On the 24th, I'm having open house for my family — my children and their spouses, grandchildren and two spouses and two children, plus at least one grandson's girlfriend. One of my grandkids can't have anything with gluten in it, and I've had a major learning curve this week, shopping with his mother to know what ingredients are safe and how dangerous a tiny bit of the wrong thing can be. She brought along a double-sided, small-print list of what to avoid and a thick paperback book for looking up brand-name items that are safe. What I have at home may or may not be okay (food coloring or "additional" unnamed things can be a problem). I bought these items so he too can have something salty and something sweet:
SALTY
Corn chips (nothing made of wheat)
Roasted garlic crackers marked "Gluten Free"
Tostitos salsa con queso dip (okay, per the book)
Lay's french onion dip (okay, per the book)
SWEET (fudge wreath, Rachael Ray's recipe)
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| Photo by Michael Piazza |
Land O Lakes unsalted butter (which I forgot to take out of the fridge for this photo)
Nestle's semisweet chocolate chip (okay, per the book)
Nestle's premier white morsels (substituted, because butterscotch chips didn't pass the test)
Publix sweetened condensed milk (okay, per the book)
McCormick pure vanilla extract (passed the test)
Walnuts (they're okay, no gluten)
Raisins (they're okay, no gluten)
Maraschino cherries (red ones are okay, but not the green ones)
Additional instructions from my daughter:
Don't use wooden spoons, which may have gluten from being used before.
Use metal spoons.
Use a well-cleaned metal pan.
It's complicated, but I love him and want him to enjoy the visit along with the rest of us.
It looks like you're doing a fabulous job preparing!
ReplyDeleteIt is so great to hear that you are taking such care to make the gluten-free foods that are fun and yummy for your grandson. I have nut allergies, which even my father can't seem to remember. :-)
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