Our first thanksgiving with food allergies was one I will never forget. I say food allergies, because in our house, we have more than a gluten intolerance. It was my very first time preparing and cooking a turkey, let alone a gluten free one.
I remember doing some research, but gluten free cooking was still very new to me. Because my son had multiple food allergies, the turkey had to be dairy free as well. I was not going to be able to rub the turkey with butter.
I can see now, looking back, just how far I have come in my ability to cook the food we love to eat. There was so much to figure out back then, and I really had to do it alone.
I can’t remember what inspired me to use bacon, but a bacon wrapped turkey breast sounded so good to me. As you can see, I used an onion, an apple, a pear, celery and bacon to flavor this turkey. These pictures will kind of guide you through the steps.
I was so proud of what I had created, an absolutely amazing gluten free turkey breast!
This was such a pivotal thanksgiving for me because it taught me so many things. As much as I would like to say that it didn’t take me very long and I loved doing it. I spent a lot of time preparing all other kinds of food and a lot of time spent away from my son. We spent thanksgiving mostly in the car going from one place to the next and it wasn’t the relaxed holiday I had hoped for.
This particular thanksgiving reminded me a lot of the story of Mary and Martha from the Bible. I was Martha to a T. I prepared, and hustled and focused on all the things that were not as important as just spending quality time with my son and family. Having food allergies had changed things for us, but I had not yet come to terms with it all.
Bringing my own food meant cold food for my son, that was less than desirable. He hardly ate anything and I was left feeling that he didn’t have a real Thanksgiving after all. I vowed from that point on that I would begin to host Thanksgiving lunch and create a safe feast that my son could enjoy to the very last crumb. A hot, safe and delicious feast.
This will be my 4th year having thanksgiving this way and it is now something I completely look forward to. I generally prepare the same menu every year, but challenge myself to serve one new thing for dinner and dessert. Last year I made warm gluten free biscuits that everyone absolutely loved.
The other thing I do to make things easier is, I also only make the food my family likes to eat. For instance, no one likes cranberry sauce, so I skip it. There is no need to have all the trimmings that no one will enjoy. Save your time and your money.
Having a great gluten free Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you have to host either, it just means that you should be well informed about how everything is prepared. For us, it’s easier to know that our main meal of the day is safe and delicious.
So whether this is your first gluten free Thanksgiving or you have been cooking for years, I hope that it is a special time for you and your family.
Last year we had a new addition to our family and I just had to capture this image. We just love getting the turkey ready at our house. 