The little touches....

The little touches can be what makes Thanksgiving fun for the little ones. Sometimes we get so busy with all of the cooking that we forget to put fun things on the table too - even if it is just your family. I collect napkin rings and use them for special meals. I let Andy pick out the ones we use - and if he picks snowmen and there is no snow on the ground yet - that is OK. And if he picks 3 different ones for each of us, that is OK too - just makes it more fun!

GFCF Cranberry Bread

No Thanksgiving meal is complete at my house without cranberry bread. I grew up in Warrens, Wisconsin - the Cranberry Capital of the World and even ran for Cranberry Queen in 1974. The population of Warrens at the time I was growing up there was about 300 and even today I doubt it is over 500. Yet they host the largest Cranberry Festival in the US the last weekend of September every year and thousands and thousands of people flock there. I use the same recipe I have used for years except that I substitute Bob's Red Mill GF mix for the flour. It turned out a little crumbly this year (but still tasted great). Next time I will probably add a little Xantham Gum.

Cranberry Bread

In one bowl sift together:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder

In another bowl, mix:
1 well beaten egg
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Mix with dry ingredients and add:
2 tablespoons hot water
½ cup nuts (chopped)
1½ cups cranberries cut in half

Put in one well greased & floured bread pan (or two smaller loaf pans). Bake one hour and 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from pan as soon as possible. While still steaming and hot wrap in wax paper and foil.
Store in refrigerator at all times for perfect slicing.

Green Beans with Carmelized Onions and Almonds

This was our veggie side dish on Thanksgiving. To make it I thawed 2 quarts of green beans that I had frozen from my garden - but you can use commercially frozen beans as well. I drained all of the ice crystals off of them. I sliced 4 medium onions into slices and cooked over medium heat in 2 tablespoons GFCF margarine until nice and brown looking. While they were cooking, I sprinkled them with a pinch of salt and a pinch of brown sugar - not too much. When they were nice and brown looking I added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and cooked until the liquid was cooked off. Then I added 1/4 cup of slivered almonds and the green beans. I cooked until heated through. I added another 1/4 cup of slivered almonds on top for crunch. Everyone gobbled these down - even Andy likes onions when they are carmelized.

GFCF Banana Cream Pie

I made this for dessert on Thanksgiving. I used a mix from Miss Roben's for the pie crust and it was not that great - kind of like cardboard. Pie Crust mixes I have used in the past that were great were the graham cracker mix from Miss Roben's and the pie crust mix from the Gluten Free Pantry. The filling is also good just as a pudding. Added Note: Miss Roben's has reformulated their pie crust mix - so don't rule it out yet. They are sending me some to try out. Miss Roben's has great customer service - they want happy customers and it shows.

Banana Cream Pie
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups milk substitute (I used Dari Free)
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons GFCF Margarine (I use Crystal Farms Dairy Free)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 bananas, sliced
1 9-inch baked pie shell
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks slightly. Stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks – mix well. Return egg yolk mixture to saucepan and mix well. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in margarine and vanilla. Arrange banana slices in bottom of pie shell. Pour hot filling into pie shell. To prevent a “film” from forming on the top as it cools, put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the filling. Cool to room temperature and then put in fridge to chill thoroughly. Serve with Soy Whip topping.

And all the GFCF fixings!

I made extra stuffing as well as mashed potatoes and gravy. Here are my recipes:

GFCF Bread Stuffing

Chop up 2 cups of onions and 4 cups of celery (adjust to your own tastes). Melt one cup of margarine, add onions and celery and cook until tender. Dice up 15 cups of soft GFCF bread and place in large bowl. Add celery, onions, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3 teaspoons sage, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss until well mixed. Gradually add one cup chicken broth until moistness desired. This is enough to stuff a 12 lb bird and have 2 quarts to cook on the side (cook in 350 degree oven until heated through - 20 to 30 minutes).

GFCF Mashed Potatoes

Peel and cube 5 lbs of potatoes. Wash and put in large saucepan with water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt. 1 tablespoon dried minced onions and 4 teaspoons dried minced garlic. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 30 mintues). Drain well. Put in a large bowl with 2 sticks of GFCF margarine and 1 tub of Tofutti Sour Supreme. Beat until Fluffy.

GFCF Chicken Gravy

Mix 1 can of GFCF Chicken Broth with 1/4 cup corn starch. Add 2 cups of water. Heat over medium heat until it thickens and boils. If it is too thick - add more water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

GFCF Turkey

Here is the turkey ready for carving. It was a butterball and I stuffed it with GFCF bread stuffing. It was juicy and wonderful!

A GFCF Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful and tasty GFCF Thanksgiving. We sure did. This picture shows our entire meal except for the pie - everything was GFCF and tasty.