Some more helpful tips...

Well, I want to talk some more about gluten...

Gluten is tinier than microscopic, so it can into the smallest scratches in plastic, metal and glass and in places that you've never thought of, like between the tines of your forks, in the beaters on your mixers and on wooden utensils.  Contrary to popular belief it is NOT like a germ that can be killed off with heat or chemicals.  So dishwashers aren't any more effective in cleaning dishware than handwashing is in this case.  That is why I STRONGLY recommend having a separate set of pots, pans, storage containers, cooking utensils, silverware, anything that contacts your food, especially if you are cooking your food in it.   As long as counters are not badly scratched, they can be cleaned well, and be safe.  I also use a glass cutting board and cooling racks if I am not certain about the counter I am using or if it is a shared space.  I have one counter that is used for cooling foods and I use cooling racks for all the gluten free cookies and the counter itself for non-gluten free cookies.  We use a lot of wax and parchment paper and scrub everything very well.

When it comes to cooking and baking both GF and non-GF foods, I also do NOT cook both on the same day at the same time.  Ideally, I get to cook GF foods on one day, and non-GF foods on another.  If not, then I prepare the GF foods first, and the non-GF foods last.  You also have to be extremely careful when preparing non-GF foods that you do NOT let the ingredients get co-mingled.  For example:  Be very careful NOT to let your wheat flour go fluffing up into the air and then land all over GF foods and spaces.  And after you prepare non-GF foods, clean all surfaces whether you used them or not to avoid cross-contamination.

That is why when some products and restaurants have GF foods offered, you still have to be extremely careful b/c if a restaurant fixes a salad for a non-GF diner, and tosses on some croutons and a couple fall into the lettuce or on the counter, and then your salad is made next out of the same lettuce or your meal is prepared on the counter and it isn't cleaned well in between, then you've been exposed to gluten.  When a food producer uses their production lines to produce a non-GF product and then prepares a "gluten-free" product, there's cross-contamination again.  There are safe cleaning and manufacturing guidelines, and a lot of the companies that produce both GF and non-GF items practice them, but some do not.  That is why I spend a lot of time on the phone with companies trying to learn what their guidelines are, and if they change regularly.  And in the end, they are still just guidelines, not laws...

The last thing for tonight is that you must be aware of gluten hidden in things you never dreamed of it being in. Gluten is used as a binder in almost everything out there, like coffee filters, tea bags, paper towels, paper plates, tissues, etc.  We don't use coffee filters, but Celestial Seasonings have a great line of affordable and GF teas, and we use Bounty Paper towels.

Hope everyone is well, and healing!  As always, I welcome questions and comments anytime!!  Have a great evening...

At long last - the rest of the pantry, fridge and freezer contents!

Now that we have all the medical issues resolved - at least for the time being - I can get back to my blog!  I apologize for my absence!  It has been a roller coaster around here, and this just sort of fell off the ride, so to speak...  But now here is the rest of what is in my panty, fridge and freezer:

Chex cereals - Rice, Corn, Honey Nut, Chocolate
Erewhon (Brand - not product) GF Corn Flakes
V-8 Fruit Fusions - Our Favorite is Strawberry Banana
Fleischman’s Yeast
Yoplait Yogurt - Key Lime, Orange Creamsicle, Vanilla, Lemon Burst, Strawberry Banana, Mixed Berry, Strawberry
Kozy Shack pudding - chocolate, strawberry and rice
Great Value melt n dip cheese bar
Kraft shredded cheese
Great Value shredded cheese
Oscar Meyer Beef Bologna - and 98% Fat Free Bologna
Great Value Cream Cheese
Great Value Parmesan
Heinz Ketchup
Heinz Spicy Brown Mustard
Smart Balance mayonaisse
Kroger Private Selections 100% Maple Syrup
Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce
Borden Lactose Free Cheese
Kraft 2% milk cheese slices
Marburger buttermilk
Great Value Cottage Cheese
Great Value Romano Cheese
Great Value Butter - regular and salt free
Great Value Extra Creamy Whipped Cream in a can
Olivio Spray Butter
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Better Than Boullion Beef and Chicken Base
Ocean Spray Cran-grape and Cran apple
Nestle Premium White Chocolate Morsels
Nestle Milk Chocolate Morsels
Bob’s Red Mill Xanthan Gum
Make N Mold Premium candy wafers in Vanilla and Peanut Butter (lot of other flavors available - purchased  
      at Craft’s 2000 in Parkersburg
Great Value Brand Mashed Potato Flakes
Great Value Brand Creamy Peanut Butter
Great Value Brand Powdered Sugar
Great Value Brand Brown Sugar
Ian’s Chicken Nuggets
Ian’s Fish Sticks
Steak-umms Steaks
Lloyd’s Beef, Pork and Chicken Barbecue (Heat N Eat)
Lloyd’s Rack of Ribs (Heat N Eat)
Turkey Hill Ice Cream
Del Monte Fruit Chillers -Freeze N Eat

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:   REDBRIDGE GLUTEN FREE BEER BY BUDWEISER!!!

Setting up your GF pantry

If you plan on having GF food and food containing gluten in the same kitchen, you aren't alone.  It is practical to have everyone on the same diet, but not always enjoyable.  If everyone follows some simple but STRICT rules, it is possible to do it all and stay safe.  The first thing we did here is I went through every single food item in our entire house, every single one, drinks included.  Then we designated a set of cupboards that would have ONLY GF food in them and I set up all the GF food in that cabinet.  All the food containing gluten was moved to another set of cupboards.  There was a drawer in the fridge crisper designated to store all the flour blends, xanthan gum, chocolate chips and perishable baking items in.  If you need to share cupboard space then the GF foods MUST be on the top shelves.  This is so that if any food containing gluten should fall out of it's containers, the natural direction to fall is down, so it is safer to have gluten foods on the bottom.  This is also true of storage containers that you store in shelves or anything for that matter.  We have a separate section in our silverware drawer for his utensils too.  We shared silverware for a long time, but b/c of the little grooves on the butter knives and the nooks and crannies in the forks, we just got him some separate silverware.  We also got separate containers to hold GF utensils too.  We got two toasters, and a separate set of non-stick skillets.  Gluten is microscopic and can hide in the tiniest cracks or scratches in pots, pans, utensils, bowls, etc.  So to protect the person with gluten sensitivity, it is just simpler to have two of these things.  Even when you store things in the fridge, save the top shelves for the GF fare, and keep the lower shelves for regular food.  Try to keep the freezer separated in the same manner too.  If we have to share freezer space, the food with gluten is always put into freezer bags to keep any crumbs from getting loose.  Please if you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to put them in the comment section, and I will get you answers ASAP!  I know I will think of more stuff to say about it as soon as I sign off on this post, but the longer you are GF, the more you will be able to see little things that can be changed in your specific circumstance to make things easier and safer for you.  It DOES get easier!!