Prompt: Introductions

[runpunkrun]

Hello, gluten-free friends and family! It is I, Punk, speaking to you with my words. If you haven't already, please read the community guidelines for your safety and mine.

If I can keep my act together, I'll be posting a weekly discussion topic to prompt conversation about gluten-free cooking. This week I thought we could introduce ourselves and do some light mingling.

Let's do name, rank, and preferred pronouns. And maybe answer one or more of the following questions:

• What's the last gluten-free thing you made with your own hands?
• If your answer is "coffee," that's valid.
• What kind of foods do you like to prepare?
• How much baking experience do you have?
• What type of recipes are you interested in?
• Are you here to post, comment, or just be a friendly lurker?
• If you are going to lurk friendily, please say hi just this once. We'll say hi back.

Also, as the comm opened on Pi day (3.14), why not tell us your favorite pie?

Come join me in the comments!

Comments

[runpunkrun]

Hi, I'm Punk, and starting this comm was my bonkers idea. I've been GF for about two years. Preferred pronouns are she/they; either set's good.

I've always been into baking, operating under the idea that if I wanted dessert I'd have to make it myself. Then I went gluten free and that was even more true. I'm always on the lookout for gluten-free, dairy-free (there's more I've got to avoid, but I'll spare you) baked goods, so that's mostly what you're going to see from me. Nothing complex—just muffins, quick breads, cakes, cookies, and bars. I tried making hamburger buns once and am still recovering. They looked blue, you guys. They weren't actually awful, in the mouth, but they were...kind of damp, and bluish.

I have a new savory recipe ready to share, and lots and lots of baked goods I'm going to repost from my personal journal. So, for a while, the recipes I share will be all over the place, ingredient-wise, because my food restrictions have changed over time.

The last gluten-free thing I made with my own hands that required actual preparation and more than three ingredients was...the new savory recipe I have to share! It involves quinoa, and that's all I'm going to say. Cliffhanger!

If there's ever anything mystifying or weird in my recipes, ask me to explain. I've been baking a long time, and I'm probably leaving things out and don't even notice. I want to help, not hinder, and I'm excited to see what we can build together in this community.

[greywash]

Hi, I'm Gins (either she/her or they/them are fine with me). I'm not actually full-time gluten-free but I do try to branch out of from the usual gluten-heavy things, especially baked things. I'm going to be one of those lurkers, probably, but:

* The last gluten-free thing I made with my own hands actually was coffee, but in terms of food-food, it was probably slow-cooker steel cut oatmeal.
* I like to cook things that don't require a lot of time/attention, or do require kneading.
* Quite a bit of baking experience, but mostly not gluten-free.
* I'm interested in pretty much anything! But especially low-effort or batch-cookable stuff. I get bored with my usual suspects pretty easily.
* Mostly lurk, maybe comment, conceivably post, idk, weirder things have happened. :)

[runpunkrun]

Hey! Hello!

I, too, am into low-effort or batch-cookable stuff. Also the less mess it makes in the kitchen the better.

Do you throw anything special into your slow-cooker steel cut oats?

[greywash]

After they're cooked through, but while the slow cooker is still on, I mix in egg whites--it makes them creamier and higher protein. The trick is to stir constantly and pour the egg whites reaaaaally slowly, so you end up with oats in a slightly custardy base and not scrambled eggs. I do 2 cups oats:9 cups water:2 cups egg whites for breakfast for the whole week :)

[jesse_the_k]

Brilliant idea! I bet you really need a slow-cooker for that, since pot on stovetop would result in egg white omelet instantly. Do you stir 'em first? Beat 'em? Add in any cold water?

How do you reheat it when it's Thursday (assuming your week doesn't start on Thursday)?

I found out the hard way that even Bob's(1) Standard Steel Cut Oats have enough gluten in them to make me ill. I switched to Bob's GF Steel Cut Oats. (It's hard to resist the conspiracy theory that Bob's creates GF and non-GF versions as a revenue booster based on taxing people who don't read labels very carefully.)


1 Bob's Red Mill, purveyor of scores of gluten-free flours

[greywash]

I actually have done it on the stovetop, but yes, WAY easier in the slow-cooker. On the stovetop, turn the heat off and let the residual heat in the oats cook while you stir, then turn the burner back on low to finish cooking--the residual heat is usually enough to start it cooking, but not to finish. To reheat I add a little water if they've gotten too thick and then microwave--once the egg whites are mixed in the mixture is pretty resilient. I keep them dished up in pint wide-mouthed mason jars until it's time to eat.

Oh, also--this doesn't work, IMO, unattended. You have to give the oats a good stir every hour or so while they cook, even before the egg whites get added at the end, or you end up with oat tahdig. So. No overnight oats on this approach, but still p low effort.

:)

JK rolls in stage left

[jesse_the_k]

I’ve been an enthusiastic reader of punk’s recipes, and I’m thrilled to be a mod helper here.

I’m happy with she/her pronouns. I left gluten behind in 2003. I researched "don’t eat me lists" and recipes at the brick-and-mortar library.

I love savory cooking, and I use recipes as conversation starters, not guidelines. punk's willingness to bake out loud emboldened me back to baking.

MyGuy’s whole wheat double-crust apple pie still shines in my memory. We’ve not yet found a GF pie crust worth the time.

I make a delicious no-crust sweet potato/squash custard in a pie plate! I guess I’m going to have to write down the recipe, now.

Eggs will never be virtual

[jesse_the_k]

well, I guess frittatas, but most egg dishes require personal devotion.

Thanks for the detail.

[runpunkrun]

Custardy! I like the sound of that.

[mlravenwrites]

Hi all!

I'm MLR, she/her/hers.

The last gf thing I made was roasted tofu with ginger/garlic sauce, +broccoli and rice.

I've been strictly gf since I was a teenager, and I'm enormously privileged to live in an almost entirely gf household-- my husband cooks entirely gf when we're both eating, and he keeps some gluten snacks/etc segregated to his office, pretty much.

In terms of gf things I like to make, because I have many other food allergies, I make pretty much everything from scratch (so gf). I love making gf pancakes, challah (not-motzei-fulfilling because I'm allergic to oats), and lots of other stuff I'm probably forgetting. I also do a lot of naturally-gf stuff like lentil/vegetable salads, beans/rice/tofu/etc.

I'm not very adventurous, so I like to take a recipe and do science on it (make it with modifications, document modifications, write post-mortem/suggestions for next attempt; lather, rinse, repeat!).

I have a fair amount of experience baking, but it often takes spoons I don't have.

I'm interested in recipes that are also dairy-free or modifiable with goat/sheep dairy, and anything easy or fast for the days where I need to cook, but also I can't face doing anything complex.

I'll likely mostly be a lurker, but I do want to share my science'd recipes with you all, on the off-chance that someone else needs recipes sans cow dairy, corn, apples, (...).

Re: pie: I did many sciences on a mocha pudding pie recipe for Pi Day 2017. I quite enjoyed the results, and will post it!

Re: JK rolls in stage left

[runpunkrun]

I'm going to make an apple crumble today instead of a pie, and I was like, "Guess I have to write down THIS now, too!" I apparently have more recipes than I realized. It's going to slow my cooking process.

I'm so happy to hear that my experiments with GF baking got you back in the game! When I started posting GF content to my blog, I didn't know if anyone would even care, but it's been great finding fans who are dealing with similar things.

(Also, psst, on Dreamwidth "punk" is some guy who has never posted a single thing since joining in 2009. I'm the longer, but more evocative, runpunkrun.)

[runpunkrun]

Re: pie: I did many sciences on a mocha pudding pie recipe for Pi Day 2017. I quite enjoyed the results, and will post it!

Excellent! And welcome!

I do science on my baking too. One change at a time, write it down, see what happens. I've had to get more adventurous as my food restrictions have increased, but it turns out, in most cases, you can replace milk with near any liquid. :D

Re: JK rolls in stage left

[jesse_the_k]

/d'oh\

sorry for getting your username wrong, and I ga-ron-tee I won't make that mistake again :,)

[jesse_the_k]

That tofu makes my mouth water.

Science always wins, and I wish I could resist the urge to fiddle with things. At our house, I see a brand new recipe and think, Great! Company's coming and I can experiment. MyGuy thinks, Wonderful, let's pull out the tried-and-true.

It is a blessing to have a GF-household! MyGuy has shouldered much of the work in that department, although recipe development has been a shared project.

[writedragon]

Greetings, gf peeps. She/her.

I'm celiac so gf is my life for the last 15 years or so (along with dairy free and other sensitivities). I'll probably lurk for a bit but will chime in if I have anything useful to add. Simple recipes are the best.

The last gf thing I made was breakfast tacos (using gf corn tortillas).
Favorite pie is either peach or pecan but really, I've never met a pie I didn't like (mmm, pie).

[topaz_eyes]

Hello hello! I'm Topaz (she/they). I'm here because I cook for a family member who is celiac, and I'm always looking for new recipes to try.

The last GF thing I made was potato pancakes. (I'm surprised there are still a few left!) I'll prepare anything.

We're coming up to 11 years gluten-free. In that time I've found you can adapt most recipes to GF without too much problem. The baked goods do tend to be denser compared to using wheat flour, and that's okay with me. I'm a big fan of xanthan gum. I'm here mainly to lurk, but I might post/comment too.

I've never met a key lime pie I didn't like. Though tonight will be lemon meringue. Happy Pi Day!

[goddess47]

What's the last gluten-free thing you made with your own hands?

Hmm... The hubby should eat GF and my niece is both GF *and* dairy-free, which makes cooking for her kinda tough... but I still have a couple of the GF choc chip cookies in the freezer (does it count if I used a mix? ;-)

If your answer is "coffee," that's valid.

I knew this would be fun!

What kind of foods do you like to prepare?

I'm pretty omnivorous, so cook that way... I do more cooking (meals) than baking, since both the hubby and I can stand to lose weight and if the baked goods aren't there, we won't eat them

How much baking experience do you have?

Pretty extensive... like, I can make a lemon meringue pie from scratch, if I want to... crust, lemon filling and meringue...

What type of recipes are you interested in?

Open to new things... I tend to make 'safe' things that the hubby likes, heaven forbid I change something... ;-) But always looking for options.

Are you here to post, comment, or just be a friendly lurker?

Mostly will be a friendly lurker but I will comment when appropriate!

If you are going to lurk friendily, please say hi just this once. We'll say hi back.

Hello!

[panisdead]

Panisdead. She/her. I will probably lurk but I love to read recipes. :D

The last gf item I made with my own hands was fried eggs, but the last meal was fried rice with all the leftovers in the fridge. The last interesting meal was chili verde with roasted poblanos and tomatillos.

I cook far more than I bake, but I've been enjoying a little crockpot baking recently, mostly out of surprise that the recipes turn out.

[isis]

I'm Isis, she, and will be helping co-mod.

• Last gluten-free thing I made with my own hands: ginger bars with the recipe I got from Punk!
• I have decades of baking experience, but not much gluten-free baking experience, so I look forward to new recipes to try.
• I do not actually eat entirely gluten-free, but I generally eat low-FODMAP, and as wheat is high in fructans, gluten-free recipes are often but not always FODMAP-friendly. I'll be tagging low-FODMAP recipes for the comm.

I have an apple-cranberry-nut pie I love (which is neither low-FODMAP nor gluten-free, sigh).

[ilyena_sylph]

Heya.

I'm Ilyena or Yena, she/her. I will probably be a total lurker.

We've been a gluten-and-soy-free house since... 2012? So new recipes and a discussion place sounds AWESOME.

Um, shit, what'd I make for dinner Tuesday? Right, I remember now!

I browned ground beef with chopped onion and white wine and also made up a safe "Spanish rice" mix and combined the two for a sort of hamburger helper kind of experience.

I do mostly savory things, I love pasta and am always hunting for better g-f, s-f ones.

I don't bake, terrible things happen when I bake. +wryface+

Savory dishes mostly, but I like new sweet things to push to my house baker, too.

Here to comment, mostly, probably. Might post occasionally?

[lunabee34]

Lunabee34 or Lorraine
She/her

Everything I make and eat is gluten free. The kiddos still eat sandwiches on real bread plus cereal and poptarts, but just about everything in the house is gluten free.

I don't do a lot of baking. I didn't bake before I found out I have celiac in 2016, so I'm not really comfortable with all the extra steps gluten free baking seems to require because I'm not really comfortable with baking with gluten. LOL I am looking forward to reading the comm for baking ideas.

I do cook a lot, though. Tonight we had lentils simmered in chicken broth with onion and a jar of my dad's home canned tomatoes (OMG, so good) seasoned with curry and tumeric and garlic and ginger, served really soupy over rice. It was amazing.

[lunabee34]

Thanks so much for starting this community. I'm really excited about it.

Re: JK rolls in stage left

[runpunkrun]

No worries! And at least the other punk isn't around to mind. :D

[celli]

Hi all,

I'm celli, she/her pronouns.

What's the last thing I made...? Probably beef stroganoff over rice. I make the stroganoff part up and freeze it and then the day I want it pop it into the slow cooker. It is v popular in my house.

I mostly do savory stuff, but have been inching towards baking, inspired by runpunkrun.

I will probably mostly comment! And my favorite pie is apple 100%.

[unicornduke]

I'm Duke, she/they pronouns, but not too attached to either.

Last gluten free thing was yogurt last night because 9 out of 10 breakfasts is yogurt with granola. If I've got milk and a little yogurt left, I'll make another batch and it's super delicious.

I love love love baking sweet things. It's my favorite. I've experimented a tiny tiny bit with savory stuff but ehhh. I've been baking generally for about ten years now, in college when I had free reign of the oven, I made tiered cakes and eclairs, and bread once a week. Since I had to go gf four years ago, I've worked my way back up to that level. Anything with pastry cream is my favorite thing. Sometimes pastry cream just eaten with a spoon is dessert. I actually sold gluten free stuff at a farmers market for a couple of months to make some extra money.

I bake A Lot, at least once a week generally and sometimes multiple things in a day or more than once a week. Sometimes I have all day baking sessions. I generally freeze excess things or give it to friends, who aren't gluten free but enjoy it and give me eggs in exchange. It's only me and Jade (roomie/bff, not gf) in the household and she forgets to eat stuff if I don't actively remind her so giving it away helps. I'm very good at converting recipes to gluten free except for breads :(

I'm actually interested in more cooking ideas, mostly because I'm not that great at cooking. If I could survive on plain rice with frozen vegetables I probably would, but I can't and also that got boring. I have a lot more restrictions with cooking than baking but that's just texture aversions mostly.

I'll be posting and commenting and I'll probably be posting a bunch in the next few weeks because I was digging in my freezer and realized I have a lot of fruit in there that needs to get used up. Yay!

I'm ambivalent about fruit pies, but I love a chocolate cream pie with whipped cream and also on a technicality: boston cream pie

(how many times can I notice something I want to change in five minutes)