Who Survived Thanksgiving?

[sandsurfgirl]

I was thinking if we post a thread about how we did this Thanksgiving people can print it out and save for next year.

I did NOT get glutened!!! Yay

Mom left the stuffing out of the turkey.

I brought Pacific Foods gluten free mushroom soup for green bean cassserole and we left the fried onions out because they have gluten.

I ate her mashed potatoes and brought my own gravy.

I also ate her cranberry ambrosia.

My 6 year old and I both have celiac so I made some desserts so he wouldn't feel left out. I made peanut butter truffles, the Libby's pumpkin roll but I subbed gluten free flour of course, and I made pumpkin pie with no crust. I brought a cooler and it was great.

Everyone LOVED my gluten free desserts!

So on my plate was salad, green bean casserole, turkey, mashed potatoes, my own gravy, cranberries and cranberry ambrosia.

Her sweet potatoes have a crumble topping with flour and I had no time to make my own, so no sweet potatoes for me. I'm making them today instead!

[rdunbar]

theres a traditional "Turkey day" mountain bike ride where i live.

it's a great way to stimulate a good appetite!

It was nice riding with friends, and giving thanks!

since i'm on a super strict meat, veggies, and (less, and less) fruit only diet, and no grains, and nothing processed, everyday is Thanksgiving for me minus the stuffing!

Just think, Thanksgiving for a lot of Americans is the one day that they take a break from junkfood for dinner!

[rosetapper23]

I'm lucky--we always celebrate Thanksgiving at my mom's house, and she has celiac, too. Since my son, mother, and I all have celiac, people are respectful of the menu, but, as we all know, it's easy to prepare gluten-free food so that it is identical to regular food. My mom had bought stuffing mix and baguettes from Mariposa Bakery (which only sells gluten-free), so she was able to stuff the turkey and offer brie and bread before dinner. The stuffing was GREAT, and the relatives without celiac liked it, too. We also had mashed potatoes, a yam-and-sweet-potato dish, a string bean dish, and various cranberry sauces. It was such a relaxing Thanksgiving not having to worry about contamination. In years past, my mom tried to appease the non-celiacs by making regular bread stuffing, but she wouldn't stuff the turkey with it. Since this was cause for sadness in some folks, it was great that my mom was able to make a gluten-free version this year and make everyone happy.

[sahm-i-am]

I cooked my own Thanksgiving Feast, Celiac style and the only thing someone else made was my grandmother who wanted to make the stuffing for just me and my daughter. Fine, I said. She said she bought gluten free bread and has always been careful in the past. Lesson learned - she made it with Spelt Bread! My daughter didn't eat any since she doesn't like stuffing and since I don't have symptoms I didn't have a reaction, except for the damage done on the inside But, everything tasted good and nobody noticed me bringing in extra plates filled with food (except the hostesses) and it gave me encouragement for Christmas, or any other event.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

[missy'smom]

Even though this was my 4TH? year gluten-free, I am thankful that we made it through and enjoyed. After a year of battling dozens of food allergies, many years of bringing my own to other's festivities, kiddo and I both were not up to joining others so we stayed home, some family came and we enjoyed an allergen-free dinner with everyone being able to eat everything on the table and not feeling left out. Yay!

Besides gluten-free, our main menu was corn-free and nut-free.

Herb roasted turkey breasts

cranberry sauce

stuffing with apple

steamed green beans

mashed potatoes

Imagine turkey gravy

For dessert

apple pear crisp with oat topping with maple syrup sweetened whipped cream

creme brulee

cherry wine

sparkling apple pomegranate juice

For myself(low-carb, cow's milk dairy and soy-free and many others free)

I passed on the stuffing

instead of potatoes-Mashed "faux"tatoes-califlower, no gravy, just gaot's milk butter

herb butter for turkey was made with goat's milk butter

stevia sweetened cranberry sauce

dessert-baked custard using goat's milk and stevia

passed on the cherry wine and sparkling cider

[Mama Melissa]

I made it threw my first gluten free thanksgiving:) my moms cooked everything for me a non stuffed turkey and gravy made with cornstarch which was amazing:) cranberry sauce my grandmother homemade stuffing which consists of potatoes,bacon,onions,peppers,eggs and our course she left out the breadcrumbs i should try gluten-free breadcrumbs next yr:) also greenbeans and mashed potatos it was alll soo yummy i wish thanksgiving was every day:)Oh and btw i made a gluten-free free punpkin pie for dessert the premade gluten-free crust tasted just like the reg flour made ones:)

[ravenwoodglass]

My Thanksgiving was peaceful, too peaceful with the kids, well young adults really, in another state and unable to come home. I had a great dinner though.

I made a chicken and used Grainless Baker stuffing mix to stuff it. Since I really love stuffing and have missed it greatly I was really pleased how good the gluten-free stuffing tasted. I also made mashed potatoes and used some of the green beans I had frozen from the garden. Of course I had to add cranberry sauce and made my Mom's 'famous' deviled eggs and today will be the last day for my favorite part, the leftovers. I plan to run to the store tommorrow and get a couple more boxes of the stuffing mix just in case the store makes it a 'seasonal' item. All in all it was a great day and I was a lazy loaf and never even got dressed. I just spent the day doing my favorite things, feeling decadent in my comfy robe and eating good food and chocolate until I thought I would burst. I have a lot to be thankful for, not the least being my gluten free lifestyle and it's resulting good health.

[Wolicki]

This was my second gluten free Thanksgiving. Last year was low key. This year was a party! 15 people over, including our kids, friends of the kids and parents and my BF's ex wife! It was great and we all had a good time.

Roasted turkey

mashed potatoes

Gravy made with Sorghum flour

Southern dressing made with Bob's gluten-free cornbread and Udis

Green beans cooked in bacon

Candied yams

Spinach salad

gluten-free Bisquick biscuits

Cranberry sauce

Pumpkin pies with Mothers Market gluten-free pie crusts

eggnog

And lots of wine.

Wonderful food, and no one knew it was gluten free

[GuyC]

I did well thanks to my wife. She made gluten-free pumpkin pie. The crust was perfect!

[SheaLynne]

I was so happy to make it through w/o being glutened

My mil is "on board" with helping me watch for hidden ingredients, and she planned most of the meal, though it was moved to my sil's house and less was in our control. I enjoyed turkey (dressing was made separately, and I skipped it), mashed potatoes w/o gravy, steamed green beans, collard greens, salad, fruit salad (I brought), a gluten-free biscuit I brought (I made regular rolls for everyone else *after* I made my gluten-free food!), gluten-free snickerdoodles (cookies) which *everyone* loved, and a mini gluten-free apple pie just for me I also took a regular apple pie for everyone else to enjoy.

I think my gluten-free contributions were enough of a hit that next time I'll bring gluten-free for everyone rather than try to make one for them and one for me.

And I enjoyed a splurge of coconut milk ice cream with gluten-free cookie dough in it...ahhhh, that was a treat!!

[sb2178]

Basically, an aunt who was really good about cleaning up after the rolls and stuffing and they did the pies before I arrived. I made the vegetables, and required that I have my own "clean" butter for everything I ate.

My dinner:

Roasted turkey (no stuffing, dressing baked separately for others)

Steamed brussels sprouts

Roasted cauliflower

Mashed potato/turnip blend

Cornbread with cranberries

Relishes (carrot sticks, celery sticks, olives)

Apple crisp

Pumpkin bar

Now, I've never been much of a stuffing person and I hate gravy so there was no need to replace them. The only things I missed were the rolls and the apple pie, and the crisp was a reasonable substitute. None of the replacement breads come close top matching the rolls, but cornbread was fine.

Faint hint of malabsorption today, so I may have had a little too much airborne flour exposure on my food, but I was out of the kitchen during those times.

[Judy3]

This was my first holiday gluten free and it was pretty successful for me too. A few minor mishaps. My son and I cooked at our house and took it to my Mother's because she can't do the stairs here. I made regular stuffing and rolls for my family and skipped them myself (learned I have to wear gloves next time I knead their bread dough though as all my fingers around the cuticle were cut and bleeding when I was done (they weren't there before, that's just weird!) I tried to make some gluten free stuffing for myself with Udi's bread (dried it with sage and onion) but it was not a good texture for me so I may have to rethink that for next year but the rest was wonderful.

We had roasted turkey breast, broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberries, mashed potatoes, gluten free gravy (potato starch), and for dessert my Mom made Schaum Torte. It's baked meringue rings with ice cream and strawberries and whipped cream. Mmmm She made them so I could have dessert... gotta love her 81 year old self!! It's like eating strawberry shortcake with out the biscuit because the meringue rings are crunchy!!

So despite the fingers being sore and the gluten free stuffing being weird for my first Holiday it was pretty good.

I don't know who put the flourless peanut butter cookie recipe out her last week but I made them today and OMG they are soooo good I want to eat them all... LOL

It seems like everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and that's the best thing!

[lynnelise]

My Thanksgiving went really well! I made a lot of the side dishes and my mom made the turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and deviled eggs. My sides were a sweet potato and cranberry casserole, cranberry sauce, Chebe rolls, and wild rice, sausage, and apple stuffing. For dessert I made pumpkin struesel cheesecake bars and Impossibly easy coconut pie from the Live Gluten Freely website. I also made homemade eggnog ice cream. I wrote about it in my blog which is listed in my profile. Even the gluten eaters were happy!

[Juliebove]

We brought some of our own food but the desserts that I made were not good. Daughter had some boxed chocolate chip cookies. She ate some and left some there for tomorrow when we are celebrating my SIL's birthday.

[i-geek]

I survived!

My parents hosted dinner for the four of us (mom and dad, my husband and I). I provided gluten-free bread (one loaf of my own recipe, one loaf of Gluten-Free Pantry French bread mix) for the stuffing and Mom stuffed it in a fresh turkey from a local poultry shop. Gravy was from scratch: pan drippings and cornstarch. She opened a fresh pack of butter for mashed potatoes and buttered green beans with mushrooms (to replace the usual green bean casserole). I brought a sweet potato casserole, fresh cranberry-orange relish, and for dessert, a pumpkin cheesecake with gluten-free gingersnap crust (Mi-Del gingersnaps are SO good).

The food was awesome and we all agreed that the gluten-free bread made better stuffing. LOVE Thanksgiving dinner. Still loving the leftovers.

[Roda]

I had a good Thanksgiving also. It was just my husband, our two boys and myself. It was cozy just the four of us. All our meals(that we eat together) are glutetn free. Noone in my house cares for stuffing so I don't have to bother with that. My husband did a rub on half a turkey and smoked it several hours with apple wood then I roasted it in the oven. I made gravy out of the broth I made from boiling the giblets, turkey neck & back with carrot, onion, celery, bay and thyme. I thickened it with cornstarch. we also had mashed potatoed and lemon buttered carrots. For desert I made a cherry delight with a crust made from Perky's nutty rice cereal, middle was dreamwhip and cream cheese topped with cherry pie filling. I also made sugar cookies to munch on. There wasn't much left over. The other half of the turkey was smoked and put in the freezer for Christmas.

[kitgordon]

I had a lovely Thanksgiving. We went to my aunt and uncle's house - he has celiac, she does not. They made 2 smaller turkeys - one stuffed, one not. Except for the stuffing and a couple breads, everything was gluten free. We celiacs (half my family has celiac) were able to eat mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, creamed onions, cornbread, cranberry sauce, turkey, and gravy and I brought a corn casserole with cheese and bacon which everyone loved. I also brought a pie made with Gluten-free Pantry crust, and my sister made a delicious pumpkin cheesecake with a crust made from crushed gluten free gingersnaps. Gluten free food can be just as good as regular. And I am thankful to have a family full of celiacs, so we are always accommodated wherever we gather!

[sandsurfgirl]

Glad to hear so many of us did well! I hope those who got glutened are recovering, as I'm sure there are a few of us out there who were not so lucky. If you need to vent we are here for you!

[CeliacMom2008]

We hosted an entirely gluten-free meal. And for the first time ever, I wasn't stressed in the least. Did whatever I could the day before and the rest the morning of and just relaxed. We had:

Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy (cornstarch)

Sweet Potatoes

Cornbread casserole

Green bean casserole (no onions on top)

Roasted carrots

Oatmeal bread

Stuffing with celery, apples, and raisins make with Gluten Free Pantry bread

Cranberry jello salad

Cranberry relish

Fresh veggies and dip

Cheese and crackers (Nutthins and Crunchmaster)

Crustless pumpkin pie

Banana cream pie (homemade crust)

Pumpkin cake

[cap6]

My 1st T'giving was awesome! We had dinner with friends who made sure the meal was gluten-free except for their stuffing (that was covered with paper towels and on a separate counter space) and she even wore gloves. I made & brought my own stuffing which everyone tried and declared good. They had pie and I had my own which everyone tried as well. Friend was very careful with CC - I helped with prep so it was a very positive experience. Hoo-ray for supportive family and friends who go the extra mile for us!!

[greeneyes33]

This was my first year staying home and cooking. It was a success!

Roasted turkey breast

mashed potatoes

roasted sweet potatoes

green beans

corn

stuffing

cranberry sauce

corn bread

dinner rolls

pumpkin pie

chocolate cream pie

There was gravy, but it was not gluten free. I dont eat it anyway. Everything else was gluten free and for once I didn't have to stress about what I was eating for a holiday meal!

[GlutenFreeManna]

We couldn't go anywhere this year, so I made a turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans with almonds, stuffing with Udi's bread, and pumpkin pie with coconut milk and a date/almond crust. It was the least stressful holiday I've ever had.

[Rowena]

Well I had a million and one Thanksgivings. The one I made went well which included the following,

Curried Carrot Soup

Cornbread stuffing

Stuffed Cornish Hens (had a wild rice stuffing)

Cranberry sauce made completely from scratch

Cranberried Carrots

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

A mutilated apple pie (I am determined never to make pie again)

The other two thanksgivings were disaster. All I ate at my mom's house was potatoes and beans. Nothing else was safe. And I am pretty sure I got cc'd from it, because my mom had to remake a pecan pie that morning. At my MIL's house, she made gluten-free pies for me, but they did get me because she made all the pies at relatively the same time... So moral of the story, bring my own food next year.

[jerseyangel]

This was my 5th gluten-free Thanksgiving and it was wonderful. We always have dinner with our son, his girlfriend, and her family. I roasted a turkey breast the Sunday before, made stuffing from GFP Sandwich bread, maple glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Froze dinner sized portions to bring with me on Thursday--microwaved them as everyone was about to sit down. As soon as we all started eating, my plate looked pretty much like everyone else's.

Also brought a gluten-free pumpkin pie that I made with GFP crust mix and the regular recipe on the Libby's can. Everyone who tried it loved it.

[K8ling]

I MADE ITTTTT!!!

My MiL bought me my very own toaster, and I brought gluten-free bread. Also, I managed not to micromanage. They did a seafood thanksgiving this year (my inlaws are big fishermen). My grilled fish was on foil, with gluten-free seasoning, my fried shrimp was made out of bisquick (gluten-free) and old bay and fried in the very first batch, and then I got the first pick out of everything and set some aside in my own container for leftovers. Also, a crustless pumpkin pie baked in glass. It was so good!

Really, just paying attention was the big thing. I had to constantly be aware. I am hopeful for Christmas in Virginia though!!