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

There is a vegetarian biryani in from Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World. If you use oil rather than ghee, it is dairy free. The vegetarians/vegans like it as a main and it can serve as a side for the rest. It has a layer of rice, then a layer of vegetables including garbanzo beans and topped by another layer of rice mixed with nuts. Vegetable Biryani RICE LAYER: 3 tablespoons ghee ( Indian Clarified Butter ) or vegetable oil 2 cups white or brown basmati or other long-grain rice 4 cups water (5 cups for brown rice) 2 teaspoons ground turmeric About 1 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoons table salt or 1 tablespoon kosher salt VEGETABLE LAYER: 1 ⁄ 4 cup ghee or vegetable oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoons black or yellow mustard seeds 1 teaspoon poppy seeds 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 ⁄ 4 to 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon cayenne 3 small or 2 medium-small eggplants, peeled and diced, or 3 cups cauliflower florets 1 large zucchini, diced 1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed (white removed), and diced 1 cup lima beans or green peas 2 cups tomatoes purée, or 1 cup water mixed with 3 seeded and diced plum tomatoes 1 teaspoon sugar About 1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt 3 ⁄ 4 cup cooked or canned chickpeas (optional) NUT MIXTURE: 1 ⁄ 4 cup ghee or vegetable oil 2 ⁄ 3 cup raw slivered almonds 2 ⁄ 3 cup raw cashews 2 ⁄ 3 cup golden raisins 1 ⁄ 4 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish 1. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. 2. To make the rice layer: In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add the rice and sauté until opaque, about 3 minutes. Add the water, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes for white rice; about 40 minutes for brown rice. 3. To make the vegetable layer: In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the ghee over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mustard and poppy seeds and sauté until they begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the coriander , cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne. 4. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the eggplants, zucchini, and bell pepper, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the lima beans , tomato purée, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. If using, add the chickpeas. 5. To make the nut mixture: In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add the nuts and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the raisins. Remove from the heat. 6. Spread half of the rice in the prepared dish and top with the vegetable mixture. Combine the remaining rice with the nut mixture and spread over the vegetables. 7. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve warm. VARIATION Omit the mustard seeds and poppy seeds and add 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger with the other spices. Marks, Gil (2008-03-11). Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World (Kindle Locations 14024-14031). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition. For vegetarian chili, I don't use a recipe. If not using canned beans, I soak dried beans overnight (or do a quick soak by bringing the water to a boil with the beans, turning off heat and letting them sit for a few hours). I usually use a mix of pintos and kidney beans or black and pinto beans. I saute onions. Add some other diced vegetables - bell peppers, summer squash and carrots are good. Add to the beans and pour in a can of diced tomatoes with the juice (or you can use tomato sauce or tomato paste and water). Add chili powder to taste (for 3 16 oz cans of beans, I start with about a tablespoon). Making it for our family where the grandkids don't like it too spicy hot, I usually add some ground cumin and oregano to flavor it without getting more chili heat than they will accept. Also add a bit of salt. Sometimes I'll add soy crumbles (i.e. some soy ground beef substitute). but most of the time I don't

Wow, sleevendog, I like your stove. Grandma taught me to cook with the wood stove when I was young, but I haven't done it for several years. There is definitely a trick to gauging the heat! KatieC does lots of cooking with her wood stove too. The only crackers I've made are cheese crackers, but Lars posted this one: Lars Flatbread Ingredients 1-1/3 cups water (lukewarm) 2 tbsp dried malt extract (or 1 tbsp sugar) 1 tbsp instant dry yeast (or one package) 1/2 cup oat bran 1/2 cup rice bran 1/2 cup rice flour 2 tbsp canola oil 1 tbs olive oil 2 tsp salt 3 to 3-1/2 cups unbleached flour Toppings: 1 egg + 1 tbsp water (for brushing on top of dough)* Pour lukewarm water into a mixer bowl and add sugar (in your case). If you use liquid extract, you will have to double the amount and use less water. Whisk in yeast until all is dissolved. Then stir in oat bran, rice bran, and rice flour. Allow this mixture to rest for half an hour or more, and then add the oils. You can add less oil if you want a harder cracker. Then add 2 to 2-1/2 cups flour that has been sifted with the salt, and put the bowl in the machine with the dough hook. Mix at high speed (with the splash guard on) until blended. Then add flour in small increments until the dough makes a ball that is not too sticky. Finish kneading by hand, or simply place in a bowl that is lightly greased with olive oil, and allow to rise for a couple of hours, or leave it in the refrigerator covered overnight. I let my dough rise twice. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pinch balls of dough about 2-1/2 to 3" diameter and roll the dough on a floured surface into a rectangular shape as thin as possible. Prick the dough all over with a fork or docker and brush lightly with egg wash. Cut the dough into squares using a pizza cutter or ravioli cutter into the sizes you want. Transfer the dough, using a metal spatula, onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until toasty in appearance. You will need to watch them closely towards the end, as they will burn easily, once they are done. I use a toaster oven for most of them, but sometimes I bake them in the regular oven until almost done and then finish the untoasted ones in a toaster oven at a lower temperature - about 350ð for 2-5 minutes. You can always toast underdone ones later. *Note: My normal recipe uses a lot of seeds plus onion and garlic granules for toppings, which is why I use the egg wash. You can possibly omit the egg wash. Do not omit the rice bran and rice flour if you want the crackers to be crispy/crunchy. The oat bran also helps the crunchiness. You can make these crackers whatever size you want, which would be the advantage to making your own. I like the flavor when made with malt, but you probably will not want that. When it cools down here I'll have to make some, thanks for the "push" and the recipes. Annie

I never use cornstarch to thicken soups. I use it for gravy though. I use a bechamel if I want a cream based soup, because it's the standard cream base. Bechamel is one of the mothers for a reason Equal parts melted fat and flour, add dairy (typically milk) to desired consistency. Typically I use butter, but I've also used bacon grease and poultry fats. For non-dairy thick sauce, veloute is standard. In making a broth based soup creamy, one can add cream, sour cream, or cream cheese to the soup. If you use sour cream or cream cheese, it's easier to put the cream into a bowl and temper it with some of your broth and whisk it to break it up and make it smooth before adding it to the whole pot. I've occasionally used milk fortified with dry milk too. Instant potatoes can be a useful thickener. I've used potato flake in a pinch, but better is granulated instant potatoes- one can find that in restaurant supply stores like GFS. If you have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate veggies then powder them up in a grinder to add as a thickener as well- I've done this with several veggies. For sloppy joes, I just use tomato product, onion, ground meat and seasonings. Let it simmer down till thick. I tend to use a combination of tomato sauce, paste, and chopped tomatoes, though I've sometimes have used dehydrated tomato too to help tighten up the liquid.