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Hi Everyone,
 Went to my first 4th of July picnic with old time friends after being
 diagnosed a celiac patient. From our support group I took a GF
 cheesecake that everyone raved about. I would like to share it with you.


 THELMA's CHEESE CAKE:

 1/2 to 1 cup of crushed pecans or almonds. (I used pecans, Blue Diamond
 Almonds or Planters pecans)

 Butter a 10" spring-form pan with butter/margarine (Land O'Lakes is GF)
 and sprinkle sides and bottom of pan with the nuts. Set aside.

 3 (8 oz. pkgs. of Philadelphia Brand Cream cheese or other GF cream
      cheese)
 1 pint of sour cream (Penn Maid is GF, along with Kemps or Land O'Lakes)
 1 cup of sugar
 1 teaspoon of almond extract (Dietary Specialties or Frontier's
      non-alcohol extract)
 3 large eggs, beaten

 Cream cheese and sugar together, beat well. Add other ingredients, beat
 well. Pour in pan that has been buttered and sprinkled with nuts. Bake
 at 250 degrees (this is correct, a slow oven temperture) for 1 hour and
 20 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes
 more.

 Remove and put on rack and loosen rim, leave set for 10 minutes, then
 run flat knife around rim and remove rim and let cool. Serve with pie
 filling on top or leave plain. (You can use Comstock (or Lucky Leaf)
 cherry or blueberry pie fillings. These are GF, modified food starch is
 cornstarch). My friends were very impressed. Of course, the first
 question they ask before they eat anything I make, is "What's in it?"
 As a celiac their are many normal recipes that non-celiacs can eat
 without "poisoning them".

 P.S. I also found out that according to the CSA Greater Chicago Area
 Chapter reports that Hellman's (in some areas called Best Foods) has new
 GF Salad Dressings. One Step Cole Slaw, One Step Potato Salad, and One
 STep Tuna Salad Dressings. All are GF. So start whipping up those salads
 for the rest of the summer.

 Good luck.
 Cindy in NJ