Our Happy Thanksgiving, 2014

Well, I've come to the end of my Thanksgiving posts. I've had a great time writing about the foods I created for my family's happy day. Here's what our finished dinner table looked like:

Even though our table looks a bit sparse (I didn't want to show milk jugs in the photo!), my little family had a wonderful meal together. We savored each other's company, shared what we're thankful for, laughed, and just felt the love. We enjoyed our quiet day tremendously! And really, that's what Thanksgiving is all about!

Food aside, here's what I want to remember about 2014 (Read left to right, top to bottom—at a slight diagonal. Hopefully, you won't get blogsick—you know, like carsick!):

Love

Photos

Smiles

Yellow

Trying

Doing

Forgiving

Loving

Hugs

Kisses

Squenches

Squeals!

Wonder

Delight

Sleep

Sunshine

Puffy clouds

Blue

Haircuts

Cleaning

Swimming

Laughing

Skating

Thinking

Apologizing

Repenting

Hands

Clapping

Cheering!

Wishing

Hoping

Praying

Reading

Watching

Listening

Shopping

Homemaking

Peace

Crying

Exercising

Connecting

Breathing

Driving

Swelling hearts

Settled

Belonging

Creating

Learning

Healthy!

Miracles

Yes, 2014 has been a year filled with goodness! My soul is overflowing with gratitude for the many wonderful things, feelings and experiences my little family has been abundantly blessed with. When all is said and done, I wouldn't change a thing about our lives because we have each other for eternity!

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!

My Family's Favorite Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

My family has loved homemade pumpkin pie forever. Over the years, we've tried several store and restaurant pumpkin pies, but we keep going back to our favorite pie ever: Libby's. Thankfully, this recipe is also naturally gluten free(!)—as long as you use gluten-free spices too. Here's the recipe, direct from the can!

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

(Makes 2 pies, 16 servings) 

1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 can (29 ounce) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 cans (12 ounces each) Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 unbaked 9-inch (4 cup volume) deep-dish pie shells 

Mix sugar, salt cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. 

Pour into pie shells. 

Bake in preheated 425°F. oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F.; bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. (I usually cook them about 55 minutes) Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

For the pie crusts, I used America's Test Kitchen's recipe found in The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook. It's literally the best pie crust recipe I've used. I've also tried various pie crust mixes, and there is truly no comparison to this recipe! This gluten-free pie crust dough actually feels and tastes very similar to regular gluten-containing pie crusts! I was so happy to have pie crusts that don't crumble when you cut into the pie!

America's Test Kitchen Gluten-Free Double-Crust Pie Dough

(Obviously, just use one crust for each pie!) 

5 tablespoons ice water
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 and 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons America's Test Kitchen Gluten-Free Flour Blend*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and frozen for 10-15 minutes 

Combine ice water, sour cream, and vinegar together in bowl. Process flour blend, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum together in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse mixture until butter is size of large peas, about 10 pulses. 

Pour half of sour cream mixture over flour mixture and pulse until incorporated, about 3 pulses. Pour remaining sour cream mixture over flour mixture and pulse until dough just comes together, about 6 pulses. 

Divide dough into 2 even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into 5-inch disc. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling out dough, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 15 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

*America's Test Kitchen Gluten-Free Flour Blend

24 ounces (4 and 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour
1 and 2/3 cup brown rice flour
1 and 1/3 cup potato starch/flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
3 tablespoons nonfat milk powder 

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Transfer to airtight container and freeze. (I use a Ziplog gallon bag.)

*I didn't use a food processor when I made this pie crust, I used a regular Kitchen-Aid hand mixer—you know, the ones with two beaters you can remove and lick! ;) You see, there's no need to worry about over-mixing gluten-free flour—and making the pie crust tough—because there's no gluten in it! So, just continue mixing until the dough comes together. Also, I didn't refrigerate the dough for very long and everything worked very well! Although, I'm sure if you follow ATK's recipe exactly, you'll have even better results than I did—and mine were pretty fantastic!!! :)

Here are some photos of my happy pie progress!

I used the extra dough to make pie crust cookies, a childhood favorite of mine! :)

Our gluten-free pie crust cookies were so yummy!

Seeing this photo of my happy pies fills my heart with such joy!

Oh, and I made real whipped cream for our yummy pies, but it was much too heavy for my palate. My favorite is Land O Lakes Aerosol Light Whipped Cream. I can't find the link to their light cream, so you'll have to "survive" with the heavy cream link.

Lastly, I've recently read up on recipe copyright laws. While I assume I'm okay posting these recipes here, I must state that I'm not trying to infringe on anyone's copyright! As far as I've read, recipes are okay to post as long as we give credit to where we originally found the recipe. Obviously, there's no need to give credit if we've created the recipe ourselves! :) Also, as one website put it, "The ingredients and directions are fair game." I completely agree! Plus, I just found a story about America's Test Kitchen on NPR and they put the recipes directly on NPR's website as well. If anything, I'm helping spread the word about the awesomeness of America's Test Kitchen! :)

Gluten-Free Strawberry Muffins

I made these Glutino gluten-free muffins the first time for Thanksgiving, 2014. It was a muffin mix my dear mother gave me, so I was excited to try them.

I wanted them to be a little more special, so I added one frozen strawberry to the middle of each muffin. To do this, I used a small cookie scooper and put one scoop of muffin batter in the muffin liner. Then I added one frozen strawberry and covered it with another small scoop of muffin batter.

Because of the frozen strawberries in the middle, I knew the muffins wouldn't bake for the same amount of time listed on the box. Thus, I kept a very close eye on them until they were finished. It took 30 minutes to cook each muffin tray! I was surprised and pleased they actually cooked all the way through.

Here are the finished gluten-free strawberry muffins! Please note: the muffins taste much better the first day they are baked. I had one this morning (four days after I made them) and while they are still completely edible, I prefer fresh-baked flavors. :)

I could have topped these muffins off with some type of sugar, but it seems like prepared foods have too much sugar in them already, so I decided not to. My family was divided half and half in their likes vs. dislikes of these muffins. Thus, I probably won't be making this particular mix with strawberries again. I'm hoping to get better results from the muffins section in The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.

P.S. No, I'm not being compensated in any way for my enthusiasm of America's Test Kitchen's cookbook. I simply love what I've made from it so far, and I know they truly know what they're doing—which makes this gluten-free mama very happy! :)

My Family's Favorite Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix

I haven't made gluten-free cornbread from scratch simply because the mix made by Hodgson Mill can't be beat! Well, that, and the fact that I have yet to find a certified gluten-free cornmeal in a store closer than 10.8 miles away from my house. Yes, I totally searched. I try not to add additional stores to my five-store shopping routine unless absolutely necessary, otherwise I'll spend even more time and gas money on grocery shopping than I do already!

I wish I could give the owners of Hodgson Mill a great big hug!!

That said, I will keep searching for certified gluten-free cornmeal because I found a recipe for gluten-free cornbread in The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook that I really want to try. Until that happens, Hodgson Mill is where it's at for my gluten-free kitchen! :)

Besides, please look at this happy deliciousness Hodgson Mill provides for such a nominal price and baking effort! By the by, I used two mixes and poured the batter into a 10.5 x 14.75 baking dish. Anyone can make this golden cornbread—their recipe is foolproof! :)

P.S. I've tried other gluten-free cornbread mixes and, in my opinion, none of them compare in taste or price to Hodgson Mill.

My Family's Favorite Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

These delicious cookies have been a favorite of my little family since Greg and I were first married! Thus, when we realized nearly half of our family members couldn't eat them anymore because of their deadly gluten, I knew I had to find a way to make them gluten free!

*Side note: for tips on avoiding gluten cross-contact while baking in your kitchen, see my post Celiac Disease: Gluten Cross-Contact.

When I first began making these cookies gluten free, they were not so good. They were crumbly and gritty. So sad face! :(

Thankfully, my little family endured my baking experiments and their patience paid off. After reading the superb baking tips in America's Test Kitchen's The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook, I finally figured out a way to make our beloved cookies gluten free—and moist and chewy—just like they were originally intended to be! Yay YAY! Without further ado, here is my recipe for...

Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

by Adrie Peterson 

2 cups America's Test Kitchen gluten-free flour blend*

3/4 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (two tablespoons less than two sticks)

1 and 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or othervegetable oil of your choosing (just eyeball the 1/2 tablespoon)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 10-ounce package Reese's peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, sugar, and xanthan gum. Add butter, extra-virgin olive oil and vanilla extract. Mix very well. Add eggs. Mix very well. Add peanut butter chips, combine. Use a small cookie scooper and drop cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F. for 11 minutes. (I like our cookies a little firmer than the original recipe calls for.) Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack. Makes 4 dozen cookies! (I've found these cookies stay moister/chewier if I freeze them inside two Ziploc gallon bags and take them out a few minutes before we're going to eat them.)

*America's Test Kitchen Gluten-Free Flour Blend 

24 ounces (4 and 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour

1 and 2/3 cup brown rice flour

1 and 1/3 cup potato starch/flour

3/4 cup tapioca starch/flour

3 tablespoons nonfat milk powder

Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Transfer to airtight container and freeze. (I use a Ziplog gallon bag.)

I hope you enjoy these yummylicious cookies! :)

Thanksgiving Prep, 2014

For Thanksgiving this year, I'm doing a non-traditional spread. Yes, I love a classic turkey/cranberry sauce/stuffing/mashed potatoes/french green bean casserole/yams/carrots/rolls/pumpkin pie Thanksgiving dinner, but frankly, I get tired of my children saying, "Mom! I don't want to eat this!" or "Why did you make this?!" I'm tired of hearing myself say, "Please just try one bite of it?! I promise, you won't have to eat any more of it if you don't like it..." Inevitably, they decide they don't want to eat at least one food item I've made for Thanksgiving, and our menu becomes a waste of my time and money...I detest wasting either! :)

Some people might say, "Your kids are spoiled. They should just eat what you make for them, and be grateful. There are starving people in China, you know!" Yes, I'm well aware we are blessed beyond belief here in America. I'm so unbelievably grateful for ALL that we have! Every day is a gift, and I'm so thankful for everything I am blessed to be a part of! :) Yet, when it comes to my children's food choices, I totally side on giving them what they want to eat, especially since they have so many diet restrictions already. Granted, my youngest son doesn't have celiac disease, but I don't want him to feel left-out in his food choices either.

Thus, I'll be making different foods/snacks/treats for my children to nosh on. I'm so excited to give them exactly what they want for Thanksgiving dinner, not what traditionalists say we should make! And I'm fully aware, the food items I've chosen are most certainly not fancy or gourmet, but I simply don't care! :) My little family is gonna party and have a marvelous time together!

*Please hold for my recipes. I'll post them as soon as they become available! ;)

Have You Forgotten?

Today as I watched a very depressing news program (only for a few minutes), I had a very strong thought come to me in regard to all of the craziness going on in our world. I couldn't finish cleaning my room (Yay me! I mean, yay that I was cleaning! Ha ha.) until I wrote down my thoughts. Thus, I decided to send my words into our amazing and beautiful universe...hopefully someone will find them to be useful! :)

Have You Forgotten?

by Adrie Peterson

Dear Humankind,

Have you forgotten where you really came from?

Has your soul misplaced those fraGmented heavenly memories you tried so desperately to retain?

Can you not remember our Heavenly Father's loving arms wrapped around you?

Have His tender words faded into the deep recesses of your mind?

Do you not recall what a soul kiss feels like?

What about your spirit brothers and sisters, did you forget they are here on earth, too?

Together, we sang and shouted for joy at the creation of our earth.

We could hardly stand the anguish of waiting to receive our precious and blessed bodies!

Yet we were elated when our loved ones received news that their souls finally had a place to reside.

Tears were abundantly shed at the birth, death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, as we were with Him—freely giving our support—in every special moment.

His life impacted us all for eternity!

Because of Him, we decided to do our very best and live each day to its fullest.

We agreed and promised we would be there for God's children who were purposely placed in our book of life.

We are each other's angels in the flesh!

One day, each of our spirits will separate from the physical and resume their position in the presence of divinity.

Oh, please, please remember...