Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes, Links, and Pictures

My mom and Seth's mom on dish duty (we don't let them cook), and my sis-in-law who is an amazing cook!

My mom's plate- she only took a small amount of bread at first, leery of gf breads, but she loved the Against the Grain Baguettes, so she ended up eating more of it!  I used Seth's grandma's china and bought gold chargers.

Me.  Cooking.  In pajamas.  As an active-duty military family, we rent this house, so disregard the ugly cabinets and appliances.  The granite counters are nice, tho! 

                                          

This WAS  my second time hosting a gluten free Thanksgiving.  I've had the luxury of two other gluten free Thanksgivings hosted by my mother (when it was just she & I), and by my best friend (who also made vegetarian options for another guest, so I wasn't the only one requiring intensive care in food prep).

Here are "professional" Turkey Day recipes from Living Without Magazine.

This is what I planned on preparing for Turkey Day, some updates added in from AFTERward:

• Gluten Free Turkey (remember some poultry is injected with gluten containing flavorings/broths). BEST GLUTEN FREE TURKEY: Brined turkey from Trader Joe's. SUPER JUICY, even the gluten-eaters loved it.  I've tried Shelton's before, but it didn't knock my socks off.  Other gf options listed in an old copy of Living Without magazine show Aaron's Gourmet, Empire Kosher, Honeysuckle White, Jennie-O, Norbest, Organic Prairie, Perdue, and Shady Brook Farms.  **Remember NOT to stuff the turkey.  Martha Stewart doesn't recommend it (due to bacteria from poultry), and my mother insisted we do it with gf stuffing once, and it was so mushy we had to throw it out.  Obviously, if you are also having gluten-full stuffing, do not put it in the turkey!
• Gluten Free Stuffing - **The KEY is to TOAST the gluten free bread in the OVEN before you make it and to NOT stuff it in the bird (sog city).  The BEST gluten free STUFFING EVER is Emeril's simple recipe link here with Against the Grain Baguettes toasted in oven. I'm adding more bacon this year.  I've tried others: cornbread stuffing (my bff made it superbly one year) or the new recipe, here, that I got from the gluten free expo from Against the Grain.  Click here for Enjoy Life's gluten free recipes for pie crust made from smashed cookies, stuffing, etc.  Remember, many people find cooking the stuffing in the crock pot keeps it moist, but I've never tried it.  Click here for more stuffing recipes.
• Cranberry Sauce- I'm a purist- no chutneys, no orange zest.  Just the original sauce, naturally gf!
• Bread- Leaning toward Against the Grain, but may choose Schar rolls or make cornbread-- I love Sylvan Border Farm Classic Dark Bread Mix (similar to Pumpernickel), but I think I'm going to order CranRaisAppWalnut bread and cornbread from Sally's GF Bakery in Sandy Springs, GA.
• I also recommend ordering from THE SILLY YAK Bakery here.  They ship from Wisconsin.  Feeling gutsy? How about trying a gluten free bread bowl recipe, here.
• Yams- regular recipe, with brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows- naturally gluten free!
• Click here for a link to gluten free flour blends you can make yourself, or try Better Batter, GF Bisquick, or Pamela's Baking Mix.  Be mindful of whether or not it already includes baking powder and xanthan gum/guar gum.
• Green Beans- I like them with slivered almonds, but my Midwestern mom loves that green bean casserole, so I did by a gravy packet from a guy at the gf expo, his website is here.  I also liked the sample he had of sausage gravy (like for breakfast), yum!  
• Corn Pudding:  Combine and mix:  14 oz can creamed corn, 2 eggs (lightly beaten), 1 c evap milk, 1/4 c sugar, 2 and 1/2 c GF flour blend, 2 tbsp butter, salt to taste (add a can of drained corn if you wish).  Pour into 1.5 qt casserole dish or 8x8 square dish. Bake @350 for 50 min. Serves 6
• Mashed potatoes- a la Gordon Ramsey, using a potato ricer, hot milk, whipping over heat.
• Gluten free Gravy- in the past I've used drippings with corn starch, but this year I'm using the packet I bought at the gf expo (see link under green beans).
• Appetizers: olive/relish tray, brie cheese and Trader Joe's rice crackers, crudite with pumpkin hummus recipe here.



pumpkin muffins I made- flavorful and MOIST, although not "quick & easy" as recipe describes

• Desserts:  Here is the BEST moist pumkin muffin recipe (although not all that simple- you have to let the batter "rest", for example). Gluten Free Hello Dolly Bars (my mom just subs gf ingredients, but there is a recipe in the 2011 Delight GF Magazine, Apple Cranberry Crisp (remember to omit the gf flour the recipes call for- texture is like sand! I use gf oats and gf graham crumbs), Vitamix pumpkin cake (sub gf flours), and ***BEST Gluten free Chocolate cream pie with BEST PIE CRUST-  gf graham crumb crust- just substitute S'morables gf graham crackers-  and mix w/melted butter like a regular graham cracker crust.  I get them at SUper Target or WHole Foods. Click here for a version of Betty Hagman's pie crust.  Some Whole Foods Markets sell pre-made pie crusts.   
• Remember to use Aluminum-Free Baking Powder for your baking this year, to avoid a metallic aftertaste.  I get it at Trader Joe's along with alcohol-free vanilla extract and real vanilla beans- did you know vanilla comes from orchids?  
• Drinks:  Rhubarb wine, water, apple cider, soda, milk, and PUMPKIN LATTEs with VitaMix!
• Ask guests to bring: Drinks, flowers, cranberry sauce, crudite, cool whip, ice cream, yams, gr.beans, or hummus.  Explain about cc.
• Now, this won't work for everyone.  My stepdad and mom are coming from FL for the holiday weekend, but they will be dining out for Thanksgiving, choosing to opt-out of a gf dinner.  My stepdad is a stickler for tradition and a control freak.  He's also unable to stay at other people's homes, always in a hotel.  Hopefully he remembers his blood pressure meds this year (to see what happened when he didn't one year, click here).
• If you're traveling, you can order travel sized dressings and soy sauce packets here.
• I'm also hosting my first Halloween Party.  Here is the list of gluten free Halloween treats I'll be serving.

Questionable Pan-fried Gluten Free French Toast

2 Breads Gluten Free Whole Foods White Bread and Light White Bread made as classic French Toast.  

Seth (who doesn't care for GF bread at all) loved it.  He gobbled up all of his and one of mine.  I liked the bottom piece ok (the smaller, "Whole Foods White Bread").  It was a bit spongy and springy in texture, but tasted fine.  The larger, "light white"WF gf bread piece was too soggy to me, and I didn't like it at all.  Most of the recipes I google for gluten free french toast are for baking it, or call for baking your own bread first.  All that is too much work.  I grew up with a single mom who just threw stuff in a pan and stayed skinny doing it (we didn't use real butter or real cream or other stuff that the chubbier moms used).  Although she did whisk up her own cinnamon syrup, which I won't share the recipe.  It's too special.

Buffalo chicken Crepe Revolution in Smyrna, GA

Lip-tinglingly picante, tastes like buffalo wings without the messy bones and stuff.  The gluten free crepe looked lighter in color and had more air bubbles than my companion's gluteny version.  Tasted light with a rice flavor.

Be My Gluten Free Valentine

First things first:  Here is the link to a good list of gluten free Valentine Candy.  This site also has a blog with weekly gluten free menu planning with recipe links!  They eat way too much chicken for me, but if you like chicken, you'll love it!  If you want to try your hand at gluten free Valentine treat recipes, look here.

Now, it is time to reminisce on how being gluten free has affected Valentine's Days in the past:

A guy I was dating returned from a bowling tournament in Las Vegas (it was only a 3 hour drive from my CA house, so not a big-deal trip) and brought me a tank top and Godiva chocolate-covered strawberries for an early Valentine's Day prelude to romance.  Well, Godiva has is not gluten free (see link here for explanation), so you should've seen this poor guy's face fall when I hemmed and hawed and finally revealed that I could not eat them.

A former boyfriend (the code writer) took me on a double date to a fancy steak house and, much to my chagrin, my steak was served to me teetering atop a giant SLAB of bread!  The waiter informed us it was a CROUTON.  The waiter told us if we sent it back, the $40 steak would come out of his paycheck, and since I was starving, embarrassed, and only a few months "in" to the celiac lifestyle, I ate the steak and got extreeeeemely sick.  My boyfriend was very nurturing to me that night, but I think romance was NIXED.

Before I was gluten free, a unique, funny guy I was dating in the late '90s owned his own online candy warehouse and sent me a big box full of Chupa Chups (lollypops), champagne gummy candies, and other unique items.  The funny part (which has nothing to do with being gluten free) was that he included a photo of ONLY his arm--in the "muscle" pose--with a giant patch of long, grizzly hair sticking out from his armpit, that he probably didn't realize was the focal point.  My girlfriends and I laughed and laughed!  I kept that pic for years, but once when I was away visiting my family, my "wasband" and evil ex-sister-in-law went in my filing cabinet (this is before we were even married) and threw away all of my old photos and love letters.

Last year, when we lived in the D.C. area, my boyfriend took me to a majority-gluten free restaurant, Lilit Cafe, where I devoured fantastic gluten free crab cakes, a savory Italian sub sandwich with Boar's Head cheese, and peanut butter cupcake-- so much that I got sick.  (Probably all those parts per million add up, or all the dairy, or whatnot).

This Valentine's Day I bought my boyfriend a camouflage heart filled with chocolates, Twix Valentine heart, and Spam (just for the surprise factor).  I will also give him a card and maybe a sweatshirt he has been eyeing but too cheap to purchase for himself.

What I hope to receive (he doesn't read my blog, as far as I know, and if he does- BONUS!)are:

• See's chocolates--(second place would be Ghirardelli, or Russel Stover) .  
• Flowers- preferably my favorite- but since he's never asked what my favorites are, he usually gets me roses or tulips, which is still nice and I appreciate them.  
• Plane tickets or jewelry, although I won't hold my breath on these items.  Remember, this is the guy who mailed me toothpicks when he was gone overseas (he's active-duty military), bath balls when I didn't have a bathtub, a costume jewelry type necklace set that was so cheap the stone had fallen out, so imagine what it looked like when I opened the box!- and this year for Xmas he got me the SAME BOOK his mother got me last year for Xmas that I had told him I didn't like and didn't finish.

Click here to read a LIST of the HORRIBLE and HILARIOUS gifts I received as an elementary school teacher in the ghetto and in general.

To The Major's credit, he gives me lots of stuff in general (no pun intended) that are not for gifts or holidays, but my fave gifts have been leggings and shopping sprees...where I pick it out and he pays. 

Updated with "After" Pics! Preparing a Gluten Free Thanksgiving Feast

My mom and Seth's mom on dish duty (we don't let them cook), and my sis-in-law who is an amazing cook!

My mom's plate- she only took a small amount of bread at first, leery of gf breads, but she loved the Against the Grain Baguettes, so she ended up eating more of it!  I used Seth's grandma's china and bought gold chargers.

Me.  Cooking.  In pajamas.  As an active-duty military family, we rent this house, so disregard the ugly cabinets and appliances.  The granite counters are nice, tho! 

                                          

This will be my second time hosting a gluten free Thanksgiving.  I've had the luxury of two other gluten free Thanksgivings hosted by my mother (when it was just she & I), and by my best friend (who also made vegetarian options for another guest, so I wasn't the only one requiring intensive care in food prep).
Here are "professional" Turkey Day recipes from Living Without Magazine.

This is what I plan on preparing for Turkey Day: (note: the pink are UPDATES added 11/16/11)

• Gluten Free Turkey (remember some poultry is injected with gluten containing flavorings/broths).  I've tried Shelton's before, but it didn't knock my socks off, so I'll try another brand this time.  Now that we live in Atlanta, we'll have to see what Whole Paycheck Foods offers.  Other gf options listed in an old copy of Living Without magazine show Aaron's Gourmet, Empire Kosher, Honeysuckle White, Jennie-O, Norbest, Organic Prairie, Perdue, and Shady Brook Farms.  **Remember NOT to stuff the turkey.  Martha Stewart doesn't recommend it (due to bacteria from poultry), and my mother insisted we do it with gf stuffing once, and it was so mushy we had to throw it out.  Obviously, if you are also having gluten-ful stuffing, do not put it in the turkey!
• Gluten Free Stuffing - I haven't decided yet, between cornbread stuffing (my bff made it superbly one year) or the new recipe, here, that I got from the gluten free expo from Against the Grain.  Click here for Enjoy Life's gluten free recipes for pie crust made from smashed cookies, stuffing, etc.  Remember, many people find cooking the stuffing in the crock pot keeps it moist.  Click here for more stuffing recipes.
• Cranberry Sauce- I'm a purist- no chutneys, no orange zest.  Just the original sauce, naturally gf!
• Bread- Leaning toward Against the Grain, but may choose Schar rolls or make cornbread-- I love Sylvan Border Farm Classic Dark Bread Mix (similar to Pumpernickel), but I think I'm going to order CranRaisAppWalnut bread from Sally's GF Bakery in Sandy Springs, GA.
• I also recommend ordering from THE SILLY YAK Bakery here. Feeling gutsy? How about trying a gluten free bread bowl recipe, here.
• Yams- regular recipe, with brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows- naturally gluten free!
• Click here for a link to gluten free flour blends you can make yourself, or try Better Batter, GF Bisquick, or Pamela's Baking Mix.  Be mindful of whether or not it already includes baking powder and xanthan gum/guar gum.
• Green Beans- I like them with slivered almonds, but my Midwestern mom loves that green bean casserole, so I did by a gravy packet from a guy at the gf expo, his website is here.  I also liked the sample he had of sausage gravy (like for breakfast), yum!  
• Corn Pudding:  Combine and mix:  14 oz can creamed corn, 2 eggs (lightly beaten), 1 c evap milk, 1/4 c sugar, 2 and 1/2 c GF flour blend, 2 tbsp butter, salt to taste (add a can of drained corn if you wish).  Pour into 1.5 qt casserole dish or 8x8 square dish. Bake @350 for 50 min. Serves 6
• Mashed potatoes- a la Gordon Ramsey, using a potato ricer, hot milk, whipping over heat.
• Gluten free Gravy- in the past I've used drippings with corn starch, but this year I'm using the packet I bought at the gf expo (see link under green beans).
• Appetizers: olive/relish tray, brie cheese and Trader Joe's rice crackers, crudite with pumpkin hummus recipe here.
• Desserts:  Gluten Free Hello Dolly Bars (my mom just subs gf ingredients, but there is a recipe in the latest Delight GF Magazine, Apple Cranberry Crisp (remember to omit the gf flour the recipes call for- texture is like sand! I use gf oats and gf graham crumbs), Vitamix pumpkin cake (sub gf flours), and Gluten free Chocolate cream pie with gf graham crumb crust. Click here for a version of Betty Hagman's pie crust.  Some Whole Foods Markets sell pre-made pie crusts. Remember to use Aluminum-Free Baking Powder for your baking this year, to avoid a metallic aftertaste.
• Drinks:  Rhubarb wine, water, apple cider, soda, milk, and PUMPKIN LATTEs with VitaMix!
• Ask guests to bring:  flowers, cranberry sauce, crudite, cool whip, ice cream, yams, gr.beans, or hummus, drinks.  Explain about cc.
• Now, this won't work for everyone.  My stepdad and mom are coming from FL for the holiday weekend, but they will be dining out for Thanksgiving, choosing to opt-out of a gf dinner.  My stepdad is a stickler for tradition and a control freak.  He's also unable to stay at other people's homes, always in a hotel.  Hopefully he remembers his blood pressure meds this year (to see what happened when he didn't one year, click here). **UPDATE:  My stepdad and mom skipped the restaurant and ate with all of us!  My stepdad gobbled his plate clean!  They all were surprised how buttery and yummy and great-textured the Against the Grain baguettes were and the proof was that they ate tons of them.   Everyone commented on how juicy the brined turkey from Trader Joe's was.  It was the best Thanksgiving I've had since going gluten free in 2005.
• If you're traveling, you can order travel sized dressings and soy sauce packets here.
• I'm also hosting my first Halloween Party.  Here is the list of gluten free Halloween treats I'll be serving.

Udi Gluten Free Frozen Pizza: A Quick Gluten Free Dinner

Went easy on the cheese, plucked herbs from my planter, and piled on veg, and pineapple.

The Colonel was in town, so my Major had to take him to dinner.  What to eat myself- without a big production?  Try that Udi Pizza Crust!  


It was super easy to make- just preheat oven, pile on sauce and toppings, and bake for 7 min.
I bought it at Whole Paycheck Foods.  There were two in a package, frozen.
The crust was quite pitiful thin (especially for a Chicago native). Additionally, although I delighted in the crispy edge, the middle tasted like I would imagine cardboard to taste (if I were ever to munch on a pizza box).
I won't be buying these again.  I prefer Against the Grain pizzas.
Ciao!

How to cook gluten free meals

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. 

Orson Welles

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients. 

Julia Child

I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something. 

Mitch Hedberg

More food quotes can be found on this website.

I should have this printed on business cards and hand them out when necessary:

Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent. 

Epictetus  

Like Julia Child says, keep it simple.  I'm no fancy cook.  I don't keep a gadget-filled kitchen.  I don't make up my own recipes.  My honey likes a duality of protein-rich grilled/baked/steamed dinners and unhealthy diner/American food.  (What is American food, you ask?  I believe it's the American versions of foods immigrants brought over, along with foods from the farm.  For example, there ain't no burritos in the real Mexico, and pizza in the U.S. ain't nothin resembling what you find in Italy, if you get my drift.)

So here are some pictures of foods we prepare at our house.  

Rachael Ray's Honey Chicken w/Spicy Lemon Rice: Tasty, but labor-intensive- I elaborate here

Stuffed cabbage from allrecipes website- tastes way better than it looks!

My Marine made dinner- Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage gluten free on Rudi's bun (so-so), veg and fruit.   He also selects the dishes, lol.

When I plan meals for the week I consider:

• protein variation (one fish, two poultry, one beef or pork or buffalo(buffalo has a pleasantly soft texture, and not a strong gamey flavor you might expect), one tofu/beans/vegetarian); I hate lamb, venison, etc.
• prep time/ease of preparation (with just 2 of us, we try to cook at home at least four dinners a week, and a fifth leftover or frozen night.  I eat out 0-2 dinners and 1 breakfast  or lunch a week.)
• price (having lived in CA where avocados are sold on the side of the road 4 for a dollar, I won't pay $2 for one; shop coupons/sales; we buy organic when it's affordable.)
• freshness of available ingredients (I like to buy unfrozen fish and fresh cilantro and garlic, for example.)
• flavor variation (if one meal has soy sauce, we won't pick another one with it that week) 
• food pyramid/plate guideline (my mother taught me to shop for the 4 food groups, and I've adjusted it to be sure a plate is half vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter brown rice/quinoa/starch/bread.  We mostly eat yogurt, broccoli, and drink orange juice for calcium.  I also try to limit processed foods.)

Gluten Free Rice Krispie Treats and Random Tidbits

Update: I made the gluten free Rice Krispie Treats. It took under ten minutes from getting the ingredients out of the cupboard, to microwaving, to pouring in the pan. Uber simple! I enjoyed them immensely. The texture seemed to match memories of the originals.
However, I must say that people at the potluck (I didn't share that the treats were gf) seemed to prefer to nosh on the gluteny brownies.
Scary Moment: I brought the treats in the pan because they were still warm. So, the host grabbed them, cut them, and proceded to use his hands to place them on a plate. Luckily, there was no obvious gluten around (it was a small party, with steamed shrimp as the main course, along with corn and steamed potatoes). So, I was able to eat them. What is it with people touching other peoples' food with their HANDS? It even bothers me when they do it on Top Chef. I can't even let my mind "go there" when it comes to what happens to my food while it's being prepared in the kitchen of restaurants. I was a waitress in college. I know.

By the way, my friend and gluten free friendly food blogger, Katja, prepared Gluten Free Rice Krispie Treats with her own spin: Lemon and almond slivers. Her blog is here.
This is Katja's gluten free yogurt parfait that I'd like to try:

I had my Leatherneck snap this photo of me because my dear mother wanted a pic of the apron she made me. Actually it was a fabric apron kit I got out of the sale bin at JoAnn's Fabrics and mailed to my mother to sew for me, since she's always looking for quick crafts (she has a small attention span), although she said it took 4 hours to make this. (I grew up watching my mom mend piles of cloth bags and things for relatives and declared as a child that I'd never learn to sew, I'd have a career and make enough to pay to have it done. And it has been pretty convenient, especially since I have carpal tunnel anyway!)
And, yes, I've gained 4 lbs. since moving to Atlanta- despite running with a 5k group every week and working out at the gym. Gotta get that off!
RECENT MENUS:
Breakfasts: Watermelon, banana, or gluten free Glutino peanut and chocolate granola bar (110 cal)
Lunches: Rice Krispie treats, popsicles, and Lara Bars
Dinners: Salmon, Wolfgang Puck's recipe for poppyseed cole slaw, Rachael Ray's Honey Chicken and Lemony Rice (very difficult to make, lots of ingredients, chopping, and clean up, but tasty! We made up for the hard work and mess by zapping the leftovers in the microwave for an easy dinner the next night, and they were delicious!), Hormel's Sweet Italian Sausages, waffle cut frozen sweet potato fries.
Snacks/Desserts: S'mores over the campfire with Gluten Free Smorables Graham Crackers from Super Target while camping in Wisconsin (read more about my camping and other summer adventures here), Breyer's Ice Cream and Edward & Sons gluten free cones for my Marine's birthday, Minute Maid 70 calorie juice bars, veggies and hummus
Drinks: Iced Tea, water with fresh lemon slices (never get the lemon at restaurants-they've been proven to be the germiest items around), and Low Calorie purple Gatorade

BEST MOVIE OF THE SUMMER: THE HELP
Surprisingly, I thought it was just as superb as the book! I loved it. There wasn't a male in the theater (you must see it with gal pals). I heard some ladies sniffling. The characters were expertly cast and the 2.5 hours didn't seem long at all, allowing all the good parts from the book to be included. I was leery (which I thought was spelled leary), given that she'd allowed her childhood friend to direct it.


SONGS: (I'm not putting anything that's already in the top ten, you can find that easy enough.)
My Jarhead was helping me julienne stuff for the cole slaw and heard my playlist song by Trace Adkins (I love his music) for the first time, "Semper Fi". He was impressed- he does not have a country gene in his musical body. I highly recommend it. Also, I just added to my running playlist Miranda Lambert's edgy "Gunpowder and Lead" that revs me up. A romantic choice would be Leo Sayers's "More Than I Can Say", which was my grandparents' song. They eloped as teenagers and were married over 35 years.