Gluten Free for Thanksigving

We will again be hosting Thanksgiving this year for my parents at our house (and I say "hosting" loosely, because my mom does as much of the cooking as I do) and again be bringing gluten free into the mix so that one of my favorite holidays, doesn't end up making me sick.

One would think Thanksgiving would be an easy gluten free holiday, since the main components are meat and potatoes, but it can be more challenging than that. Many turkeys are infused with flavorings that are not gluten free, and pre-stuffed ones are obviously out of the question.

Last year, I thought the only place to get a gluten free fresh turkey would be Whole Foods, and ended up spending $45 for a turkey. This year, things are looking better, as Wegmans has gluten free fresh turkeys (and when I called they said all their fresh and frozen turkey are gluten free) for $.59 a pound--awesome!

Also, I'm going to try and track down some gluten free stuffing this year. My friend Amy over at the Savvy Celiac just did a review and picked her favorite gluten free stuffing, Aleia, which is available at Giant stores in the DC area it appears.

My parents enjoy traditional dressing instead of stuffing, so they usually buy some from the grocery store deli and scoop it individually on their plates, as to not cross contaminate.

Making pies for Thanksgiving is a huge tradition in our family, and this year I'll be making an apple pie with the Williams Sonoma Gluten Free Pie Crust Mix. I can't wait to try it! The past two years I used my mom's pie crust recipe, substituting in Glutino Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix, and although I love that blend for most baking, it didn't cut it for pie crust, and was rather dry. Williams Sonoma has a great variety of gluten free baking mixes; I've tired the chocolate cake and brownies and loved them both, so I'm hoping the pie crust will be the same.

I'm also very excited to try the Trader Joes Cranberry Orange Relish I found there this week. I'm not going to lie, I heard it mentioned on one of their radio ads, and it inspired me to go there to get it. I'm a sucker for good marketing.

I made my own version of Cranberry Orange Relish last year, based on a friend's family recipe, and it was extremely delicious, especially on the leftover turkey sandwiches. I'm hoping Trader Joes doesn't disappoint. It has no gluten containing ingredients, but does say its made in a place where wheat is also present.

For gravy for the mashed potates, I have used a gluten free, pre-made variety that I've found at Whole Foods, and find it good. It's a bit thin, but has good flavor, and is the only gluten free pre-made gravy I've ever been able to find. However, this year, I've decided to try this gravy mix and see how it turns out. I'm hoping its thick with good flavoring.

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner this year, and the great leftovers that always follow. I can't wait to watch Austin enjoy his first real Thanksgiving meal (last year he was three weeks old, and still on a milk only diet, poor guy just got to smell all the good food!). I think he will love the turkey, potatoes, stuffing and will think gravy on top of it all is delicious!

Also, the winner of the Old El Paso giveaway is Cori Westphal, who random.org helped me pick, and said her favorite weeknight meal is spaghetti. Congratulations Cori! Thanks everyone for entering and check back for more giveaways in the future.  

Pin It