Thanksgiving

[skipper30]

I know it is a little early for this but I am a control freak, so I need to start planning early!!!

Our family will be at my in-laws for Thanksgiving this year. This is our first gluten-free Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving at my in-laws is a HUGE event with 50-75 people there and an amazing amount of food!!! I am not so concerned about others feeding Cooper as I am about the CC issues. How do those of you who have done this before cut down on the CC and/or just handle all that gluten filled food and uneducated people??

Thanks for your input!!

Dallas

[CarlaB]

It's easy for me ... I cook it here! Somehow since the age of about 30, I became the family "matriarch" that does all the holidays! I'm going to ask others to bring the green bean casserole with those glutenous onions, and pumpkin pie. Everything else will be gluten-free.

If it were me, I'd cook a Thanksgiving type dinner the day before, complete with stuffed turkey. I'd bring a plate of food for all those in the family who need to eat gluten-free. I simply do not eat food that comes out of someone else's kitchen unless I've either supervised or given them instructions. I think this way would cause the fewest problems and would keep the gluten-free people in your family safe. PLUS, you then have LEFTOVERS!!!!!

[tarnalberry]

I cook the whole thing - gluten free, casein free, and most of it very low fat. Everyone *loves* it. I've done if for... three years that way. (Most of my thanksgiving recipes are on my recipe post in the recipe section.) Rice based stuffing, gravy has always been from cornstarch in my family, pie crust from gluten-free pumpkin bread, and everything else is pretty easily naturally gluten-free anyway. I find Thanksgiving to be one of the easier holiday meals to convert, given that it has so many fresh produce based courses.

[jerseyangel]

Last year was my first one gluten-free. I had everyone over here and made the whole meal gluten-free--with the expeption of a basket of "regular" rolls.

I bought a fresh turkey, made dressing using gluten-free bread cubes that I dried in the oven. Mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, homemade cranberry-orange relish, gravy thickened with potato starch, tomato/mozerrela/basil salad, olives, and gluten-free pumpkin pie to go with it.

If I had to go to someone else's home for Thanksgiving, I'd make this type of meal the weekend before, and make up plates to freeze and take to the gathering. Then, you would only have to microwave the plates--cutting the risk of CC. Bring any gluten-free desserts that you want, and keep them covered and separate from the other desserts until serving time.

The main thing for a situation like this is the pre-planning.

[Turtle]

I have to worry about CC issues too where i'm going for Turkey Day, so i'm just gonna cook a few things to "contribute" to the meal but just between us, the real reason is so I can assure I have something SAFE to eat without being CC'd. It'll be a bit of a pain b/c we have to travel but I think if I freeze all that can be frozen then it'll survive the trip and work out okay! In the event it's a catastrophre (sp??), I guess i'll live off of Envirokids Cereal Bars and fruit with a side of the banana bread/muffins i'll make to take with me. HAHAHAHHA!!!

Good luck to you!!

[floridanative]

I was so worried about ruining Christmas dinner last year that I put off my biopsy until Jan. Now that I know I can still make pecan pie with gluten-free crust, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole sans onions/with Progresso soup, and I never ate gravy anyway, I feel silly that I thought I'd not be able to enjoy eating during the holidays if I was dx'd with Celiac. Now that my Mother is also gluten free, after being tested after my dx, it'll be easier since there are two of us and my husband and I do a lot of the cooking so the bulk of the meal will be gluten free and delicious as well. Anything others bring will not be placed near my safe food so Mother and I won't get sick.

We actually had to switch our plans for the holidays and see my family for Christmas and DH's for Thanksgiving due to my needs and various in-law plans that affected where we'd be eating. It worked out fine and no one is upset about it. The main change is that I'll be cooking a lot more for both meals from now on and since I don't want to get sick, that's just fine with me.

[luvs2eat]

I've even french fried onion rings (w/ cornstarch) to make the onion topping on the green beans... it's all doable... we just have to find an acceptable way!

[chrissy]

luvs2eat---tell me how you did your onions----i was just thinking about making homemade fried onions for the greenbean casserole.

[floridanative]

Yes - I was going to try and do the same thing. I want to make a test batch before the holidays. Wonder if they'll freeze okay?

[skipper30]

I want this to be "easy" for us...I agree about not trusting anyone else to cook things...I am totally willing to do cooking for us, I am just hopeful that others will stay the heck away from Cooper's food!! I don't mean that as bad or mean as that sounds!! With that many people, it makes me very nervous! I would prefer that we just stay home...but there is no way that I want to be responsible for cooking for 50 people..gluten-free or not gluten-free!!

Any tips for pie crusts??

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Last year, I did:

Deep Fried Creole Butter Marinated Fresh Turkey (Turkey Fryers are by far the best way to cook turkeys)

Smoked Gouda Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Green Been Casserole with Funyuns (It was really good)

Jalapeno and Sausage Gluten Free Stuffing (I used Food For Life bread)

Old Fashioned Baked Yams with Kraft Marshmallows

Pinot Noir Infused Turkey Gravy (Natural Gravy, garlic, corn starch and wine reduction)

Roasted Garlic Cloves for spread

Gluten Free Garlic Bread (I used Kinnikinnick)

Cranberry/Pineapple/Walnut Jello Suprise (It was good)

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crumbled Pamela's Cookies as the Crust (gluten-free)

[wonkabar]

I am soooooooo glad you posted about Thanksgiving. I was just thinking about it a couple of weeks ago and thought people might think I was nuts posting about it that early!!

[prinsessa]

I am also already thinking about Thanksgiving. I don't really want to have a bunch of people at my house (I'm in school right now and that is just too stressful), but I don't trust having someone else cook for me and the kids. I am thinking about having an early dinner at my house and then going to someone else's house for dessert (with gluten free goodies of course). The only thing I am not sure about making is the stuffing, but I'm sure I could use gluten free bread (has anyone else used gluten free bread in stuffing before). I might just make wild rice stuffing instead. I love Thanksgiving. It is my second favorite holiday next to Halloween.

[Sweetfudge]

I'm rather nervous about thxgiving, b/c my husband's family isn't all that considerate of my celiac issues. sure, m-i-l will cook me a plain piece of chicken to go w/ the meal but CC is a HUGE issue in their house and i can guarantee things like seasonings, butter, etc aren't safe. so i don't want to be rude and not go...but i'm kinda thinking about it anyway

i would love to try my hand at a big turkey dinner, but don't know exactly how to do it.

i've thought about experimenting with stuffings and turkey seasonings and desserts. i have a bag of turkey drumsticks in the freezer, i might just try a few recipes on a leg or two, and see which i like best.

the thing that i'm most bummed about is gravy and the green bean casserole. i've tried to make my own cream of mushroom soups, but not had much luck. i'd love it if anyone who has a good recipe could share theirs.

hm, i've got a great recipe for a pie crust - it's made with ground pine nuts and almonds and brown sugar, and it's so delish! it's for a cheesecake, but i bet it would be good w/ other pies too. what kind of pie would go w/ those nuts?

anyway, good luck to everyone out there and thx for the support.