<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I was thinking about what I'd like for Christmas and thought I'd post a
few suggestions to the list (in case any of our readers are family and
friends of celiacs... celiacs, you can always print out a copy, mark it
up, and leave it lying around... ;).

How about a new restaurant? It would be nice to have someone else go
explain the problem to the chef, determine something nice on the menu
(or bring the rice pasta and let them add the sauce...) and make a
reservation. Print out a nice little reservation card... and don't
forget to arrange for a babysitter!

A basket of gluten-free goodies might be nice. Bakery items that might
be gluten-free include macaroons and merengues, and some tortes are made
entirely from nuts. You could call around to local fancy bakeries and
ask. Or do some checking at your local health food and regular grocery
stores, and see what you can find.

Kitchen gadgets are always great for the baker. Besides my Zo bread
machine and my Kitchenaid mixer, my favorite big purchase has been my
Cuisinart Classic, which chops slices dices and mixes just about
anything. A grain mill is nice for those who want their flours fresh,
and if you like to experiment with weird grains without worrying about
cross-contamination (mill your own buckwheat, corn, quinoa, millet, teff
flours, for instance).

In the smaller class of things, my favorite purchase this year was a
pastry frame. This is a canvas with circles for sizes of pie crusts on
it, with wooden braces on two sides and metal braces you use to make a
firm square. Dusted with some flour and using the included sock to cover
the rolling pin, I have no trouble with our sticky doughs anymore, and
can easily talk a pie crust into getting into the pie plate without
crumbling.

The Braun hand-held blender (a friend calls it a whooperator) is another
fine choice, especially for making sauces with that stubborn sweet rice
flour. That stuff sometimes =will= not blend but if you whooperate it,
it gives up. (The nice thing about sweet rice flour is that once it is
blended it will =not= separate. That's why I'm seeing rice flour in more
and more commercial sauces, I think.)

Anyone else have a wish list?

Linda Blanchard -- The Gadgeteer
wishing you all happy holidays
from Midland TX USA