Jaymes

I don't know for sure, but just to repeat what our pediatrician has said regarding this issue, the definitive diagnostic test is not easy and not cheap. My 18-mo-old granddaughter hasn't gained a single pound in four months, was already very small for her age, and has some pretty troubling digestive "issues" that I won't go into here. Suffice it to say that my daughter and her husband are justifiably worried as to what is going on, and are not gullible followers of the latest fad. They've been working with their pediatrician to try to come up with an answer to what is very clearly a problem (and would be so in anyone's book) and a treatment. The gluten thing is one of the big suspects, so my daughter, thinking like many of you, figured it would be just a simple, easy and cheap blood test to find out. Not according to the pediatrician. The pediatrician said that although they can do a blood test to find out whether or not it's a possibility, the test to make a definitive diagnosis is invasive and would have to be done under a general anesthetic. Anybody out there think that would be cheap or easy to do, especially on an 18-month-old baby? We don't. And neither does the pediatrician, who said that the first step is put the child on a gluten-free diet for a month and see if there's any improvement. We're doing that now. And I assure you that it's not been the sort of fun that one normally associates with fads. Especially since our too-small and not-thriving child is the middle child of three. It's a lot of extra work to always make something different for her, and to try to explain why she can't have the same things as her big sister or little brother. So when you look at the stuff in the cart of the next folks behind you in line at the grocery store, and you see "gluten free," my request of you is that you don't judge so quickly. Or so harshly. That might be us.

Did you know that a rose and cactus combination is something of an iconic southwestern image? Many folks plant them immediately adjacent to one another in the hopes they will entwine. You were totally 'on trend' and didn't know it. Perhaps you should put the one that you removed back in!

As I said upthread, I often sprinkle sugar onto the top of the French toast right after I put the slices into the skillet. I use whatever I'm in the mood for - granulated sugar (usually with cinnamon), or maple sugar (like Andie) or brown sugar, turbinado, piloncillo, etc. Then when you turn the French toast, it caramelizes, and your regular French toast made with your usual method develops that nice crusty top. Not the same as Andie's fried (or caramelized in the pan - whichever method you prefer) bread pudding, but adds a nice and unexpected touch, and couldn't be any easier.

Thanks!

It was about the amount one would get at the table plus one re-fill - maybe a 1/2 cup, and the chips were just the amount they put in the basket on the table. Um.... Have I ever given you my quick & easy salsa recipe? It's all that. And you buy a bag of chips.

This thread has reminded me how good we all thought Ranch Dressing was when we first encountered it, freshly made, with buttermilk. Honestly, I had forgotten.

And sprinkles. Don't forget sprinkles. Especially if the family has children. Everyone loves sprinkles.

Well, good. I can see why you will accept no other!

I'd say the fundamental flavors of "Ranch"-whatever (including actual Ranch dressing) are buttermilk, garlic, and herbs (typically parsley and chives). I'd agree that it started out with buttermilk but it seems that even that was too strong a flavor for some folks. Now, it seems that few versions have it.

Wonderful ideas. You're a treasure, Andie. I don't really have the time or energy for baking anymore. But even I can pick up a package of King's Hawaiian Rolls. And I plan to do just that this very afternoon. Thanks.

Although, I suspect like most folks, a plain vinaigrette is my favorite dressing, my second-favorite has always been bleu cheese - Stilton, preferably, or Roquefort, or whatever. I know many people like that cool, creamy topping on their greens, but are put off by the strong bleu cheese taste. To me, anyway, Ranch is an easier version. Creamy, with some pretty typical "salad dressing" herbs and spices, but not that strong cheese flavor. When it first came out, you bought a small packet of dry mix, took it home, and mixed it up with mayo and buttermilk (as I recall, anyway). It had a nice tang to it and became moderately popular, not only for salad dressings, but also for dips. Then the company that made it, Hidden Valley, began selling it in bottles, already prepared. And it was on its way to superstardom. Now it seems like you can buy pretty much anything in "ranch flavor." There are a great many recipes online for homemade versions so if you're really curious, you could whip up a batch. Most include mayo, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic & onion powder, salt and pepper.

Wow. I really admire you for starting off by baking your own bread. Impressive. But I'll second the addition of a sprinkle of maple sugar. I do that sometimes as well. Or piloncillo, or other rough, raw sugars. But I, too, am unsure as to how it "reduces the mess."

I heard a very crude version of a similar joke. Apparently it's currently making the rounds of restaurant kitchens. I try not to think of it, but it sure goes to the obsession for ranch dressing among some folk. Stunning, really.

I really love meatball subs, and other "pizza type" sandwiches, including stromboli and calzoni when they have a higher "good stuff" to bread ratio. The pizza rolls that I've had, however, are mainly dough, with just a little bit of the good stuff in the middle. They seem to be pretty popular. But I'm not a fan.

A pizza restaurant has outlawed dipping its pizza into ranch dressing. A rebellion has begun. It is speculated that the practice began with "inebriated college students." Pizza & Ranch Dressing Rebellion

I have observed that I like to pour a bit of the "lite" Ranch Dressing onto my baked potato as a low-fat alternative to sour cream. Other than that, find it just "okay." But it's sure ubiquitous these days, isn't it?

Many of the pizza joints around here (Houston) sell "pizza rolls." I have no idea if this is a nation-wide thing. As I have said before, the bread isn't my favorite part of the pizza to begin with, and these pizza rolls seem to incorporate an even higher bread-to-good-gooey-stuff ratio, so I like these rolls even less. But I do note that they come with several small cups of ranch dressing for dipping. They probably do deserve it.

Regarding bread... Just want to add that one of my granddaughters is gluten-intolerant. Her favorite breakfast is Hootie's (my grandma name) French toast. If you can make that awful gluten-free "bread" taste good, you're really doing something. So I'll recommend that to anyone else out there dealing with the same issue.

To each their own! I like the middle; the crust, not so much. But then, I am not big on bread in general. Does that mean I shouldn't be allowed to enjoy my pizza???? I am nominating this for one of eGullet's most silly threads of all time. Golly. I was thinking it was one of the best.

My grandmother was married to a conductor on the Kansas &Topeka railroad and, years ago, she taught me how to make it the way they did in the KT railroad dining car. I wouldn't say it's the be-all and end-all of French toast, but this is what I do. Buy a loaf of some sort of rustic white bread - French or Italian or whatever, but with a good crumb. Slice it into rounds about 1" thick. Leave them out overnight to get stale (if you don't have time, then just use whatever you've got; this morning, I just made some with a new loaf of Roman Meal sandwich bread. There's the "best choice," and then there's "what I have" - both work fine). Beat about 1 egg per slice of bread (if you don't want the center custardy, and don't plan a long soak, then use about 1 egg per two slices of bread). Add about 1 or 2 Tbls cream, 1 tsp or so sugar per egg, a healthy shake or two of cinnamon, a dash of salt, and a few drops of vanilla, and beat this up pretty well, to be sure the sugar and cinnamon are incorporated. As it sits, the cinnamon will float to the top, the sugar to the bottom, so be sure it's well-stirred before you drop in your bread. Let your bread soak as long as you have the patience to wait (we like it crispy on the outside; custardy on the inside; if you don't, then just do a quick dip). Get a skillet or grill hot and add a nice pat of butter. Put the French toast onto the skillet, and add pats of butter as required to keep things bubbling nicely. You can sprinkle an extra dash of cinnamon onto the top (the wet part) of the toast as it cooks, and even a pinch of additional sugar if you'd like. Adding sugar to the custard helps make the outside of the French toast crispy. Especially if you're serving French toast to a housefull, which I do about once a week, you can then put your toast into a warm (about 250 oven). That way, you can serve everybody hot French toast at the same time, and the oven helps to crisp it up. I do add extra sugar to the custard when I'm serving small children because the rest of the family likes to add powdered sugar or maple syrup or cajeta or a sprinkle of chocolate chips to the French toast as they're eating it, and that's pretty messy for little kids. If I add extra sugar to their custard, they'll eat it without wanting the additional sweetener on top. We serve this with some sort of fresh fruit and bacon or sausage. It's probably our number-one favorite breakfast and I cannot even begin to count how many times I've made this through the years. At Christmastime, my father (and now I) make it with eggnog or rompope. The rum/bourbon/brandy in eggnog makes the French toast particularly festive. You can also add a dash of an orange or cherry flavor liqueur, or Calvados or anything, really. My father also would occasionally plump raisins in sherry or brandy or something, and add them to the custard (although my children are not fans of this). And I've also many times made it with melted vanilla ice cream, or dulce de leche. I'm sure there are fancier versions, but if you want a good, serviceable, all-purpose recipe you can make week after week after week until death, I'd suggest you try this one.

You know, we have had several excellent threads on this exact same subject - taking food to friends/relatives in some sort of distress - illnesses/funerals/broken hearts. These threads are so full of terrific advice that they are some of my favorite threads here, and I've actually adopted many of the suggestions. I'd recommend you do a search for them. But one tip that has been very successful is to take some cartons of of ice cream, four or six (or however many family members there are) parfait glasses, and an assortment of fun toppings. Comforting, tasty, and cheery. I can't tell you how well-received that has been, and I want again to thank eGullet and whomever it was among you that suggested it so many years ago. So, thanks. Again.

I have standards. The ranch must be Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley homemade from powder, mayo and milk Buttermilk.

It is good. Really good. Too good. In my case, it takes something fattening that I don't particularly like and don't care to eat (and God knows there is precious little that falls into that category) and turns it into something absolutely delicious, and something even more fattening, and something I cannot resist.

Interesting insight, though, isn't it, into the way our world works today. Pre-internet, she probably would have just set down out there on her ranch and started making notes in her diary. A diary that likely nobody but her family ever would have seen. But now... Maybe...... But, the cynic in me says that the blog had lofty intentions from the beginning. Probably so. But still, compare that to the olden days. She would have kept her diary. She would have searched and searched for a publisher, likely to no avail. And that would have left only her family to roll their eyes and giggle.

Interesting insight, though, isn't it, into the way our world works today. Pre-internet, she probably would have just set down out there on her ranch and started making notes in her diary. A diary that likely nobody but her family ever would have seen. But now...