We are hosting Thanksgiving this year. Besides our food allergies my sis in law is lactose intolerant and celiac. The bright side is we don't have to eliminate any additional foods from our menu. This will be a nut free holiday. There will be butter and wheat in the stuffing and sweet potatoes. I bought our turkey from Trader Joe's. This is our third brined turkey. They are so juicy and tender. I spent the past couple of weeks looking for recipes for dessert (I don't enjoy experimenting - I feel like a failure if it doesn't work). So I look for help online. A great blog called the http://karinaskitchen.blogspot.com/ has helped me this year. I spent the weekend getting my ingredients at Whole Foods and have 1 more stop tonight for a spring form pan and then I am ready to go.
The menu is as follows: Mom and Dad are bringing the bread, stuffing, sweet potatoes and apple pie (none of which can be eaten by my son or sis in law). My mom in law is bringing scallops wrapped in bacon and mashed turnips and carrots. My sis in law is bringing stuffed mushrooms with sausage (which she can eat) and a salad.
I am preparing the following
Roast Turkey with dairy and wheat free gravy
Crunchy Brussels Sprouts with craisins
Mashed potatoes with unsalted margarine and chicken broth
crudite with soy sour cream dip (will fool any sour cream lover)
Sweet Potato Cornbread
flourless chocolate cake
pumpkin pie
The cornbread, pie and cake are egg, dairy, wheat, nut and soy free. I am nervous about trying so many new things for 1 occasion, but this is the time to do it.
We have a doctor's appt all morning tomorrow and I am going to a 9pm basketball game with my husband on Wednesday. When I am going to prepare everything is still being decided in my head. I have to dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms and change the sheets.
In the past I have made additional courses of a sauce with meatballs and butternut squash soup. I think it is just too much food unless you plan on having more than 1 meal, but then it takes all day to eat. Maybe Christmas we can do it.
This past Friday we had beef stew, Saturday was leftovers, Sunday hamburgers, roasted broccoli, potatoes and salad. Tonight leftovers and butternut squash soup. Tomorrow more leftovers, we need room in the fridge. Wed night we won't be home and then Friday I plan to make a turkey soup with leftovers.
Happy cooking to everyone!
