Turkey Day, 2011

We were planning a big party for Thanksgiving this year but some things came up and we decided to just have a simple, at home dinner. It was a good thing too, because it turned out that I was battling an allergic reaction and in no position to host. Instead, we enjoyed a quiet day with my brother, Leor, who was visiting from California. Here he is!

We woke to see that Turkey Claus had paid a visit. This is only the second year that he's visited us so I'm really glad he was able to find us in Michigan. (His sled is pulled by star-nosed moles, so I think they help him track people.)

We started right in on getting the turkey ready and it was the best turkey we've made so far. Last year someone recommended that we try cooking the turkey breast-side down and Leor reminded us of that technique. It really seemed to produce a well-cooked and juicy turkey!

Before

During (adding the veggies)

Done!

Last year I cheated and ate gluten. Since I had only discovered the problem the month before, I was gradually eliminating gluten and didn't always have a reaction if I ate it. I was fortunate not to feel ill after last year's meal, but I wasn't going to chance it this year. So, everything was made from scratch and everything was gluten free!

Above we have: turkey, sweet potatoes and prunes (cooked with the turkey), home-made mashed potatoes and gluten free gravy, home-made applesauce (we opened up one of the jars from when I did the large batch canning), made-from-scratch gluten free corn bread muffin, canned cranberry sauce (What?! It's what we like!), and a lovely salad made by Leor.

I was planning to make GF stuffing but ended up being too sick. Oh well, next year.

For dessert I made pumpkin pie from almost-scratch, I used canned pumpkin. Last year I just bought a pre-made graham cracker crust, but couldn't do that this year. I spent a long time looking for a GF graham cracker crust but couldn't find one. I did, however, find this recipe, so I picked up some GF graham crackers and made my own.

The crust was tasty, but it didn't stay up on the sides after I baked it and mostly ended in a big clump. I'll have to do some more experimenting with it to get it just right. But it was a good pie!

On Friday we had some people over for a Pie and Cider party and everyone brought some of their Thanksgiving dessert leftovers.

I made a GF apple pie and was pleased with how it turned out. I found a pre-made GF pie crust in the freezer section at Whole Foods, so I didn't have to work too hard on that. I sliced, spiced, and cooked some apples in a bit of butter before filling the crust. Then I created a crumb topping from rice flour, sugar, quinoa flakes, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and a bit more butter.

It really came out good, especially with some vanilla ice cream on top! I think our guests enjoyed it too and it was so fun to see everyone.

Our guest of honor.

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving too!