lpellegr

Well, you could always use pudding or softened ice cream, or no-bake cheesecake. You could make a strawberry pie (or use another fruit):

Wash and dry enough berries to fill the crust. Heat 1/2c of sugar in 1/2 c of water until dissolved. Crush one cup of berries and add to the sugar water. Mix 1 and 1/2 T cornstarch with 2 T water until smooth, then add to the sugar water mix and heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes clear. Let cool and pour over berries in crust. Let cool completely before cutting.

Well, you could always use pudding or softened ice cream, or no-bake cheesecake. You could make a strawberry pie (or use another fruit):

Wash and dry enough berries to fill the crust. Heat 1/2c of sugar in 1/2 c of water until dissolved. Crush one cup of berries and add to the sugar water. Mix 1 and 1/2 T cornstarch with 2 T water until smooth, then add to the sugar water mix and heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes clear. Let cool and pour over berries in crust. Let cool completely before cutting.

Metamucil caps are gluten-free. I take them every day. Fiber in large quantities can cause people to have intestinal disturbances if they're not used to fiber in the diet, but it should clear up as your body gets used to it. I found before I knew about celiac that the only thing that quelled my horrible gas and IBS (which I now know were celiac symptoms) was eating tons of fiber. I found that out by joining an organic farm co-op and having to eat massive amounts of salad to keep up with it and realizing that I wasn't blackening the air with my emissions. Ironic that the fibrous things that cause gas in other people actually stopped the gas for me. Take the Metamucil but add more veggies too.

Just for the record, I keep almost all my flours at room temp because I just don't have storage space in fridge or freezer, and I haven't noticed any problem. I store white/brown/sweet rice flours, garfava flour, potato starch flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, cornmeal, and sorghum flour all at room temp. I keep soy flour (which I hardly use), almond meal, and flax meal in the fridge. I make mixes (Bette Hagman's original and four flour) and store them at room temp, and it all seems to work out fine. I buy 10 one pound bags of white rice flour and several of tapioca at the asian market at a time, since I don't get there too often, and just store them in a big Rubbermaid box. I do keep an eye out for food moths, since I think they would be more of a problem which would cause me to throw stuff out. In the last month I have made bread twice (for crumbs and croutons), blueberry muffins, corn muffins, etc and they were all fine - or as fine as gluten-free baked goods can be.

Regarding your family's food - don't assume that because they used a gluten-free brand of mayo that you can eat it. Was the mayo in the deviled eggs used before for someone's sandwich? There could be bread crumbs in any of the condiments that are not brand new, even if you can't see them, from people dipping the knife back in when making sandwiches. When I go to my relatives, I request that they only use brand new margarine or mayo for making anything I'm going to eat. I know a lot of people have trouble getting their families to understand how important this is, but tell them how a single crumb can make you sick, that taking a burger off the bun and eating it is enough exposure to make you sick (and don't be surprised if they don't believe you). Offer to buy them new stuff, or get very small bottles just for you. They should also make sure that anything for you to eat is cooked on a part of the grill that is very clean or in a clean pan, and that your food never touches anything that was used to cook or stir something you can't eat. If there is stuff you can eat, like fresh veggies or fruit salad or meat, ask if you can take your helping before everyone else to make sure that no one accidentally uses the wrong spoon in it or drops a crouton in it before you get to it. Keep your food away from people opening cans of beer (it could spray on your plate), and don't eat anything that drops on the table or counter because you don't know how clean it is. Get your potato chips out of the bag before someone else puts their contaminated fingers in there. Unfortunately it's a paranoid way to eat and people will give you strange looks, but your health is important enough to stand up for what you need. And if you don't think you'll be able to get enough to eat from what's available, then pack a Snickers bar or something more healthy like a Lara bar to get you through.

Once it solidifies, cut into shapes and put into a pan, overlapping slightly. Pour melted butter over, top with lots of parmesan and broil until crisp on top. You can also top it with spaghetti sauce either fresh cooked (plop it on the plate like mashed potatoes) or cooled and cut into pieces. You can use it like pizza crust and top with pizza toppings.

I volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity build Sunday, and ended up cutting and hanging drywall. Toward the end of the day, a little thought in my head nagged that I might have seen something about gluten in drywall on this forum, but I would just have to wait and see. Sure enough, glutened! Next time I'll find out exactly which jobs I'll be doing before I say yes! Any other building supplies I should avoid?

Some of the Lundberg risottos can be pretty good - try sauteing some chopped onion or shallots before you put in the rice, then adding cooked spinach or asparagus or mushrooms with some leftover meat. And lots of Parmesan for topping. Makes a good meal for taking to work if you have a microwave.

Mrs. Leeper's pseudo-Hamburger Helpers are also not bad - make a box of the cheeseburger mac or lasagna, throw in some broccoli or spinach. You can also freeze these without much harm to the noodles for a quick dinner when you can't be bothered to cook.

You want to put in whatever seasoning you like, usually onions, sometimes worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salsa, etc. Most of the time meatloaf has bread crumbs, but you can substitute anything else that will hold a little moisture - cooked rice or mashed potatoes or millet, shredded carrot or zucchini. I've added sauteed chopped kale or spinach with really good results. And an egg to bind it all together, and salt to taste. You can also add a little water while you mix it all, but start with just a little because you can get it too wet fairly quickly.

And none of us should be eating oatmeal unless it's the special gluten-free brands.

Boar's Head bacon says gluten-free right on the label.

I keep everything but the soy flour at room temp because I just don't have freezer space. I haven't noticed anything icky yet. I'd be more worried about those *&^%! pantry moths than I would about any other kind of spoilage at room temp.

Go to the bookstore or online and get Bette Hagman's books - there are at least 3 in the "Gluten-free Gourmet" (GFG) line, and one called "The Gluten-free Gourmet Bakes Bread" (the others have lots of non-bread recipes). Be prepared for lots of disappointments and some success, sometimes with the same recipe on different days. Some that have worked for me:

Crumpets, from The GFG Cooks Fast and Healthy

Rapid-Rise French Bread, from More from the GFG

Four Flour Bread, from the GFG

Almost Pumpernickel, from the GFG

Caraway Soda Bread, from More from the GFG

You will need time and patience, and a Kitchenaid mixer. There will be no kneading involved, but once the dry ingredients combine with the wet, the xanthan gum kind on seizes up and stirring by hand just won't cut it. Many times I get a goofy-looking loaf that is even weirder on the inside, but fortunately I can always use bread crumbs. I'm going to bake a loaf today specifically to make into crumbs, since I gave up on sliced bread long ago. Maybe some croutons, too. I have tried that recipe that everyone raves about on line from Lorka, but in my hands it was no more successful than anything else. But if you like baking just because you like baking and you have a good sense of humor, have fun with gluten-free bread recipes!

Another version of strawberry pie. I use the vinegar pie crust recipe from the Gluten-free Gourmet cookbook.

Wash and hull 1 qt of berries. Dry them, then set the nicest ones point up in the baked pie crust until it is full.

Heat 3/4 c sugar (I cut it to 1/2 c if the berries are nice and ripe) in 1/2 c sugar until the sugar is all dissolved.

Crush 1 c of the remaining berries and add to the sugar/water. Mix 1-1/2 T cornstarch with 2 T water and add to the water mix. Cook, stirring constantly, until the whole thing turns clear red. Let cool. Pour this over the berries in the crust and let it cool thoroughly until it sets.

If you want to freeze berries, wash, hull and cut them into the size you want, then mix with sugar in the ratio 8 parts berries to 1 part sugar, so for 4 c berries you need 1/2 c sugar, 8 c needs 1 c sugar, etc. Mix well, then let sit for a while - the sugar will draw the juice out of the berries and make a kind of sauce. Spoon into bags or containers for freezing. Use for topping cake or yogurt.

Here's a dressing that's really good on cooked and cooled broccoli that might work for other stuff:

1 T soy sauce (gluten-free, of course)

2 T rice vinegar (or cider vinegar would probably be good)

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp honey

Mix and pour over broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

This is the dressing for cold sesame noodles, which is also good on lots of other stuff:

4 T peanut butter

4 T toasted sesame oil - mix these two first

2 T minced garlic

4 T sliced scallions

6 tsp sugar

1/2 c white vinegar (or substitute)

1 c soy sauce (I find this makes it very runny - for a thicker sauce, just add soy sauce until you are happy with it.

Pour over cooked and cooled noodles (rice noodles work well), top with cucumber strips, strips of chicken or turkey, bits of scrambled egg, anything else that interests you. Can also add hot sauce.

I've made the rapid-rise recipe many times, haven't made the second one. And you can substitute regular yeast in the rapid-rise recipe, it just takes longer to rise. My family loves it, but it's best right out of the oven and torn into pieces - you can't cut it with a knife well until it cools. It freezes well wrapped in foil, just heat in the oven and serve warm. It makes awesome french bread pizzas - cut in half in both directions and top all 4 pieces with sauce and cheese. At this point I vacuum seal them and freeze. Later I pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes and they come out with a nice crunch.

Any Buckeyes willing to share their gluten-free restaurant tips for Columbus Ohio? I'll be visiting family, so I'll probably have to grit my teeth and risk glutening from home cooking to be polite, but if we get a chance to go out I'd like to have a suggestion right at hand.

Nother recipe for flourless chocolate mousse cake, from an early post of mine:

This was in tonight's paper, in the vegetarian cooking column, and it just happens to be gluten-free as well as decadent. It says to use baking chocolate with 70% cocoa. Here's the description: "a crisp, crackling crust over a layer of brownie-like dough that concealed an almost molten chocolate center." Also described as "a tiny bit gooey". Not that we mind that.

1T ground almonds, plus extra to dust the pan

10-1/2 oz dark chocolate

1-1/2c sugar

1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter

pinch of salt

5 large eggs

confectioner's sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray an 8" or 9" springform pan with cooking spray, then dust it with ground almonds, shaking off any excess. Set aside. (IMHO you can skip the almonds and make it in almost any kind of pan if you don't mind pieces that don't come out perfect)

In a double boiler set at a low simmer, melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat. (I did this in the microwave and it worked fine)

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and ground almonds. Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate and stir until thickened, several minutes. Pour the cake into the pan, smooth the top and bake 45 minutes, or until the top is set and begins to crack.

Remove the side of the pan and let the cake cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar if desired. Makes 10 servings.

This is really really good.

I just discovered the same stuff and love it. I get it at Whole Foods. So thick and creamy, not as sour as Dannon regular yogurt. It's as thick as sour cream. And the kind with the little side cup of honey is an incredible combination. I have a new kitten who tries to dive headfirst into the bowl when I eat this, so I have to lock her up or hold the bowl over my head. This stuff doesn't even compare to any American yogurt. It's strawberry season, so I had Greek yogurt, strawberries, and cashews for breakfast. Mmmmmmmmm.

My grandmother and my mother and I have always left fruit pies out with no ill effects, sometimes until they were finished. Most of them have enough sugar to dehydrate all but the bravest cooties anyway. Apple crumb pie, strawberry pie, no problem. Now blueberry custard, that's another matter, but just fruit and sugar in a crust seems to be fine.

A long time ago I worked in a donut shop, where my job was to thaw and finish pre-baked doughnuts. So I iced and filled donuts all day, but when I opened the lid of the tub containing the jelly that got injected into the doughnuts, fruit flies flew out. It didn't seem to bother anybody else who worked there, but having just spent a semester in college growing fruit flies, that told me that there were likely to be fruit fly larvae in the jelly that was going into these donuts! So I stopped eating jelly donuts long ago, but this recipe makes me think I could indulge a long-suppressed craving with jelly that doesn't have any maggots! Mmmmmm, no maggots.

To answer the original question, every dilution you do would still leave behind some wheat flour. You could dilute it so many times that the statistical chances of having any wheat molecules left behind would be practically zero, but how low is low enough for you to safely eat it, and how many dilutions must you do to get there? I wouldn't feel safe using it. True sourdough starter is just wild yeast picked up from the air that come to live in the flour/water/sugar you leave out on the counter. You can also do this with rice flour or potato water and either start with a package of dry yeast, or simply wait for it to ferment from the captured wild yeast. San Francisco sourdough tastes the way it does because the wild yeast in that area are different from the wild yeast in New Jersey, so your starter will have its own flavor. Here's the instructions from Bette Hagman:

"In a 1- or 1-1/2 quart glass or pottery crock, dissolve the yeast (1 packet or 2-1/4t) in the water (1c lukewarm water or potato water). Add the sugar (pinch) and rice flour (1 and 1/2c white rice flour). Let the jar sit out until fermented (1 to 3 days), stirring every few hours. This will bubble up and ferment and then die down with a skim of liquid on the top. Be sure to stir well before using. The consistency should be about that of pancake batter."

Refeed it with water and rice flour whenever you take some, or occasionally throw some away and feed the rest if you haven't used it in a while. Gotta feed the yeast or it will die.

Simple way to make the soups at work: if you get the soups in the little bags kind of like ramen, you can crush the noodles with your fingers before you open the bag, then dump the noodles into a cup, add hot water from the coffee maker, add the spices once you wrestle the bag open, put a lid on, and let it sit while you eat the rest of your lunch. Stir well. The rice noodles absorb the water - no microwaving or bowl necessary.

Is it good? I always loved the no-bake cheesecake kits, but I expect cross-contamination from the packet of crust crumbs, so I haven't made any in years. I wish this new cheesecake filling came in smaller containers, because I plan to eat it right out of the container and don't want to find myself pigging out on the whole thing!

I tried Fritos a month ago hoping they were safe, but I had a reaction, so I'm assuming there's a good potential for cross contamination in all their products. I have also reacted to the Utz chips which state "gluten-free" right on the bag, so I just avoid chips almost entirely. However, I did pig out on a whole bag of Pirate Booty one night (after a whole weekend of air travel where I mostly ate apples, cheese, and tuna I brought with me because the airports didn't have anything I could eat) and felt fine. Mmmmmm, Pirate Booty.

Back when I kneaded and baked my own homemade wheat pizza crust every week I would top the raw dough with just sauce, bake for 18 minutes, then add the cheese for 4 minutes because putting the cheese on at the beginning and baking the whole time at 425 caused the cheese to get brown and crisp, and we just wanted it oozy and melting. I think adding the sauce from the beginning kept the crust doughy (this is Sicilian style, thick and doughy and rectangular) the way we liked it. If you want it firmer, then prebaking would do it. Also keep in mind that the pizza ovens at a pizza shop are way hotter than you would use at home - 500-600 degrees - and that they load the pizza directly onto a hot stone floor of the oven, so they bake differently than our pizza pans in a home oven will.