that are NOT gluten free. Most of the non-gluten-free items are decorations, like for the fancy Easter eggs, made by an outside company. Like I said most of their candies are gluten free, so you may find it worth it to give them a call.

We don't have a problem with See's chocolates. Most of the gluten is on the specially decorated candies like their Easter eggs. I stay away from their seasonal candies. If you call them or go into their store they have a comprehensive list.

I contacted them about 9 months ago and the only gluten containing chip made in their chip facility is their cheddar beer chip. They have had that chip tested independently for gluten and its levels were so low that they did not give a positive result. I'd say that their chips are pretty safe. We especially love the tortilla chips.

Branch's will not claim any thing they make is gluten free, so we avoid their products.

We buy Kraft Mac & Cheese from Costco, then give away the noodles. Just make sure you wash your hands after touching the cheese packet.

Gluten can hide in natural flavorings, but many mainstream companies have policies of disclosing any gluten in their ingredients. If the product is not from a company that discloses gluten and it does not say gluten free, then I contact the company before I let my son eat it. When you do call companies, ask if the have a gluten labeling policy. It's best if they have a policy for disclosing gluten, so we don't have to rely on lists that can change. Also ask who their parent company is, as they will likely have the same policy. For example if you call La Choy and speak to them about their soy sauce, you could possibly miss that the parent company Con Agra discloses gluten in ALL of their MANY products.

These companies disclose gluten (it won't hide in natural flavorings, spices, etc.):

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I like to make chicken Parmesan. Lately I just satay chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning in some olive oil. Then I place them in a baking dish and cover them with marinara sauce, then add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Glutenfreeda has lots of rice recipes. Membership is now free, and once you join you can access tons of recipes.

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I am all for most vaccines, but I know there is something in vaccines that my son reacts to. He got his first and only flu shot when he was 8 months old and exactly 24 hours later he broke out in horrible hives. He does not have a problem with eggs and we never really figured out what happened. Obviously, he will never get another flu shot. The doctors think that it may have different preservatives in it because flu shots are not intended to have a long self life.

After a couple of his shots, including his last MMR, he broke out in a red splotchy rash all over his body that starts to fade after 20 minutes.

There is something going on, and I think this topic needs to be explored in depth.

When I called them I was told that one of the flavors had a wheat component and that the amount of wheat in the finished french fry product was so low that they could be considered gluten free. However they will make no guarantees about their gluten free status. I'm not that proud of it, but I've let my son eat their fries three times now and he has never gotten sick. I always tell them that they cannot touch wheat or breading and then I watch the employee that handles them like a hawk.

It's hard to go wrong with Pamela's chocolate cake mix. I use the recipe that calls for sour cream. Namaste (sp?) also makes a really good chocolate cake mix. It is more rich than Pamela's, but if you really pay attention you can notice a slight bean taste. I have not found a good vanilla mix yet...

Here's a great chocolate frosting recipe:

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Rachelle- Pretty picture!

My son has been gluten free for over a year and it is still hard for me to tell for sure when he gets glutened. I think he has other food issues, though not other common food allergies. I don't think he can tolerate artificial sweeteners and possibly some other food preservatives. It seems like when he gets glutened his diarrhea is very foul smelling. He also acts up a lot.

What brand of cat food is gluten free?

Hershey's will only guarantee that their plain chocolate bar and kisses and and their chocolate bar with almonds are gluten free. Stay away from anything that contains natural flavors.

Just a suggestion...I saw lots of products at Cosco I was interested in but didn't want to buy unless gluten free...you can make a list of the products and product numbers in question while you walk through the store for other purchases, then email Costco about the products in question. I received an email 1-2 days later saying they would be back in touch soon because they needed to check with the individual companies/manufacturers. I received an email several days later with all of the info I requested. I was very please with their service considering the amount of products they sell. I think it would be difficult for them to keep an up-to-date list since their products/inventory changes often.

I refuse to shop like this unless the product is something that my son is dying to have. I have a lot of loyalty to the brands that disclose gluten in their ingredients. It makes our lives so much easier. I don't want to carry around lists or write down bar codes. I can remember when someone posted here about Target (Anchor Farms) and their similar barcode policy and people were really upset, yet we tolerate the same behavior from Costco. I do shop at Costco, but I do not buy their Kirkland brand food products. I also agree their customer service reps are RUDE.

I actually found this recipe at the following website. I go there all the time for recipe ideas. The bread calls for many dense flours, but what I find most interesting is their baking technique. They cook the bread for thirty minutes and then bake it for another fifteen minutes directly on the oven rack. I think I will try this because the sides and bottom of my bread often caves in a little bit.

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