If you are thinking of solar, I would definitely consider induction. It is far more efficient that radiant (conventional) electric cooking. I would also consider a speed oven, typically they pre-heat and "Speed cook" in about 1/4th the time as a conventional oven or convection oven. They are of course much smaller inside and not adequate for any "Large Bird", but I do Turkey Thighs, breasts, etc in mine , all the time, takes about 15 minutes (Including preheat) where as the conventional oven would take about an hour. It is also drawing less power than would a conventional oven during the time it is on---so you save "Two ways"--it is on for a shorter time and drawing less power too! I just did stuffed bell peppers in mine the other nite, I usually use our conventional oven with convection for peppers--usually takes bout an hour (Including preheat), took 15 mins with the speed oven and they came out just as great as had they been done with the large oven. This of course would not take the place of a conventional oven---you still need that for the big bird etc etc, but if you check posts here about Speed Ovens, You will find that folks that have them use them more than their regular ovens. As far as Fridges go, I know Jenn-air (Now a whirlpool product) uses the variable speed compressor---Consumer reports found that the JA was more energy efficient than the well known expensive brand that has 2 compressors. The Variable speed compressor rarely runs at full speed, first it tries to speed up the fan that circulates the air, if it still requires more cooling, then it will start or speed up the compressor but only enough to get the job done--Ie not full on/full off like conventional compressors. Another advantage to the Single compressor Whirlpool models including Jennair, is in the advent of a power failure, the freezer will sacrafice some of "Its cold" in order to keep the fridge at a safe temp (I just experienced a 10 hour power failure Freezer stayed well below freeing, (14F) while the fridge stayed at about 42 (at the end of the 10 hour failure). With a separate compressor/compartment for the fridge--you are limited to keeping what ever "Cool" is in the fridge, and "No help from the freezer--which is normally at (0F) so it can sacrafice quite a bit before it is above 32. A poster here wrote that virtually all (Whirlpool Fridges) use this variable speed compressor but your Husband should be able to find out for sure----and if He does, I would like to know "For Sure" too. Good luck "On the Hunt" Gary

There are soooooooo many good books on the subject, so have your friend check her local library. It's not like it was 35-years ago when I started gluten-free baking for my mother. I have since branched out to developing gluten-free recipes for a sorghum mill located just outside of town. If I were to give advice to someone new to gluten-free baking, get a good quality grain mill and purchased your own certified gluten-free grains/seeds/beans and mill your own gluten-free flours. Fresh IS always BEST. She can mill many of her own flours in a coffee/spice mill - even rice flour. There is little difference in performance or color between white and brown rice, and they can be used interchangeably in a recipe. But there IS a significant difference between varieties. Flour made with long-grain rice is best used for breading, sauces, and as a thickener - not for baking. Both medium- and short-grain rice flours are multi-purpose and can be used as thickeners, breading and baked goods. Because you never know what commercial rice flour is milled from, making your own rice flour will be beneficial. I also love using coconut flour and almond flour, both are gluten-free and low-carb. Favorite books on the subject: -"Cooking with Coconut Flour" - by Bruce Fife, N.D. You can find many recipes on-line using coconut flour. -"The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook" - by Elana Amsterdam (Absolutely LOVE this book!!!) I purchase almond flour from Honeyville Grain by the 5-pound bag. -"The Spunky Coconut Cookbook" - by Kelly V. Brozyna - Gluten-free, Casein-free, and sugar-free. I just posted this pizza crust recipe the other day in another thread. I found it on-line for a friend who is very carb sensitive because of type-II diabetes, but it will work as a gluten-free option as well. It's hubby's new favorite pizza crust recipe using the Hot & Spicy variety of pork rinds. We make up a pile of 8-inch pizza crusts at a time, par-bake them, then store them in the freezer. Low-Carb Pork Rind Pizza Crust Yield: One 8-inch crust. 1/4 c. ground pork rinds 1/4 c. canned (dry) Parmesan Cheese (I've also used Parmesan/Romano blend) 1 egg Italian or Pizza Seasonings (to taste) 2 T. high-maize resistant starch (optional) Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Mix dry ingredients; add egg and mix well. Place dough on a prepared pan (greased or sprayed with vegetable spray). You can use an 8-inch pizza pan or a pie pan. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and press the dough into place, building up at the outside edge of the pan. S-L-O-W-L-Y peel the plastic wrap off the dough. Bake for 10-minute, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and add toppings of choice; bake until cheese is melted and any other toppings are heated through. You can also pat the dough into a loaf pan and bake until golden brown. Cut into "bread" sticks. Grainlady note: I add hi-maize resistant starch for added fiber. I purchase it in 5-pounds bags from Honeyville Grain, but it's also available in 12-oz. amounts from King Arthur Flour (see link below). I use it a lot in baked goods as a substitute for some of the flour. You could also add flaxmeal in this recipe, for additional fiber. ---------------------------------------------------- My favorite, easy-to-make, tastes great, versitile, gluten-free bread - Arapes. I can find the pre-cooked cornmeal for making them at one store here locally, and I always keep it on hand. Arapes freeze well. You can find all kinds of recipes for them and they make a great bread for any meal. Just talking about them I can almost smell them baking on the griddle....YUM! -Grainlady

What to look for: Wheat (including triticale) Barley Rye Oats (unless certified gluten-free) Anything derived from the above items; e.g., malt flavoring/extract, caramel coloring (if manufactured outside the USA), soy sauce (unless it's Thai - Thai soy sauce is usually gluten-free), etc. The above items are the items that contain gluten that people with Celiac disease (me) and those who have non-Celiac gluten sensitivity must avoid. Note that while oats themselves are not a problem for most people with a form of gluten intolerance, oats are usually harvested using machinery that also harvests wheat/barley/rye, transported in vehicles that also transport wheat/barley/rye, and are processed in the same facility, and often the same equipment, that also processes wheat/barley/rye. This means there is a very high probability the oats have been cross-contaminated with wheat/barley/rye. (And manual sorting isn't sufficient - look at what General Mills is doing with Cheerios and the like - they're claiming their products are gluten-free b/c they manually sort out the barley & wheat, but over and over again people are getting sick eating their products! General Mills has no interest in producing true gluten-free items, they just want to jump on the bandwagon to get more sales and money.) Certified gluten-free oats are harvested, transported, and processed in dedicated gluten-free machinery/trucks. . If the woman is just on a gluten-free diet to lose weight or the like, then I wouldn't worry too much about cross contamination. The fact that she ate a gluten-containing pie and loved it tells me she's likely not gluten intolerant (if I ate even a crumb, I would have spent the next 4 days in pain and in the bathroom!) - unless she didn't realize the pie is what made her sick (if she did get sick). Prior to being diagnosed, I didn't know. (For me, it was 10 years ago - b/f gluten-free products were readily available and b/f anyone paid any attention to gluten.) If it's for cystic fibrosis, I don't know how certain the science is behind the thoughts about gluten being an issue. It may very well be that gluten is a problem (not just wheat), if so, then erring on the side of caution is smart.

Yes, PM, I do. As I said, I like them better, and they aren't as fragile, so they are easier for the kids to handle if The Princess wants to make some. They also are a bit more substantial for the spreading of Nutella/etc. I did grow some corn and grind my own meal, but I use Aunt Jemima brand too, it's the only thing available at my local groceries. I did buy some Brinser's at the local Amish grocery and liked it very much, but the kids didn't like it as well. It was coarser and not as sweet, which made great hoe cakes and cornbread, but the kids want those sweet/fluffy muffin type cornbreads. Southern cornbread that Elery grew up with has no flour, no sugar and white cornmeal. I grew up on "johnny cake" which is sweeter and has flour and yellow cornmeal. So I use his recipe and it's gluten free anyway, and the kids just put butter and honey or sorghum on it and it's sweeter, LOL. I use this recipe for the crepes. I've used coconut milk in place of the dairy successfully, but I've never tried to leave out or replace the egg. Gluten Free Easy Crepes Recipe makes 10 crepes (depends on your pan size!) Ingredients: 2/3 cup milk 1/3 cup (or 50g) cornstarch 1 egg 2 teaspoons olive oil or melted butter pinch of salt Directions: Mix (I used a small whisk) all ingredients until very well blended. Spritz a pan (small, nonstick) with olive oil. Preheat the pan over medium-high heat. Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter into the pan while swirling the pan. Continue to swirl the pan – OFF the heat! – until the batter begins to bubble and there is no longer excess batter to swirl. Cook for 20-40 seconds (the first crepe takes the longest… this time is for the quicker crepes) or until steam is puffing out the sides. Quickly and with some care, flip the crepe and cook and additional 15-20 seconds. Continue until all the batter is used. (Depending upon your pan, you may not have to spritz it with oil between crepes.) Annie