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We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6940] Thu, 04 December 2008 18:54 Go to next message
b_twin_1  is currently offline b_twin_1
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Blog entry HERE


I've got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel ~ Blackadder
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6942 is a reply to message #6940 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 19:01 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Susan from Athens  is currently offline Susan from Athens
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Yum. Please provide warnings with such recipes. The amount of drool a keyboard can stand before malfunctioning is limited.


“I have always imagined heaven to be a kind of library.” –Jorge Luis Borges
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6943 is a reply to message #6940 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 19:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
holmes44  is currently offline holmes44
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talk about christmas cookies, my boss makes the most amazing scottish melt in you mouth short bread cookies mmmmmm,delicious.


Bonnie Holmes the faster ahead I go, the more behind I get
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6949 is a reply to message #6940 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 19:27 Go to previous messageGo to next message
b_twin_1  is currently offline b_twin_1
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mmmmmm ... more biscuits to try Smile YAY


I've got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel ~ Blackadder
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6952 is a reply to message #6940 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 20:12 Go to previous messageGo to next message
southdowner  is currently offline southdowner
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Pear and raisin sounds lovely - would pear and ginger work? I love cherries as well - gorgeous cookies (tries to remove eyes from recipe... tries... struggles... fails!)

Of course there is always cakewreck holiday food!

[Updated on: Thu, 04 December 2008 20:28]


Someone says "pie" and we all go on alert, like meercats. "Pie? Where?" - Blackbear
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6954 is a reply to message #6940 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 20:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Melissa Mead  is currently offline Melissa Mead
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Oh those sound good!


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Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6963 is a reply to message #6940 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 20:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ssshunt  is currently offline ssshunt
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I cannot have flour. Or barley. Or oats. Sometimes--especially around the holidays when I get invited to parties which have food I cannot eat, life sucks just a bit. But I can eat the fudge I can make, so that helps.

I want a chocolate eclair so bad I could hurt something.


"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6971 is a reply to message #6940 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 21:29 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Melissa Mead  is currently offline Melissa Mead
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I sympathize. I'm supposed to cut way down on salt. The stuff's in everything! Even hot chocolate and Jelly Bellys!


Member of Carpe Libris: http://carpelibris.wordpress.com/
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #6974 is a reply to message #6952 ] Thu, 04 December 2008 21:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
b_twin_1  is currently offline b_twin_1
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southdowner wrote on Thu, 04 December 2008 20:12

Pear and raisin sounds lovely - would pear and ginger work? I love cherries as well - gorgeous cookies (tries to remove eyes from recipe... tries... struggles... fails!)

Of course there is always cakewreck holiday food!


*snork*
Cakewrecks has been one of my daily-must-see webpages for ages. It leaves me flabbergasted every time LOL.


I've got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel ~ Blackadder
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7000 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 00:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ssshunt  is currently offline ssshunt
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Mmmm. I want that fireplace.


"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7013 is a reply to message #6952 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 02:34 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Diane in MN  is currently offline Diane in MN
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southdowner wrote on Thu, 04 December 2008 19:12

Pear and raisin sounds lovely - would pear and ginger work?


Pears and ginger are a great combination and would probably be very good inside these.



"The point of books is to have way too many but to always feel you never have enough . . . " Louise Erdrich
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7023 is a reply to message #6971 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 08:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
kolokolchiki  is currently offline kolokolchiki
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I make my own hot chocolate because I want it with soy milk, not with cows milk. For 1 cup of soy plain unsweetened soy milk, I add 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar (granulated works, too, but powdered dissolves faster), 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (in the baking aisle at the grocery). I whisk it in the saucepan as it is heating up. Play around with the amounts to taste.

You can also make your own just-add-hot-water mix by using powdered milk or soy baby formula. (I know, it doesn't smell appetizing when you open the can, but surprisingly, it mixes well into hot cocoa and creamy soup.)
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7024 is a reply to message #6963 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 08:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
kolokolchiki  is currently offline kolokolchiki
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When my kids were little, they had trouble with those gluten-containing grains, too. Our sanity was saved by Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet cookbooks.

Specifically for cookies, she has a flour mix called Four Flour Bean Mix that with the addition of some Xanthan gum subs well into cookie recipes cup for cup. It adds a nutty flavor to the other flavors of the cookie.

The cookbooks are available on Amazon or probably at your local health food store. The Bob's Red Mill company also packages a similar flour mix, Garfava, I think they call it.

I never tried pastry with the alternative flour mixes, but I had great results on cakes and cookies (Namaste foods makes a GF chocolate cake mix that I still buy even though we don't need to anymore) and decent results on breads.
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7026 is a reply to message #7023 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 08:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Mrs Redboots  is currently offline Mrs Redboots
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kolokolchiki wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 13:31

I make my own hot chocolate because I want it with soy milk, not with cows milk.
Er, hang on, isn't hot chocolate made by mixing hot chocolate powder (or cocoa powder and sugar) with boiled milk? Which is why I dislike it. I know you can get "instant" hot chocolate, but I assumed that was just for when you were travelling....

The cookies sound lovely. Christmas cookies are not part of my tradition, and I don't do much baking... but they do sound good. Any chance that someone could translate the recipe for us non-Americans?


Mrs Redboots
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7029 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 10:04 Go to previous messageGo to next message
skating librarian  is currently offline skating librarian
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Re gluten free ... I have sooo many friends who need to eat gluten free, and when I was on a no yeast diet I was too. We meet for monthly pot lucks, plus my CHurch has a slew of folks one wants to feed at CHurch suppers, bake sales, coffee hour.

Discoveries ... yes, Bob's Red MIll line is invaluable ...

Eastern European recipes with ground nuts instead of flour ...

Pie crusts ... for savory pies (quiche) use mashed potatoes pressed into the pie pan.

for sweet pie crusts I use Bob's flour replacer, sometimes I eliminate the crust entirely (saves calories), crushed gluten free cookies to replace a grahmn cracker crust or a crumb topping... and a nut crust from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest (which is inaccessible because the contents of my living room and kitchen are jammed into the bedroom and studio).

In Brattleboro we have a new commercial bakery shipping gluten free bread (6000 loaves a week) and working on a frozen pizza. Hang on, there's hope.

Consider those who are also restricted from dairy and eggs as well. CHocolate Tofu Cheese Cake ... I'll post the recipe when I unearth the cookbook.


"Winning a war is like winning an earthquake" Jeanette Rankin
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7031 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 11:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
L.R.K.  is currently offline L.R.K.
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I'll never forget once on a bus-stop, I heard two elderly ladies talking. It was near Christmas, and one of the ladies was telling the other one about her baking plans. "I'm going to bake this and this and this" and she went on and on, and then she ended with "but this year I won't bake this", with the satisfied voice of someone who's really pleased she's going to be lazy...

It made my eyes nearly pop out of my head, not to mention how hungry I felt - nearly as hungry as now, in fact, having just recently accidentally wandered off into the recipe thread! I'll certainly try to avoid doing that again...


Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean, like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7034 is a reply to message #7024 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 14:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ssshunt  is currently offline ssshunt
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kolokolchiki wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 06:37

When my kids were little, they had trouble with those gluten-containing grains, too. Our sanity was saved by Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet cookbooks.

Specifically for cookies, she has a flour mix called Four Flour Bean Mix that with the addition of some Xanthan gum subs well into cookie recipes cup for cup. It adds a nutty flavor to the other flavors of the cookie.

The cookbooks are available on Amazon or probably at your local health food store. The Bob's Red Mill company also packages a similar flour mix, Garfava, I think they call it.

I never tried pastry with the alternative flour mixes, but I had great results on cakes and cookies (Namaste foods makes a GF chocolate cake mix that I still buy even though we don't need to anymore) and decent results on breads.


Thanks! I do have those books, and they help, but they don't help if I'm at a party, you know? At home I eat rather well, I've pretty much figured it out--glutenfreegirl.com has helped a lot.
I haven't looked through those books in a while--thanks!


"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7035 is a reply to message #7029 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 14:27 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ssshunt  is currently offline ssshunt
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skating librarian wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 08:04

Re gluten free ... I have sooo many friends who need to eat gluten free, and when I was on a no yeast diet I was too. We meet for monthly pot lucks, plus my CHurch has a slew of folks one wants to feed at CHurch suppers, bake sales, coffee hour.

Discoveries ... yes, Bob's Red MIll line is invaluable ...

Eastern European recipes with ground nuts instead of flour ...

Pie crusts ... for savory pies (quiche) use mashed potatoes pressed into the pie pan.

for sweet pie crusts I use Bob's flour replacer, sometimes I eliminate the crust entirely (saves calories), crushed gluten free cookies to replace a grahmn cracker crust or a crumb topping... and a nut crust from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest (which is inaccessible because the contents of my living room and kitchen are jammed into the bedroom and studio).

In Brattleboro we have a new commercial bakery shipping gluten free bread (6000 loaves a week) and working on a frozen pizza. Hang on, there's hope.

Consider those who are also restricted from dairy and eggs as well. CHocolate Tofu Cheese Cake ... I'll post the recipe when I unearth the cookbook.


Thanks for all the ideas! The hardest part is getting other people to remember I'm gluten free. I have often gone to dinner and eaten gluten so as not to offend the host, even though I knew I'd be sick later.


"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7036 is a reply to message #7034 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 14:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
kolokolchiki  is currently offline kolokolchiki
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ssshunt wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 14:23



Thanks! I do have those books, and they help, but they don't help if I'm at a party, you know? At home I eat rather well, I've pretty much figured it out--glutenfreegirl.com has helped a lot.
I haven't looked through those books in a while--thanks!



Keep some cookies in your freezer and take a plate to the party with you. (if the parties you go to are not too formal)
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7038 is a reply to message #7026 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 14:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
kolokolchiki  is currently offline kolokolchiki
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Mrs Redboots wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 08:59

kolokolchiki wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 13:31

I make my own hot chocolate because I want it with soy milk, not with cows milk.
Er, hang on, isn't hot chocolate made by mixing hot chocolate powder (or cocoa powder and sugar) with boiled milk? Which is why I dislike it. I know you can get "instant" hot chocolate, but I assumed that was just for when you were travelling....




Many Americans drink instant hot chocolate even at home. I didn't figure out how to make it the stove-top way until my 20's, and none of my friends and family do it that way at all.

Americans tend to be extremely convenience-minded.
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7039 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 14:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ssshunt  is currently offline ssshunt
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Good idea!


"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7040 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 14:42 Go to previous messageGo to next message
holmes44  is currently offline holmes44
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my girls love hot chocolate and i always buy them swiss miss then they can make it them selves.


Bonnie Holmes the faster ahead I go, the more behind I get
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7067 is a reply to message #7023 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 18:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Melissa Mead  is currently offline Melissa Mead
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kolokolchiki wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 08:31

I make my own hot chocolate because I want it with soy milk, not with cows milk. For 1 cup of soy plain unsweetened soy milk, I add 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar (granulated works, too, but powdered dissolves faster), 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (in the baking aisle at the grocery). I whisk it in the saucepan as it is heating up. Play around with the amounts to taste.

You can also make your own just-add-hot-water mix by using powdered milk or soy baby formula. (I know, it doesn't smell appetizing when you open the can, but surprisingly, it mixes well into hot cocoa and creamy soup.)


Thank you!


Member of Carpe Libris: http://carpelibris.wordpress.com/
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7069 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 18:34 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Melissa Mead  is currently offline Melissa Mead
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Do egg whites have gluten in them? My mom makes "Forget-about cookies" with meringue, chocolate chips and wintergreen extract.


Member of Carpe Libris: http://carpelibris.wordpress.com/
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7071 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 18:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ssshunt  is currently offline ssshunt
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I can eat eggs!


"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7075 is a reply to message #7069 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 19:05 Go to previous messageGo to next message
b_twin_1  is currently offline b_twin_1
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Melissa Mead wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 18:34

Do egg whites have gluten in them? My mom makes "Forget-about cookies" with meringue, chocolate chips and wintergreen extract.


No they don't. Smile Gluten is a plant protein found primarily in wheat, rye and barley.


I've got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel ~ Blackadder
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7076 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 19:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ssshunt  is currently offline ssshunt
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What b_twin_1 said.


"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7089 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 21:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Melissa Mead  is currently offline Melissa Mead
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Good! I didn't think so, but I wasn't sure (I think I was thinking of someone who can't have gluten OR eggs.)


Member of Carpe Libris: http://carpelibris.wordpress.com/
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7090 is a reply to message #6940 ] Fri, 05 December 2008 21:46 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Melissa Mead  is currently offline Melissa Mead
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My mom's out of town at the moment, but she sent this: Sure. don't have the recipe up here though. Can't remember how many egg whites you use. Then they are beaten with a cup of sugar. Add the flavoring you want and chocolate chips. Will look it up when I get back.


Member of Carpe Libris: http://carpelibris.wordpress.com/
Re: We need to get going on the holiday food [message #7102 is a reply to message #7036 ] Sat, 06 December 2008 01:13 Go to previous message
Diane in MN  is currently offline Diane in MN
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kolokolchiki wrote on Fri, 05 December 2008 13:35


Keep some cookies in your freezer and take a plate to the party with you. (if the parties you go to are not too formal)


This is a very good idea and works well for me. I have food allergies, some to commonplace things, and being allergic to corn makes all processed food pretty much off limits. So if we go to a pot luck-type event, I bring a LOT of something fairly substantial and eat only my own food. If we're asked to someone's house, I just let the hosts know I have a food issue and ask if they mind if I bring something. There are an awful lot of people who have dietary considerations for one reason or another; I can't imagine anyone objecting to this, and if anyone considers it little obsessive, who cares?



"The point of books is to have way too many but to always feel you never have enough . . . " Louise Erdrich
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