Red curry with chicken and broccoli at our local Thai place. With spring rolls. Mmmmmm... If we're closer to DC, then the above, but with mung bean pudding for dessert, at our favorite Thai place, ever. Ok, there are more, but now I'm stuck on Thai food...

Sure - it's from Betty Crocker. :D http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/gluten-free-christmas-sugar-cookies/d3ab2026-54a3-4ff5-9c81-3f38b30acd89 I wrote a bit about it on another thread. It's the first roll out cookie recipe I've found that has worked for us since being GF, DF and NF.

Oh! I forgot to add that we need to make chocolate chip cookies now as well. DD and DS went to see Santa yesterday, and apparently he requested chocolate chip cookies on Christmas Eve. I don't usually make those for Christmas, they're more of an everyday thing here, but if Santa says they are his favorite, you can bet we'll be leaving some out for him on Christmas Eve. ;)

Wow. That is ... frustrating! I hope you got it sorted out with the babysitter. I'd be upset with the preschool, too. :(

It sounds like they are having fun! And you'll get to enjoy it later. We've done a lot of baking already this year, but I plan to bake a bit more because the kids are plowing through the goodies we've made thus far. My favorite discovery: the 3 year old is a pro at dipping sunbutter balls in melted chocolate (we made sunbutter buckeyes). We also found a great gluten free, dairy free, nut free rollout cookie recipe this year - that was so exciting. Overall, I didn't bake as much this year, just trying to simplify. It's been a lesson in less is more, and surprisingly wonderful. :)

Speaking from another version of War and Peace here, I don't know what you *should* do, but I wanted to just say that ... you don't have to do anything today. Or tomorrow. Or even next week. You can take all the time you need to consider and think about the message she sent to you. Don't feel compelled to respond immediately, or just because it's the holidays. Take some time to focus on your family, on yourself, and let it simmer in the back of your mind. :grouphug:

Totally agree! DS made me a lavender cake one year and ... no one ate it. It was good, it was interesting, but tasted like soap. :) Quill, I hope you have a fabulous holiday! You need a Marnie shirt!

What do you think? Did so and so bring the pies? I thought maybe yes, but could be wrong. Watching it was very uncomfortable for me, she seemed defensive and upset about the whole thing. It looked like she might cry at one point, and ... I just couldn't find it funny. Reading the letter was hysterical, and I've laughed at it for a few years. Just wish I'd not watched the video.

Oh, bummer! For a moment, I was soooo hopeful! They sound so yummy!

Those look great. :) Do you have a source for tapioca flour, potato starch flour and sweet rice flour that's not cross-contaminated with tree nuts, sesame or peanuts? I would so love to find one, it would open up our baking world in a big way!

We haven't had cable or satellite since 2006. We have an Apple TV box beside the tv, so that's how we watch Netflix and anything else available through Apple TV on the tv screen (hulu is an option but we don't subscribe, we have YouTube, podcasts, national networks, history, smithsonian, some other stuff, and iTunes). We also use it to access our music and purchased movies. We use a digital antenna for local channels, and we watch Amazon Prime with our Wii or PS3. We only really subscribe to Netflix. Amazon Prime - we have for the shipping. Once in a while we'll watch a show there, but not often. We did watch "how the shapes got their shapes" through Prime, by the way. :) My first choice would be Netflix. The selection is larger. We tried Hulu Plus and cancelled. You might look through the selection of each, and rotate based on what you'd like to watch.

They were crumblier than non GF cookies, but not too bad with practice. Be gentle, and you'll be ok. I found that a smaller size cookie was easier to handle, so we used our smaller cookie cutters - about an inch, maybe an inch and a half in diameter. They don't turn golden exactly, like the recipe said. I found that if we waited for that, they would be overdone. Once we got the hang of not overcooking them - it was good. We made a double batch and they are gone. Making more tomorrow! Even the non GF kids liked them.

I had to order the flour from Amazon prime, so if you can't find it locally, hurry. :)

We are allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, dairy and more. I had given up on roll out sugar cookies, but was so excited to find a recipe this year! http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/gluten-free-christmas-sugar-cookies/d3ab2026-54a3-4ff5-9c81-3f38b30acd89 It uses Betty Crocker rice flour, and they label for may contains. There is no nut warning, and.I trust their labeling. We used dairy subs, but I bet they'd be great with real dairy. I found that they baked quickly, and came out better when I lowered the temp a bit and watched carefully.

Growing up, I saw my grandparents a few times a year - we lived far away. But I have wonderful memories of long visits. We live within a day's drive of all the grandparents right now. My mother has spent tons of times with us, she will come for 4 - 6 weeks at a time, and just play with the kids. She also alternated with my MIL for several years, and one was always here when DS was little because I was severely ill for several years. So DS has had lots of grandma time from both, though not so much from MIL since I've been well. My mom is the one who'll get on the floor and play, and she'll even roll down a snowy hill (she is 73, by the way, so I think she's very brave!). In-laws, we see now maybe 6 times a year - and only for a day at a time. They are more hands-off, though I wish they'd stay longer. They seem to have the perspective that family is a burden, because they both come from very large families, and they want to give us the "gift" of not imposing on us. It drives me a little crazy, because I genuinely want more time with them. In fact, this is a sore spot because they are talking about moving a zillion miles away and totally isolating themselves. It would mean that seeing them, for our kids, is almost impossible (DS has trouble flying due to his allergies, and their new home would require 2 flights - double the risk). Blech. My father and stepmom are very active with their other grandchildren, but not so much with ours. We see them once or twice a year. I honestly haven't thought about grandchildren yet. :) I guess it will depend on where everyone lives, but I hope for lots of time, of course.

Poor kiddo. I hope he feels better soon, and has a quick, easy recovery.

Congrats!

I'm all for not wrapping everything. :) The extra time is your gift to yourself.

I understand the need to have things earmarked for each girl, even though everything will end up shared eventually, like a PP said. Would your girls just naturally share it all anyway? Do you wrap everything? (I know, I know, opening *that* can of worms!) We do Santa, and here he doesn't necessarily wrap everything. Sometimes Santa will leave a "shared" pile of gifts, with two piles of gifts that are clearly for one or the other. Not sure that would work for you. And if you don't do Santa, then it's a different ballgame altogether. (Oooooh, look at that, not only did I open the wrapped/unwrapped can of worms, I dragged the Santa debate into your thread too! Oops!)

I don't do Facebook, but I think this is a great idea. :)

Yep. Barkeeper's Friend. The marks on the sunflower pieces will come right off. Love it. Our Fiestaware looks like new again, thanks to this tip. :) Oh, and yes, if you don't like it - give it away or sell it and get something you like. Life is too short to keep a color you detest.

It's important that we keep things real on the internet, and combat any nutritional myths that might be floating around. Wouldn't want someone to get false information from a thread here. :D

Oooh, in love with the Star Wars cookbook. Wookiee cookies, too cute. Can't make up my mind... aaaaggghhhhh!

Of course it does. That's why I'm having salad for dinner. To magically undo all the holiday cookies I consumed while baking with the kids today.

Thanks! I'm kind of liking the cookbook idea now! :) I don't know them at all, have never actually met them, but they will be at our house for a gathering, and gifts will be exchanged, so I don't want to leave them out. Hmmmmm... Keep the ideas coming, if anyone has a stroke of inspiration!