Dry:
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup dry milk powder
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Wet:
1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (warm like a baby's bath)
3 eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

How:

1. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan well and dust it with rice flour.
2. Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm water and let it sit about 5 minutes, till it's foamy.
3. In your big mixer bowl, whisk together all the dry things.
4. In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vinegar.
5. Add the eggs and the yeast water to the dry things and beat on high with the mixer for 3 full minutes. Set the timer. It will NOT look like bread dough. It looks like thick cake batter. That's right. Don't add more flour.
6. Spoon it into the pan and smooth the top with a wet rubber spatula.
7. Cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm spot (I use the top of the dryer) until it's just over the top of the pan, about 45 minutes to an hour. Don't let it go too long or it will fall in the oven.
8. Bake at 375° for about 55 minutes, until it sounds hollow when you thump it. If the top is getting too dark, lay a piece of foil over it after the first 20 minutes.
9. Turn it out right away and let it cool all the way on a rack before you slice it, or it'll be gummy. I know it's hard. Go do something else.

Janice's tip: Slice the whole loaf when it's cool, put waxed paper between the slices, and freeze it. Gluten-free bread goes stale fast. Toast a slice straight from the freezer and it's as good as fresh.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (check the label)
1/4 teaspoon salt

How:

1. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Whisk the rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt together, then mix them in a little at a time.
3. Divide the dough in two, flatten each half into a round, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 2 hours. Don't skip this. Warm dough sticks to everything.
4. Roll out one round at a time between two sheets of waxed paper dusted with rice flour, about 1/4 inch thick. Peel off the top sheet, cut your shapes, and lift them with a pancake turner onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the edges barely start to turn golden. They'll firm up as they cool.

Frosting: 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons soft butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, a little vanilla, and food coloring. Check your sprinkles.

Janice's tip: If the dough cracks when you roll it, it's too cold. Let it sit five minutes. If it sticks, it's too warm. Back in the fridge.

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup cold shortening (or half shortening, half cold butter)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

How:

1. Whisk the flours, cornstarch, xanthan gum, salt and sugar.
2. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-size pieces.
3. Stir in the egg mixture with a fork, then add ice water a tablespoon at a time just until it holds together when you squeeze it.
4. Divide in two, flatten into rounds, wrap and chill 30 minutes.
5. Roll each round between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off the top sheet, flip it over the pie pan, and peel off the other one. If it tears, just press it back together with your fingers. This crust is very forgiving. It's the most forgiving thing in my kitchen, except James.
6. Fill and bake the way your pie recipe says. For a baked empty shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork and bake at 400° for 12 to 15 minutes until golden.

Janice's tip: Brush the top crust with a little milk and sprinkle it with sugar before baking. It browns up beautifully, and nobody asks questions about a pretty pie.

1 package lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 small can mushrooms, drained (or a handful of fresh, sliced)
2 cans cut green beans, drained, or one bag frozen
1 bag frozen potato rounds (read the label; some have a wheat coating)

Cream sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups cold milk
1/2 cup chicken broth (homemade, or a kind you've checked)
1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, a pinch of onion powder

How:

1. Brown the beef with the onion in a big skillet. Drain off the fat. Stir in the mushrooms and green beans and spread it all in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
2. For the sauce, stir the cornstarch into the cold milk until there are no lumps. (Cornstarch into hot liquid makes lumps every time.)
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan, pour in the milk mixture and broth, and cook over medium heat, stirring all the time, until it comes to a boil and thickens. Let it bubble one minute, then take it off the heat and add the salt, pepper and onion powder. Don't keep beating it once it's thick, or it can thin out again.
4. Pour the sauce over the beef and beans and stir it in gently.
5. Line up the potato rounds on top in rows, the way your mother did.
6. Bake at 375° for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are brown and crisp and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.

Janice's tip: This cream sauce works in any hotdish or casserole that calls for a can of cream-of-mushroom or cream-of-chicken. For chicken, use all broth instead of part milk, and add a little sage. One batch of sauce takes the place of one can.