We are also grateful for the classes he missed when he was sick, the early morning meetings at my work, the friends who have left this life this year, the 30+ houses we toured with our saintly patient real estate agent before coming back to "the one", the mixup on my credit report, the sprinkler I knocked out of the lawn that we replaced (not life-changing, but certainly not glamorous), the stress of getting married, long and tiring business trips with too few calls to hear the others' voice at the end of the line, and other battle scars from the year. They toughen us, and soften us all at once.
We shared a wonderful, completely gluten and dairy free Thanksgiving with my parents and our friend C. We ate in the afternoon, using my mom's China and her Czech crystal goblets, and a strange array of plastic and sundry serving bowls (there's always an eclectic and informal touch at our events). I had the seat opposite the window, and watched some of my parents' neighbors ride by in a wood wagon pulled by horses (not something we see in downtown), and watched the light change on the Wasatch Mountains. We stuffed ourselves, and then laid around on the floor of the living room, giggling in little bursts.
Later, we got up and shared pie, and then we trucked on home, with half-full dishes in the back seat and full hearts.
I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful too.
Last Year: Gluten Free Thanksgiving Ideas
Two Years Ago: Thanksgiving Recap (2009)
Three Years Ago: Thanksgiving 2008, where we had yet to venture into pies, gravy or stuffing
We had oven baked ham by my lovely mother and carved by my father. We had yams baked into flaky submission, wrapped in foil, one of my mom's favorites.
I made a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, made dairy free of course. There was no photo because they were wrapped in tin foil at this point.
I also made some excellent brown rice flour/veggie stock gravy. I'm pretty proud of my homemade stock, thanks!
C's Family makes this wonderful raisin sauce to drown their ham with. A family tradition. We liked it too!
A huge pan of cornbread stuffing, studded with fragrant onions and celery, and made with more homemade veggie stock.
Beautiful fresh cut fruit by my mom. Huge strawberries, grapes the size of your head, and fresh pineapple (the husband's favorite).
A big batch of Western scone mix (also called Indian fry bread) done by my mom. We like the Augason Farms (formerly Blue Chip Group) mix, and my mom knows how to make them just right.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce made by me. No picture because it was sealed up in a less-than-formal plastic container on one end of the table. I made it with local Farnsworth Farms apple cider, too, which is a variation from my regular recipe.
A beautiful bowl of veggies, including carrots from my parents' garden! They leave them outside until they're ready to eat, and then bring them in. The carrots seemed to be so big that my mom cut the base of them into 4 pieces - huge!
County fair prize-winning Gluten Free Double-Crusted Apple Pie, made with this recipe for Sweet Pastry Dough. This one was even better than last year's. Rave reviews. The key to the beautiful golden top was to brush it with beaten egg before baking. It works wonders!
Last night, the husband was rustling around in the kitchen. He came out minutes later and confessed to "accidentally eating the rest of the apple pie." There was about 1/3 of it left at the time.
C's dairy-free pumpkin pie with toasted pecans. This was really delicious! She said the recipe came from Ginger Lemon Girl.
Dairy free Chocolate Pudding Pie. (Not pictured - we had it in the freezer). It contained two huge batches of my Raw Chocolate Pudding and was also made with the Sweet Pastry Dough crust.
Setting the finishing touches while my father "looked for the carving knife." What a delicious meal and wonderful company.
We have so much to be grateful for!
Yum! Beautiful spread :)
ReplyDelete"accidentally eating the rest of the apple pie."
ReplyDeleteClassic :)