Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have so much to be thankful for this year!! This week is the 3rd anniversary of discovering Gracie has Celiac. She has grown into a lovely 12 year old, is trying new things every week and has taken responsibility for her gluten free diet. Since I broke my ankle she has really stepped up and been a great help to everyone - she won't rub my nasty foot but I still love her!! :) I am healing, everyone is healthy and still in one piece and even though we have had our struggles we are still very thankful for what we do have.

Some other things we are thankful for - THANKSGIVING FOOD!! I want to share some of our favorites for the holiday. I say "ours" because picky Gracie won't eat everything but we love it and it is GLUTEN FREE! I am also throwing in some things we won't be making but look great - good for everyone AND gluten free!

Pumpkin pie!

Mashed Potatoes!

Turkey (of course)

Ham

Chess Pie!

Creme Brûlée

Roasted Vegatables - carrots, brussel sprouts, potatoes - you name it!

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes with honey butter

Green Beans with almonds OR bacon

Udi's Gluten free Stuffing!

Cheebe Bread!

Cranberry Sauce - the "good kind" AND the canned kind :)

Rachael Ray's Chocolate Cups

Really the list could go on and on and on and on... Feel free to add your favorites.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chess pie - My oh my!

So... I go to make pumpkin pie on Christmas morning only to discover I didn't have pumpkin! What to do, what to do? I searched on Allrecipes.com and came up with Chess Pie! Num, num, num.

Chess pie is a super sweet, eggy custard pie - it is a hit with the old people since it has been around forever! I think it needs to make a comeback.

I came upon this recipe that was super simple and had ingredients I had on hand.

So how is pie gluten free you ask? Well - the pie crust isn't but the custard is. I made the filling per the recipe - the only change I made was I didn't add the corn meal to Gracie's dessert since I didn't have GF corn meal on hand. I poured it into a custard dish and put it in a water bath and baked until a pick came out clean.

This was such a simple, old fashioned pie that everyone loved. We topped it with Cool Whip and Cool Whip makes EVERYTHING more awesome!

I also do Pumpkin Pie Custard which Gracie LOVES! I would assume you could do any of the custard pies as a crustless custard by cooking in a water bath. So - break out your favorite pie recipes and experiment for yourself - or try the Chess Pie! You won't regret it.

I just "Stumbled Upon" this one! One ingredient ice cream!

Troy has been a big fan of "StumbleUpon." You click on what you are interested in, push the "stumble" button and it will take you to random sites. This is how I found the cake below and how I found this delightful ice cream idea!!

One ingredient ice cream. That's right - ONE INGREDIENT! The recipe is on "The Kitchen" site. In a nutshell freeze bananas, blend and voila! Creamy ice cream. Dairy free, gluten free, sugar free... Nothing but bananas.

I think I will have to try this one.

Update 4/21/10

We tried the "ice cream" and it was GREAT! Surprisingly so.

I had three bananas that were "just turning." They were not brown but they were perfectly spotted which means sweet and delicious. I sliced them and put the in the freezer. Tonight I put them in my little "Oscar" - or small food processor - and beat the heck out of them! At first they were sort of crumbly and hard - almost like chopped nuts. Gracie and I tried it at this point and she thought they had the taste and texture of banana split Dippin Dots. I thought it was really good but thought Sam would probably prefer they be sweeter so I added about a teaspoon of honey and a few drops of good vanilla - then I beat the heck out of it again! My poor little Oscar! It had never worked so hard. It started to make a "hot" smell - a little concerning. Next time I will "chop them" until they are the chopped nut consistency then let it sit for a minute just so it can soften a bit - but not too much.

When it started moving from the chopped nut consistency to a smoother one it started "balling" up like bread dough might - then it let go and started getting a whipped consistency similar to semi frozen Cool Whip. It turns to a soft serve consistency. I assume you could put it in a container and freeze it solid.

It was yummy! Gracie LOVED it, Troy thought it would be good as a base for sundaes and Sam thought it was "OK" and added chocolate syrup (he is NOT a fruit eater :) I tried a little chocolate on mine and it took on a banana split flavor. We will be doing this again.

Of course many ice creams is gluten free but it is rarely this good, this healthy and dairy free!

PS: Needless to say the picture on top is mine!

Glistening, ruby goodness

Last week I had hand surgery and my friend made us a great dinner! She really put a lot of thought into what everyone in the house could eat - Grace and GF, Sam and no dairy. She made grilled chicken, fresh corn, salad and "Jello Salad." It all was fantastic - the Jello Salad was outstanding!

It is what your elderly Aunt might bring to the church potluck - something we all have had at some point but it got lost along the way to more glamorous fare such as stuff with capers or kiwi. Yes - it is void of any "nutritional value" other than the fruit - but honestly - who cares. It warms your soul and makes you smile.

Grace was THRILLED that something so "fancy" would be gluten free! I was thrilled to find something so easy and nostalgic to make for her - AND me.

Teela's Jello Salad

1 large box Strawberry Jello - with water as directed.

1-2 bananas - sliced

1 small carton of sweetened, sliced strawberries

mini marshmallows

Add the hot water to the jello as directed.

Add the strawberries to the hot jello - mash them up to melt the frozen strawberries - the coolness will help set the jello quicker so no need to thaw before hand.

Add the cold water to the Jello as directed then add the bananas.

Let set it in the fridge for about 90 minutes or until slightly thick - stir to mix the bananas and strawberries throughout the Jello - otherwise they will sink to the bottom. Once it is a thicker consistency top with the marshmallows and chill to set.

It is a perfect potluck dish, summer dessert or party treat that everyone should enjoy. I hope you like it!