Beyond Survival: Enjoying Your Holiday Gluten and Dairy Free

Well, I'm finally back from that "little cold" I had.  Turns out, it was pneumonia.  Now that I'm on the mend it's time to start thinking about the holidays, starting with Thanksgiving.  This year will be our second Thanksgiving without gluten and dairy.  Last year, it took a lot of research, but I was able to enjoy all my favorite Thanksgiving food (and I do mean all).  I enjoyed turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry relish and pumpkin pie.  Yes, it meant I practically catered Thanksgiving even though we were celebrating with family, but it was so worth it.  In fact, my dressing turned out so wonderful that my MIL commented it was the best she'd tasted and I didn't bring much home in spite of the fact that there were two other gluten versions being served!
So, I thought that a little series sharing my favorite Thanksgiving recipes (with my makeover for them) might be just the ticket, especially if this your first holiday season without gluten or dairy.
First, a little advice about the turkey.  Turkey sounds safe, right?  After all, it's just meat, right?  Well, not exactly.  Read, read, read your label (and if you're buying a frozen one, you might want some gloves so you can read the label).  Make sure there aren't any gluten ingredients listed.  I checked the Butterball website and according to them unless it's a stuffed turkey, it should be gluten free (but read the label).  Also, yes, it will be a problem if someone else is cooking your turkey and wants to stuff it with gluten filled stuffing, there will be cross-contamination and that can cause you some misery.  Natural turkeys seem to be the safest, but they aren't going to be on the great Thanksgiving sales, but it's worth the cost if you don't feel miserable after eating it.
Okay, that's enough advice for today.  My next post will share my dressing recipe ( would you be surprised if I told you it's the same one my family has been using for years?).  Of course, I tweaked it (that's what I do!).  Until next time...
Happy Eating!