Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget about this awesome gravy recipe! Sooooo good with the juices from the turkey!!!

I got stocked up on all my favorite already-made gf goods from Whole Foods. I was happy to see this year they had a special freezer endcap with all the gluten-free goods you would want for Thanksgiving, even some new to us things (biscuits).

noodles for turkey soup (leftovers)

pie and pie crusts

crackers (in case I go crazy and get fancy cheese)

bread (for turkey sandwich leftovers)

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies!

If I could hand you anything I have posted on this site, it would be this cookie. It's my new favorite post. Please, trust me on this one. Get yourself these ingredients and try them out this week. You and your family will thank me.

Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons gf vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups rice flour

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy; add sugar and cream well.
2. Add egg, salt, vanilla, and almond extract; mix well.
3. Add flour and mix until incorporated.
4. Chill dough for several hours or overnight.
5. Roll batter into a ball with hand (think silver dollar size) and press flat with fingers. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees just until edges begin to brown (this is 12 minutes in my oven).


Here is the frosting recipe I use from a Betty Crocker Cook Book:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons milk

Mix sugar and butter. Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until smooth.

Stuffing

Gluten-Free Cornbread Sausage Stuffing
This recipe my husband figured out and is a big hit with the celiac and non-celiac crowds alike! Let's start with the homemade gluten-free cornbread and below is the stuffing recipe.

Cornbread
White corn meal
Butter
Eggs
Salt
Water
Baking powder

Make the cornbread the night before. Follow the cornbread recipe on the package. No sugar. Just corn meal, eggs, water, butter, salt, baking powder. Once it comes out of the oven, slice it up all crazy and leave it uncovered overnight.

Stuffing

Next day:

Two packages of spicy sage sausage
Two large white onions
5 cups water
6 chicken boullion cubes
salt
pepper

- Brown the sausage and set aside. Keep the sausage grease.
- Quarter the onions and then slice. If you don't like slices, dicing is acceptable as well.
- Throw some olive oil in a fry pan and slightly brown onions.
- Add the sausage
- Prepare the chicken boullion
- Get a giant pot and put your crazy sliced up cornbread in it
- Slice up the cornbread some more
- Add sausage and onions and grease and stir like the devil
- Add a lot of sage and pepper and salt
- Pour in your chicken boullion slowly. Pour about half in, then stir. Keep adding boullion and stirring until you have your stuffing at the right consistency. I personally like mine less dry.
- Add more sage, pepper, and garlic to taste
- Stuff bird if you feel like it, but I never do

toasted pumpkin seeds

I realize I should have posted this several days ago, as I imagine most other families may not wait so long to carve their pumpkins (we are doing ours tonight, so seed photo to follow).

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Detatch seeds from pumpkin pulp and rinse well. Coat seeds well in vegetable oil and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and bake until golden brown (400 degrees around 20 minutes on the top rack, check often).

Holiday Snack Mix

I love mixing the flavors in this
Gluten-Free Autumn Snack Mix.

M&Ms

cashews

raisins

candy corn

GF Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I adapted this recipe from my friend Tania. I am not a big fan of pumpkin flavored things, but this is a hit with me. More chocolate and spice comes out instead of the pumpkin flavor. Most importantly, these cookies are super soft and moist.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ C butter

1 C brown sugar

1 egg

1 C canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

2 C Rice Flour

1 tsp GF baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

chocolate chips

Cream butter & sugar, add egg, pumpkin & vanilla.Then add all dry ingredients, then choc chips.Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. (They're best a little underbaked, so they are still really soft.)