As An Aside...

Because Greg and I decided not to do a traditional Thanksgiving this year, I didn't cook as many side dishes as I have in past years. We stuck with the tried and true we knew our children would eat: corn and carrots!

I really wanted corn on the cob, but I forgot that after a certain time of year, fresh corn on the cob isn't available anymore. Boo. :'( I didn't want to do frozen corn on the cob because the tiny little packaged cobs just didn't seem so appetizing. Thus, I went with frozen cut corn instead.

Our corn really was so yummy! Although, I probably would have enjoyed it more had I not been worried that it was genetically modified corn! Well, it didn't say that on the package, but since it didn't say Non-GMO, I decided it must be GMO. Seriously, what have food manufacturers done to our food supply?!

Anyway, I forgot to take a photo of our delectable corn, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter. ;) Besides, microwaving corn in water with a few shakes of salt isn't much of an accomplishment, is it?!

For our carrots, I used organic baby carrots. I've had an official recipe for these "brown sugar glazed carrots" in the past, but I didn't use a recipe this Thanksgiving. I'll just write down what I remember doing. It's not an official-looking recipe, so just deal with it! ;) It's probably one of the easiest recipes ever! Oh, and I made-up the recipe name because I like the sound of it. :)

Buttered Brown Sugar Carrots 

Use as many carrots as you think you'll eat. (I should have made more, my kids devoured them!)
Put carrots into a saucepan or pot.
Add water—only enough to nearly cover carrots (don't drown them).
Bring carrots to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and continue lightly boiling until carrots begin to soften.
Once the water is nearly completely evaporated (continue stirring so the carrots don't stick), add about 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and several shakes of salt. (You'll want to do less of these amounts if you didn't cook very many carrots.)
Stir well until the brown sugar and butter have melted together.
Continue cooking and stirring until sauce begins to steam and thicken slightly, about two to four minutes.
Remove from heat and cover pot with lid until ready to serve.

I know these carrots look a little on the mushy side, but trust me, they were spectacular! They were probably more of a dessert than a side dish! To quote my very wise father, "Sugar and fat is where it's at!" Ha ha. I'm just grateful my children loved them and ate them right up. Yum yum! :)

P.S. I wanted to make a gourmet salad for Thanksgiving, but I decided to be realistic: no one else in my family likes salad! I'll save that for lunch on Monday! ;)

My Family's Favorite Gluten-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I discovered these glorious gluten-free garlic mashed potatoes when I lived in Texas. I was watching a PBS show, Essential Pepin, and the chef, Jacques Pépin, made me immediately want to try his recipe! I was so happy when I discovered he has a website dedicated entirely to his amazing talent as a legendary chef!

Here's the link if you want to watch Jacques' charming little video "Episode 106: Special Spuds". He will show you exactly how to make his delicious garlic mashed potatoes—they're so easy to make! (Begin the video at 2:50.) They are not technically titled "gluten free", but notice there are no gluten-containing ingredients in his recipe.

As I watched Jacques' video again, I realized he doesn't specify the ingredient amounts. Thus, I found his recipe in a few different places online, but I tailored the recipe to how I make them.

Gluten-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes 

2 pounds potatoes (Peeled or scrubbed, they're delicious both ways.)
4 large peeled garlic cloves
1 and 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I probably use more butter than this!)
1 cup milk (I don't use exactly this much milk, I continually test the potatoes until I get the thickness I like.)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Peel potatoes, rinse under cold water and cut into large chunks. (I cut potatoes in half and then cut the halves into fourths. If you want to leave the peel on, make sure you scrub them very well and cut out any impurities.) 

Place potatoes in a pot with water to cover; add garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and boil gently until potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Drain potatoes and garlic. Add butter to bottom of pot. Return potatoes and garlic to pot on top of butter (you won't be able to see individual cloves anymore). Add milk. Mix well until butter, milk and potatoes are creamy. (Sometimes, I like my potatoes a little chunky.) Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Mix well.

Now, you must know that I totally wing these potatoes every time I make them! Sometimes I make the recipe following the two pounds of potatoes rule, but other times I'll just cut up as many potatoes as we have. Yesterday for Thanksgiving, I made about 16 large Idaho russet potatoes! (My cooking pot is enormous!) When I alter the recipe like I did yesterday, I'll at least double if not triple the amount of garlic cloves. It also depends on how garlicky I want the potatoes to taste. I think I put in at least 12 garlic cloves yesterday!

In terms of the salt and pepper, again, I just season the potatoes until I get the taste I want. I know that drives some people crazy to not know exact amounts, but I love cooking that way. :)

Also, I mash the potatoes with my hand-held Kitchen Aid mixer. I know Jacques says not to over-mix them, but my potatoes have never tasted rubbery in the least. Plus, the potatoes are really well combined and it doesn't make your arm tired!

In addition to using russet potatoes, I've used this recipe with red or yellow potatoes too. I've even combined red and yellow potatoes together. When I use the red/yellow potatoes, I always leave the peel on. This recipe is amazing for any kind of potatoes you want to use. :)

To give you an idea of how much my family loves these gluten-free garlic mashed potatoes, just know that my oldest son ate them for breakfast this morning!

You can't tell it from this picture, but my strainer is huge!

Again, I wish you could understand that this bowl of gluten-free garlic mashed potatoes is enormous!

The Tastiest Gluten-Free Spiral-Sliced Ham

Remember how I said my family wasn't having the traditional Thanksgiving spread this year? Well, for our main course yesterday, we had the most divine Hormel Cure 81 Bone-In Spiral-Sliced Ham with a delightfully delicious glaze! I found it while shopping at Target last week for gluten-free hams. Granted, I double checked Hormel's website just to make certain it was completely gluten free, and it was. Yes, I'm a nervous gluten-free guard, for sure! ;)

I don't have a recipe to share for this one, as I just followed the instructions on their handy dandy glaze packet. Their directions worked like a charm and my children were gushing over the delectable goodness for hours! Oh, their happy little souls made my heart sing!

Here are my obligatory main course photos:

This ham was amazing!

It's interesting to note that I bought the Hormel Cure 81 ham because it was gluten free, but now that we've eaten it, it will be the only spiral-sliced ham I'll buy again! By the way, it's not that I don't want to branch out to other brands, I just don't find the need to switch when my children are actually thrilled to eat what I've made! Ha ha.

P.S. It tastes even better when combined with my gluten-free garlic mashed potatoes!