A Very Gluten Free (and Happy) Thanksgiving for Everyone!! ….I hope

In class last week, Chef asked me if my family knew that we were having a gluten free Thanksgiving. I said nope, I’m waiting til they get here to say “SURPRISE!!!” He laughed at me and walked away. The truth was, I hadn’t told them it was totally GF. In fact, I hadn’t said much at all about the whole meal, I was assuming they would know that since I don’t eat gluten or corn, there would not be any on the menu. Luckily, my husband’s family is very understanding of gluten free diets. His cousin has Celiac’s so they have been around it, and know that it’s not just a diet fad, but just the way some of us have to live. The fact is, the more people I talk to, the more people I find that either HAVE a gluten sensitivity, or are related to someone who does. So no one batted an eye when I told them that there is no gluten or corn on the Thanksgiving table.

A totally gluten free Thanksgiving?? What about all the fixings that come with dinner? Won’t someone think of the children!!
The truth is,there is really not much gluten on a holiday table is there? You have the turkey, the salad, the sweet potatoes, the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the dressing, the green bean thing….. Really does anyone even make that anymore? I feel like as a nation, our taste buds matured and that mush is no longer acceptable at our table. We know that opening a couple cans and dumping it in a dish does not constitute actual cooking. Anyway, I made it all. The turkey, (tho I think this will be the last year for turkey as no one ate it)

I’m a briner. And I’m ok with that, I think if the turkey was a bigger attraction, I would put more effort into it, but it’s just not. I brine it, then stuff it with whatever I’ve got, rosemary, sage, carrots, onions, and celery. Then I roast it. This year I did it a day ahead of time so the prime rib would be cooked on Thursday.

This is why no one ate turkey. Why would you when there was prime rib? I rubbed it with salt, pepper, and shoved some garlic cloves in it then cooked it to mid-rare.
By the way, if you don’t have a meat thermometer with an alarm, get one. Worth every penny, and they’re not that expensive anyway.

I made a salad with homemade ranch and balsamic vinaigrette, au jus (beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, and pan drippings), and gf turkey gravy (I made a roux out of butter and gf flour-I used King Arthur brand bc I had a ton on hand then added the chicken stock and turkey pan drippings)

I made mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes, and to save time, energy, and dishes, I threw them all on the grill at once. I had the entire grill filled with taters, and it still didn’t seem to make that much, but as an Irish girl, I think I would prefer a mountain of them that I could do the backstroke in.
I charged my sister in law with making the cranberry sauce. It was cranberry simmered with orange zest, wine, honey, and the usual spices, cloves, allspice, and grated ginger. You could put any flavor you’d like in them. Just simmer until they burst and thicken.

So now to the most important part of thanksgiving dinner, the stuffing. Or dressing since I don’t stuff the turkey.
I have been heartbroken over the stuffing part ever since I went gluten free. It has never worked out right no mater what I tried. This year I tried out the onion rolls from my new friends at Local Oven I took two bags, diced them up and dried them out, then I added two packages of sausage, a handful of celery stalks sliced up, three diced onions, and chopped marjoram, sage, thyme, and rosemary, along with garlic powder and salt.
After I mixed it all together, I baked it at 350 until the sausage was cooked. I doused with chicken stock occasionally also to keep it from drying out.

I wanted to hug Local Oven. It was delicious, and just writing about this makes me want a big plate full for lunch. I think I will.
With a side of my new favorite side. Shredded brussel sprouts.
I shredded them and tossed with toasted pecans (chopped) cranberries, and a little butter. I saw Alton Brown do this on Thanksgiving Live, and I had to try it. I’m so glad I did!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and enjoy this time of year!