Thanksgiving Dinner Thoughts

It’s Saturday evening–a few days before this post goes up–and I’m still working, but that’s okay. I took a good part of yesterday off.  I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving and the holidays, even if in a quieter mood this year than last. Yes, I’m reeling from the shockwaves through our country this month, but I have to put it aside and focus, and just do what I can to make the world a better place.

So yes, Thanksgiving is coming up and once again, we’re hosting friends and loved ones. Every year, I put together the menu, though it’s pretty much the same as the year before, and I make sure it’s as allergy friendly as I can get. We love the tradition of gathering in love and peace, and every year we welcome friends into our house to relax, eat, chat, and just…breathe.

Thanksgiving menu this year:

• Roast Turkey
• Baked Ham
• Mashed Potatoes
• Gluten Free Rolls
• Gravy
• Cranberry Sauce
• Asparagus
• Pumpkin Pie
• Peach Pie
• Birthday cake (of our friends celebrates his birthday every year at our Thanksgiving gathering)
• Sparkling Cider
• Perrier

Everything will be free of dairy, gluten, garlic, onions, pepper, oranges, corn, nuts, (allergens of various guests, including me) and still taste great. I need to do a test run on the cake, but otherwise, I know by now how to adapt each recipe.

For those who want to know how I make my mashed potatoes dairy free—I use olive oil, rice milk, and parsley. I make gravy like you would normally, but use rice flour and drippings for the roux. I make my own cranberry sauce and pair the cranberries with raspberries. For pie crust—I use Glutino GF pie crust. Dairy free, and it actually is light and flaky. I’ll use rice milk instead of dairy in the pumpkin pie. The cake will be a raspberry-vanilla gluten/dairy free cake with Framboise frosting.

When we sit down, we will be eight at the table this year, remembering loved ones who can’t be with us, and we’ll thank the goddess for the sustenance she offers, and send out a prayer for peace and acceptance to the world. It dearly needs both.