Re: Stressed about Thanksgiving dinner...

[Guest guest]

LOL! We were invited to a base dinner but the hosts are our friends

and I just let her know I was just to worried about 's

allergies and so I would be doing Thanksgiving dinner at our house

this year to make sure he doesn't get sick. You know if you don't

have to deal with it you dont think about things like double dipping

into tubs of butter than using it in mashed potatos or something.

Sure most people off the top of their head would say, it's GF, but

then I worry about the crumbs...

> I think you've got it made to have the control of the

> meal. This year we are going to my in-laws with 18

> people! I'd much rather be the control freak I've

> become with food and have it at home!!! (LOL)

>

>

[Guest guest]

For Gravy, just substitute Corn Starch for Flour. Corn starch has twice the thickening power of flour, so just use half as much.

For GF stuffing, last year I bought stuffing bread from Sterk's bakery and made it almost the same as we use to make regular bread stuffing. But,

because the GF bread is dryer than regular bread, I added some Swanson Chicken broth to the mixture, to keep it moist. It wasn't as good as the bread

stuffing we use to have, but it was pretty good. This year we are going to make a sausage and apple stuffing instead of a bread one. I know I have a recipe

somewhere for it, just have to find it.

Sweet Potato casserole is easy and GF too, just mash with butter and cover with mini marshmallows.

Good Luck.

-----Original Message-----From: and Kristopher Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 12:18 PMTo: SillyYaks Subject: Stressed about Thanksgiving dinner...Ok Kris's parents are coming out for Thanksgiving and I am stressedbeyond belief trying to think of a way we could make dinner entierlyGF and still 'normal'... I have never made stuffing from scratchbefore (my grandma does but I never paid attention, stupid me...) Ihave no idea how to make a pie crust with GF flours. I have to worrythat the turkey has been injected with anything that could possiblycontain Gluten. I will do mashed potatoes which are easy enough tokeep GF, and Cranberry sauce is GF but so much else normally isn't! Iam at a total loss over if I can make gravy with GF flours or not, Idon't know if it will work???I almost think I might experiment with a few things like try to makestuffing and a pie before hand but I cheat so much in my cooking I amstill sure I will mess up. Any recipies or suggestions would begreat. It's already a week into Nov and I have so much other cleaningand stuff to do I can't really put all this off till the end you know...

[Guest guest]

We had a " trial " run a few weeks ago for a family dinner and I did

the pie. I just kept it simple and bought Mi-del GF Animal Cookies

and made a " graham cracker crust " with those. The pumpkin pie

filling was already GF. It turned out great, even my 2 year-old ate

it!

>

> Ok Kris's parents are coming out for Thanksgiving and I am stressed

> beyond belief trying to think of a way we could make dinner entierly

> GF and still 'normal'... I have never made stuffing from scratch

> before (my grandma does but I never paid attention, stupid me...) I

> have no idea how to make a pie crust with GF flours. I have to

worry

> that the turkey has been injected with anything that could possibly

> contain Gluten. I will do mashed potatoes which are easy enough to

> keep GF, and Cranberry sauce is GF but so much else normally

isn't! I

> am at a total loss over if I can make gravy with GF flours or not, I

> don't know if it will work???

>

> I almost think I might experiment with a few things like try to make

> stuffing and a pie before hand but I cheat so much in my cooking I

am

> still sure I will mess up. Any recipies or suggestions would be

> great. It's already a week into Nov and I have so much other

cleaning

> and stuff to do I can't really put all this off till the end you

know...

[Guest guest]

Last year I made gravy using potato starch

to thicken instead of flour. The gravy turns out clearish (instead of

milky-looking)…but very good. I don’t measure…but I’m

sure you could find out the “exact” substitution ratio by doing an

internet search. You could also use cornstarch….1/2 the amount called for

flour. If you have arrowroot powder or tapioca starch you can use those also.

Thickening is the easiest transitions to make for Thanksgiving dinner.

For pie crust, I used Betty Hagman’s

recipe and it was great. In fact, everyone wanted seconds of the GF pie. Here’s

the recipe:

Dream Pastry Mix:

2C tapioca flour

2C cornstarch

1C potato starch

4C sweet rice flour (this is different

than regular rice flour. If you buy from the asian market, they call it “glutinous

rice flour”)

4 rounded teaspoons xanthan gum

2t salt

2t sugar

Mix ingredients well, then store in

plastic bag.

To make Dream Pastry….

2 1/4C Dream Pastry Mix

1/2C margarine

1/2C Crisco

1 egg (cold)

1T GF vinegar

1/4C ice water

Sweet rice flour for rolling

Place Dream pastry mix in bowl. Cut in

margarine and Crisco until shortening is the size of lima beans. Beat egg with

fork, then add vinegar and ice water. Stir into flour mixture, forming a ball.

You may kneed a little bit. Refrigerate dough for an hour or more to chill

(VERY important!). Divide dough and roll out on sweet rice floured plastic wrap.

(The dough is very sticky, making it very difficult to get it off your rolling

surface - use the plastic wrap…it really helps). Place rolled dough in

pie tin. Bake as directed for filling used. For a baked shell, prick dough with

fork on sides and bottom. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 mins or until slightly

browned.

In place of regular rolls, which is always

a Thanksgiving favorite, I make Betty Hagman’s French bread from her

bread book. Everyone loves it!

For the stuffing….About a month

beforehand, I started cutting the crusts and heals off of GF bread. I let them

completely dry out (on a rack or plate) then bagged it. My Mother (she’s

the stuffing-maker) made her stuffing as usual. For Christmas dinner, we used a

different stuffing recipe that called for cornbread…that was pretty good

too. You might be able to find it online.

Hope this info helps.

Stressed

about Thanksgiving dinner...

Ok Kris's parents are coming out for Thanksgiving

and I am stressed

beyond belief trying to think of a way we could

make dinner entierly

GF and still 'normal'... I have never made

stuffing from scratch

before (my grandma does but I never paid

attention, stupid me...) I

have no idea how to make a pie crust with GF

flours. I have to worry

that the turkey has been injected with anything

that could possibly

contain Gluten. I will do mashed potatoes

which are easy enough to

keep GF, and Cranberry sauce is GF but so much

else normally isn't! I

am at a total loss over if I can make gravy with

GF flours or not, I

don't know if it will work???

I almost think I might experiment with a few

things like try to make

stuffing and a pie before hand but I cheat so much

in my cooking I am

still sure I will mess up. Any recipies or

suggestions would be

great. It's already a week into Nov and I

have so much other cleaning

and stuff to do I can't really put all this off

till the end you know...

[Guest guest]

On a similar note, I made an apple crisp a few weeks ago and instead of oatmeal in the "crisp" I crumbled up Mi-Del Ginger Snaps and YUUMMMM!!!!

-----Original Message-----From: niecee222 Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 3:03 PMTo: SillyYaks Subject: Re: Stressed about Thanksgiving dinner...We had a "trial" run a few weeks ago for a family dinner and I did the pie. I just kept it simple and bought Mi-del GF Animal Cookies and made a "graham cracker crust" with those. The pumpkin pie filling was already GF. It turned out great, even my 2 year-old ate it!> > Ok Kris's parents are coming out for Thanksgiving and I am stressed> beyond belief trying to think of a way we could make dinner entierly> GF and still 'normal'... I have never made stuffing from scratch> before (my grandma does but I never paid attention, stupid me...) I> have no idea how to make a pie crust with GF flours. I have to worry> that the turkey has been injected with anything that could possibly> contain Gluten. I will do mashed potatoes which are easy enough to> keep GF, and Cranberry sauce is GF but so much else normally isn't! I> am at a total loss over if I can make gravy with GF flours or not, I> don't know if it will work???> > I almost think I might experiment with a few things like try to make> stuffing and a pie before hand but I cheat so much in my cooking I am> still sure I will mess up. Any recipies or suggestions would be> great. It's already a week into Nov and I have so much other cleaning> and stuff to do I can't really put all this off till the end you know...

[Guest guest]

If you don't want to make something from scratch, the El Peto ready

made pies are delicious!! They make apple, peach, walnut and

cherry. They also make a pie crust I think. Gillian's has a ready

pie crust shell in a pan, you can add your own ingredients...that is

also good. El Peto also has a stuffing mix.

>

> Ok Kris's parents are coming out for Thanksgiving and I am stressed

> beyond belief trying to think of a way we could make dinner

entierly

> GF and still 'normal'... I have never made stuffing from scratch

> before (my grandma does but I never paid attention, stupid me...)

I

> have no idea how to make a pie crust with GF flours. I have to

worry

> that the turkey has been injected with anything that could possibly

> contain Gluten. I will do mashed potatoes which are easy enough to

> keep GF, and Cranberry sauce is GF but so much else normally

isn't! I

> am at a total loss over if I can make gravy with GF flours or not,

I

> don't know if it will work???

>

> I almost think I might experiment with a few things like try to

make

> stuffing and a pie before hand but I cheat so much in my cooking I

am

> still sure I will mess up. Any recipies or suggestions would be

> great. It's already a week into Nov and I have so much other

cleaning

> and stuff to do I can't really put all this off till the end you

know...

[Guest guest]

Peanut butter from a tube is a good solution to the crumb problem as

it eliminates double-dipping, and, most people seem to hold the tube

above the cracker/whatever and drop the peanut butter onto it.

>

> > Sure most people off the top of their head would say, it's GF, but

> > then I worry about the crumbs...

> >

[Guest guest]

And you should worry about the crumbs. I made this mistake about a

month into the diet, when I had some celery sticks dipped in peanut

butter that a friend brought to a neighborhood playgroup. Boy did I

get sick from that. I don't eat anything like that anymore, unless I

saw it come from a brand new container myself! I also push that issue

with my daughter's class at school. Whenever they have a peanut butter

snack I make sure they use a new jar, since the last one was used for

crackers, etc...

God bless,

nn

and Kristopher wrote:

Sure most

people off the top of their head would say, it's GF, but

then I worry about the crumbs...