Thanksgiving Feast

White Wedding Cake with Real Flowers

Kisses XX00XX

Deviled Eggs

4 layer dessert

Carrot Cake

Gluten Free Birthday Cake

Living With Celiac Disease

San Jay Tamari

A lot of people forget soy sauce has wheat in it. This is one of the only brands of wheat free soy sauce you can buy. I preffer the low sodium version and this taste great in place of soy sauce.

My Favorite GF Flours/Starches

Sweet Rice Flour- cost 1.99 I use Koda farms because it is easy to find at my local supermarket in the asian food section.

Xathan Gum- around 11.00. A must have in gluten free baking. Can be used in place of or in exchange of Guar Gum. It adds volume and viscosity to bread and other gluten-free baked goods. It is made from a tiny microorganism called Xanthomonas campestris and is a natural carbohydrate.

Coconut Flakes- cost around 3.50 I do not have a preferred brand, but I prefer to use the flakes and grind them to a powder to give the product a light but sweet flavor vs using coconut flour can be pretty heavy.

Slivered almonds- cost 4.85 lb. I do not have a preferred brand on almonds either, but I do buy them from a bin, which is cheaper than the bagged ones at the store. I like to grind these into a flour and usually combine 1/2 cup almonds to 1 tblsp powder sugar if I am using them in a dessert dish. You could use 1 tblsp of gf flour as well..it just helps to get it to the right texture with out grinding it into a paste.

Brown Rice Flour -cost 2.99

My Favorite GF Flours/Starches Continued

GF Oats- cost around 6.77. This is my favorite brand of gluten free oats because of the taste and the price, but the manufacturer is always out of stock..so they are hard to find. Some people are extremely sensitive to regular oats because of the contamination issue of them being grown next to wheat fields. I buy instant oatmeal and regular oats for occasional use and my kids or I haven't had any issues, but I know some people are really sensitive, if they are not Gluten Free.
Cornstarch- cost around 2.99 Cornstarch comes in many brands and is naturally gluten free. I can get a decent tub of it at Sams club for this price. No brand preference.

Sorghum Flour- cost around 3.49

White Rice Flour- cost around 2.99
Tapioca Flour/Starch- cost around 2.50 is a grain-free flour derived from cassava root. It is a starchy, slightly sweet, white flour. Notes: Tapioca is a good choice for thickening pie fillings, since it thickens at a lower temperature than cornstarch, remains stable when frozen, and imparts a glossy sheen. Many pie recipes call for instant tapioca instead of tapioca starch, but instant tapioca doesn't dissolve completely and leaves small gelatinous blobs suspended in the liquid. This isn't a problem in a two-crust pies, but the blobs are more noticeable in single-crust pies. Tapioca starch is finely ground so that it dissolves completely, eliminating the gelatinous blob problem. The starch is also sometimes used to thicken soups, stews, and sauces, but the glossy finish looks a bit unnatural in these kinds of dishes. It works quickly, though, so it's a good choice if you want to correct a sauce just before serving it. Some recipes for baked goods also call for tapioca flour because it imparts a chewier texture. Substitutes: instant tapioca (Also good for thickening pie fillings. If you like, pulverize the beads in a blender before using.) OR Instant ClearJel® OR sweet rice flour (also remains stable when frozen) OR cornstarch (doesn't dissolve as easily, separates if frozen) OR arrowroot (separates if frozen) OR potato starch (separates if frozen) OR rice starch (separates if frozen) OR instant flour (use twice as much; sauce will be opaque, not clear; separates if frozen) Ener-G tapioca starch is the only tapioca starch brand I will use. I have tried them from bins and any other brand availble. They all have a weird aftertaste that carries over to your baked goods. This brand does not!

Tips:

To avoid lumps, mix the starch with an equal amount of cold liquid until it forms a paste, then whisk it into the liquid you're trying to thicken. Once the thickener is added, cook it briefly to remove the starchy flavor. Don't overcook--liquids thickened with some starches will thin again if cooked too long or at too high a temperature.

Cornstarch, arrowroot, and tapioca are the most popular starch thickeners. They have different strengths and weaknesses, so it's a good idea to stock all three in your pantry.

Starch thickeners give food a transparent, glistening sheen, which looks nice in a pie filling, but a bit artificial in a gravy or sauce. If you want high gloss, choose tapioca or arrowroot. If you want low gloss, choose cornstarch.

Cornstarch is the best choice for thickening dairy-based sauces. Arrowroot becomes slimy when mixed with milk products.

Choose arrowroot if you're thickening an acidic liquid. Cornstarch loses potency when mixed with acids.

Sauces made with cornstarch turn spongy when they're frozen. If you plan to freeze a dish, use tapioca starch or arrowroot as a thickener.

Starch thickeners don't add much flavor to a dish, although they can impart a starchy flavor if they're undercooked. If you worried that your thickener will mask delicate flavors in your dish, choose arrowroot. It's the most neutral tasting of the starch thickeners.

Tapioca starch thickens quickly, and at a relatively low temperature. It's a good choice if you want to correct a sauce just before serving it.

Substitutes: roux (Higher in fat, but best for gravies, stews, and gumbos.) OR instant flour (Use twice as much. Flour turns sauces opaque, imparts a starchy flavor, thins out if cooked too long, and breaks down if frozen and thawed.) OR potato (Adding grated potato to soups or stews will thicken them.) OR nut flours (These have a more pronounced flavor.)
*Notes or Tips copied from www.foodsubs.com and/or www.bobsredmill.com

Glutino - Wafers cost 3.99

THUMBS UP- My kids and I love these wafers. I don't care much for the lemon flavor, but my kids love them and all of the flavors are really good.

Glutino - Multigrain Crackers cost 4.69

Thumbs down- I didn't like these..they leave a powdery taste in your mouth and the fennel is too strong. It taste like a powdery licorice cracker. They have other flavors, but I'm not sure I will spend the

Boulder Canyon Natural Foods Rice & Adzuki Bean Snack Chip, Natural Salt cost 2.35

THUMBS UP! These chips were so yummy. They kind of have a little kick at the end from the pepper flakes. I haven't tried the other flavors yet, but will definately give them a try.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Theresa's GF Pizza

I'm not sure this is the final recipe for this pizza crust, but it is a spinoff of the bread recipe I posted earlier. I have only made this once, but it was really good. I'm sure I will play around with it and will update as I do.

GF Pizza Crust
In a bowl or mixer add:
1 cup warm water
1 pkg yeast
2 tblsp sugar
Let sit 5 min or so..in the meantime

measure 1/2 cup gf oats
(grind in a blender..I use a magic bullet blender..until it is ground into a flour)

then combine with:
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cups sweet rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/8 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup dry milk powder (optional)
set aside

In mixing bowl add and mix with yeast mixture:
2 eggs
2 tblsp oil
pour in flour mix and blend on med speed (I am sure you could use a hand held mixer if you don't have a kitchen aid) for 2 min.

I use two 8 or 9 in round cake pans. Lightly cover the bottom with enough oil to coat bottom. Pour batter between the two pans and smooth it out with a metal spoon. Let rise for 25-30 min. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for around 10 min. Enough to firm up the crust to apply sauce and toppings. When slightly browned and firm add sauce and toppings and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly 10-15 mins.

Pizza Sauce recipe: (make while crust is rising)
1 8 ounce can of Tomato Sauce
1 Tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
combine and let sit in refrigerator until ready to use.
sauce recipe originally found at www.thatsmyhome.com

GF Cornbread/ Cornbread Stuffing

I don't have a picture of this yet, but I will be making it in a few days and will grab pictures of both. I use the leftover cornbread to make a really easy cornbread stuffing.

GF Cornbread
Put a 10 in cast iron pan in oven and preheat to 400 degrees. After a few min add 2 tblsp butter to melt in pan while it is still in the oven.

In a mixing bowl add:
3/4 cups sugar (I only use 1/2 cup if I know I will be using it for the stuffing)
1 1/2 cups GF flour
1 cup cornflour
3/4 cup cornmeal
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
Mix then add:
2 eggs beaten
1 and 3/4 cup milk (or milk substitute)
2/3 cup butter or oil (I use 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup oil)
Mix together. Take cast iron pan out of the oven with melted butter and pour in the cornbread mixture. It should sizzle as it hits the pan. The butter will come up around the sides and make for a nice crust. I don't have an exact baking time, but I will get one this week. I believe it is between 15-20 min. It will be a nice golden brown color and a toothpick will come out clean. Serve warm or cool.

*Cornbread stuffing
I never know how much will be leftover, so I don't have exact measurements but the approxiates should help you don't really need them to be exact anyway. You really can add any of your favorite cornbread seasonings and veggies.
I take the cold leftover cornbread and crumble it up in a baking pan(baking pan size depends on how much you have left)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Chop up a 1/2 cup or so of:
mushrooms
celery
add 1/2 tsp or so of:
sage
oregano
1/2 tsp of dried thyme(optional)
1/4 tsp marjoram (optional)
1 tblsp Kosher salt
grind on some black pepper
and mix all of this in with the cornbread crumbs.
Add 1 egg to the mix
Add 2 cups chicken stock and blend..keep adding chicken broth until you have a moist mixture (not dry and not liquidy)
Cook in oven for 20-30 min. Stir evey once in while and towards the end I turn on the broiler and turn a couple times to crisp it up. I will be sure to get closer measurements and times this week.