Pumpkin Pie

Oh, how I love pumpkin pie!  This is my "must have" dessert for Thanksgiving.  No other pie will do!  My mom always was the one to bring these for Thanksgiving and they were always a slice of homemade deliciousness. Yum.  We've always used the Libby's Canned pumpkin and the recipe on the side, so when it was time to make my pie last year, I knew what recipe I wanted to use, I just needed to find some substitute for dairy and find a gluten-free pie crust.  The pie crust was simple, I used a bag of Pamela's Products Wheat-Free & Gluten-Free Bread Mix, 19-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6).  The recipe was on the bag, but I know that there are several versions at the Pamela's website, I linked one for you, just click on Pamela's to get there.
This year I'm trying out the Gluten Free Mama Pie Crust Mix, it uses some almond flour, so it definitely isn't for anyone with a nut allergy.  I'm making my pumpkin pie tomorrow night, so I'll try to capture some pictures of it to share.
As promised, my next post will be talking about mashed potatoes, cranberry relish and dinner rolls.  Check back soon as that will be the conclusion of my Thanksgiving series, but I plan to start a Christmas series next and for those cold days ahead, I'll be posting a recipe for a dairy free hot cocoa mix.  Until next time...
Happy Eating!

Green Bean Casserole

Just typing the title brings back memories of so many Thanksgivings with my family.  Green Bean Casserole was always what my aunt Gail brought for Thanksgiving.  My mom always made the pumpkin pies and she never touched the Green Bean Casserole, she didn't like it.  My brother and I, on the other hand, loved this stuff and still do to this day.  It isn't quite Thanksgiving without it, but last year it looked like I might have to forgo this ultimate Thanksgiving side dish.  I was determined not to go down without a fight, so I started searching the internet and found several gluten free blogs that had recipes for GBC (sorry, I just had to abbreviate).  None were exactly what I was looking for, but I adapted them and the casserole turned out fabulous, better than the original.  Try  for yourself and see what you think...Green Bean Casserole with French Fried Onions.
Here's the link for the Cream of Mushroom Soup, I shared it earlier when I made Sausage Green Bean Casserole.
So now you're set for the best Thanksgiving side dish.  Come back soon, I'm going to share my pumpkin pie recipe in my next post and then we'll talk about mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, rolls...etc.  Boy! This post is making me hungry!  Until next time...
Happy Eating!

Dressing/ Stuffing...Whatever!

So, onto dressing, which is, of course the same as stuffing but it isn't stuffed and is instead baked in a casserole dish.  At least, that's how I differentiate between the two.  My sweet husband read my last post and wondered if I was going to share my ranch dressing recipe.  I thought he was cute and honestly, if you don't cook (and maybe even if you do) the terminology is sometimes confusing.  So, to be clear, this is a bread dressing (or stuffing, either term works, but I never stuff it in a bird, it gets too mushy and you run the risk of salmonella, which is not what you want to give your guests!)
The recipe I use is out of an old Betty Crocker cookbook, although we did tweak it a little even before we had to change it to make it gluten and dairy free.  Last Thanksgiving I did something to this dressing that I'd never done before due to a lack of time, I made it the night before and put it in the fridge overnight.  I didn't think anything about it until I made some dressing this summer (I know..but in my defense, it was cold this summer) and it didn't taste quite the same.  I thought about it and realized the only thing different was I hadn't let it sit in the fridge overnight.  So, I am definitely making it the night before this year...I want that great flavor again!
So, I have pulled out the 1970's version of Betty Crocker (I do own 3 of "her" books 1950's, 1970's and 1990's) it's the same one my mom has, so I'm rather partial to it.  As I'm looking at the recipe, I see that it's called Bread Stuffing.  Whatever!  My version isn't really in the book anyway, the casserole version, but thankfully, I know that part well.
If you're ready to make the recipe, just click on the name (Thanksgiving Dressing/Stuffing) and it will take you to the document.  I'm nice like that, you know, thinking of you and making it easier for you to print the recipe. Sorry, I don't have a picture, I'll try to take some pictures of all the yummy Thanksgiving food this year!
Look for my next post.  I'm going to share how to make Green Bean Casserole (and yes, it will have gluten free French Fried onions).  Until next time...
Happy Eating!
P.S.  A little side note about what gluten free bread I use:
I use  Pamela's Products Wheat-Free & Gluten-Free Bread Mix, 19-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6) for the bread.  I make it in my bread machine at least a day in advance.  And, um..I tweaked the recipe for the bread just a little bit.  I add : 2 eggs, 1/4 c. olive oil, 3/4 c. warm rice milk, 3/4 c. warm water, bread mix, 1 t. sugar, yeast packet from mix + 1/2 t. yeast.  Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bread machine and stir in any flour that hasn't been mixed when the machine gets to the first rest cycle.

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!

Christmas is Coming...Time to think about Photo Cards (and a deal for you!)

I admit it...sometimes when it comes to Christmas cards, I um, have good intentions, but sometimes fail to follow through.  Okay, seriously fail to follow through (as in I didn't send any for 4 years).  I know, it's bad, but in my defense, the Christmas letter seriously bogged me down.  Last year, though I had a revelation, photo cards!  No letter required, people can take one look at it and see how our family is doing.  If I decide to get ambitious, I could try to produce one of those elusive Christmas letters to go with it, but, most likely I'll stick to the photo card.
This year, I'm going to try the cards from Shutterfly.com 
I already love their photo printing and their photo books are marvelous!   The hard part is deciding which card to choose, although it's a must that it says Merry Christmas...I am so NOT into a wimpy "Happy Holidays" message.  Hopefully, these are able to be completely custom and I can change the message to my preferences.  So far, I like Warmest Wishes, it would go with a family picture from Hawaii, which would save me some photo sessions (although, I do love taking photos).  I also like the Chocolate Lime Snowflakes card and part of the profits from that one go to the American Lung Association.
Decisions, decisions I guess it might take me a little while to make up my mind.  If you want some great Shutterfly Christmas cards for yourself...and I'm sure you do!
Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards 
Leave me a comment and let me know what card you like and what you do for Christmas cards (or if you send any).
Happy Shopping!

Oh, My Poor Neglected Blog

This poor little blog.  It's been sitting here, lonely, just waiting for me to share the culinary delights in our life.  There have been some delights, but mostly there's been a lot of little colds that my son and I have been passing back and forth between each other.  And soccer and life in general.  Life always interferes with my good intentions!  I must admit that this cold that I have is not really making me want to cook at all.  I'd rather sleep...when I can.  Usually, I'm just coughing and coughing if I try to sleep.  Not fun.
I have been keeping track of some yummy recipes for you, I promise.  I'll list a few that I want to share and I will try to get them posted soon.  I have a great recipe for Turkey salad (which would be perfect to use up some of those turkey leftovers next month).  I made a delicious Hamburger Goulash that my guys gobbled up.  I have a review of a Gluten and dairy free Ranch Dressing recipe and I know there are some other fun things in my notebook.  So check back later this week, hopefully, I will kick this cough and be back in action.
Until then...
Happy Eating!

Happy Anniversary

This week marks an anniversary for our family.  One year ago we embarked on our journey in living and eating gluten and dairy free.  It wasn't an easy decision, it would effect everyone in our family, but we decided that to help our son and our various minor health issues, it was worth trying.

We learned a lot this past year.  We started our journey relying on soy as our go to substitute for dairy. Then a friend casually mentioned that her son can't have dairy and she won't give him soy because it isn't good for guys (hormones and estrogen), so this set me on the research path.  I realized soy wasn't a great choice and that it can actually be toxic due to the fast processing times in the US.  Plus, it gave me  really bad headaches.  So, soy was out.  Now we were gluten/dairy and soy free, we could deal with this.
Then we realized that yes, we should avoid nitrates and nitrites just like our book had recommended.  It gave me a headache and we were very cranky for a couple of days until it went through our system.
So now we were gluten/dairy/soy and nitrate/nitrite free, I could deal with it.  Then Ian had some candy with food dye (red is especially bad) and we watched him lose focus and become a moody irrational creature.  So we added food dye to the list of food to avoid.
Thankfully, we were able to go off of foods that bothered us gradually.  Gluten and dairy were immediate and quick, but the rest we discovered as our bodies were no longer reacting to gluten and dairy (it became very obvious what foods caused problems).
So here we are a year later.  Has it made any difference?  I would say, YES!  My son can focus better, he's still a 9 yr. old boy, so he has his ups and downs, but for the most part, it's better.  My hubby has lost around 20- 25 lbs. and has fewer tummy troubles.  I have lost a few lbs., but the biggest difference for me is that I am off all my allergy medicine.  I was on allergy shots, zyrtec, claritin, a nasal steroid spray, occasional benedryl and sometimes allergy eye drops and none of it worked!  I still got terrible sinusitis that would last for a month at a time and require antibiotics (not that that really did much as it was most likely a fungal infection).  I am happy to say that I went an entire year without needing to go see the doctor.  That hasn't happened for years!  Oh, and when I did go to the doc, it was for a condition review, not because I was sick.
I have had questions about our new way of living/eating, so in honor of our one year anniversary, I will answer them here.
1.  Does it cost a lot to eat this way?  It does cost us a little bit more since we decided to go more organic and processed foods are pretty much out of the question.  Cost really depends on your choices.  If you are eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and meat, it probably isn't much of a price difference.  If you are buying lots of gluten and dairy free specialty foods (crackers, donuts, bread, etc)  expect to pay a whole lot more.  For the most part, I try to make the treats we want, it's a lot cheaper.  For us, the cost evens out when you look at how many trips to the doctor and prescriptions weren't needed.
2.  Isn't it hard to cook this way?  Not really.  You just have to be creative and have a good cookbook and GF/CF blogs to help you out.  If you can cook from scratch with gluten and dairy, you can cook from scratch without them.
3.  Is it hard to get your son and husband to stay on the eating plan?  Not really.  My son is very good about watching out for foods he can't eat.  He likes how he feels without these foods, so he makes sure that the food he eats doesn't contain anything not on the plan.  My husband is good about staying on the plan, too.  He likes to snack, so we've just found snacks that work for him on this plan.  Thankfully, we don't have any nut allergies, so at work my husband will snack on some peanuts.  It actually helps him not come home starving.
4. Is it worth the effort?  YES!  It is so worth it.  It is a huge change at first, but it becomes easier over time.