Alex's First Gluten-Free Christmas

[Note: I am absolutely thrilled to be posting the first post from Liz, who is a Board member of the Shoreline Gluten Free Association - and a mother to a 9-year old little girl who was diagnosed with celiac earlier this year. Enjoy! -- Anne]

By Liz
To make up for dropping the ball on Thanksgiving (I forgot to make GF turkey soup and gravy for my 9 year-old daughter to bring to Grammie's for her first GF Thanksgiving Dinner--in my defense I did make a GF Pumpkin Pie!), I have vowed to make gingerbread houses with my girls. It is not enough that I have never made gingerbread houses; now I have to figure out how to make them GF!! But, I love a challenge, so I think I will try this recipe. There are also some recipes for GF cookies included there. I will probably just use white frosting (Duncan Hines is GF) as the glue and skip the caramel thing (I've never even seen a candy thermometer!) I will use a cardboard milk carton on the inside attached by the frosting to make it sturdy. Stop & Shop brand gum drops are GF, as are their chocolate chips, and I will order some Candy Tree licorice online.

I will also be ordering some adorable GF/Celiac Awareness apparel from the website below to give to Alex for Christmas. They are part of the Painter's Kitchen Designs by Karina. Not only does the Gluten-Free Goddess create amazing food and take beautiful photographs, she also produces really cool affordably priced GF/Celiac Awareness clothing. I especially like the "gluten-free princess" hoodie for her, and the "gluten-free kids rock" for me to show my undying support for my little gluten avenger.

And the pièce de résistance for Alex's first gluten-free Christmas…The Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker by Jakks Pacific, which is available online and in stores. I already ordered this, and I can't wait to give it to my daughter! She saw a commercial for it and said she wanted to get. I replied, "I don't think you will be able to use it-I'm sure it has gluten in it." But it turns out some of the mixes are GF! She was pretty discouraged, and now she will be totally surprised and delighted!

I do hope you all have a Happy & Safe GF Holiday!
Liz