Happy Thanksgiving!
Welcome to my Thanksgiving Special. J I love holidays! It’s a time
to gather with friends and family, stuff ourselves with lots of great food,
hot/cold beverages, and laughter. The one thing I embrace is a stress free day.
Remember to breath and create pleasant memories.
Here are some tips on how to achieve such a goal; Plan Ahead: Always make a menu
and know where your recipes are and have them in one place. Organize your day
by sketching out a time line for the day (and day before if needed). Then keep
your menu and outline for next year. Don’t
Sweat the Small Stuff: Everything is small stuff. If something is not
working out, skip it or ask for help and move on. Remember everything doesn’t have
to be perfect to enjoy the day. Share
the Menu: Have others help by bringing a dish. For an example my mother
makes the best stuffing and now makes it gluten free! My sister-n-law and
brother are bringing the sweet potatoes. You get the idea. J So sit back with a
glass of wine and enjoy the day.
Our Family Thanksgiving Menu: Serves 8ppl at $47.37 or $5.92 a
person
15lb. Turkey (est.
$20.00)
We have found over the
years that Meyers works for us when buying our turkey. They have good quality
and if you watch they have awesome price.
Cooking tips: Joy of Cooking is my side kick. Have a good
roaster & baster. Have at least 1lb of turkey per guests. Make sure your turkey
is thawed all the way. Research how long it will take for your size turkey to
both thaw and cook. Remember to save the dripping for gf gravy.
GF Stuffing created by Terri Merriman aka Mom: serves 10ppl at $6.00 or $0.60 a person
·
1 Bob Evans Sausage (est. $3.00 @ local store)
·
1 Loaf of gf bread (est. $1.75, ref to everyday
loaf blog)
·
1 Can of Chicken broth ($0.00 homemade and in
freezer)
·
Diced 2 to 3 stalks of Celery ($0.60 @ Aldi’s=whole
celery is $1.00)
·
Diced 1 whole Onion ($0.33 @ Aldi’s = $2.00 a
bag of onions)
·
3 Tablespoons of butter ($0.07 @ Aldi’s=$0.79
for 32Tbsp)
·
2 eggs ($0.25 @ Aldi’s=$1.50 for 1 dozen)
I.
Cut bread into cubes and toast (about 15/20 min
at 350 degrees)
II.
In a sauce pan cook the celery and onion in
butter.
III.
Then add sausage to celery & onion. Fully
cook sausage.
IV.
Add bread cubes and sausage mix into a large
bowl. Add eggs. Mix well.
V.
Put mixture into a 9 by 13 casserole dish (adjust
as needed mixture should be about 1 to 1 ½ inch thick in dish).
VI.
Cover with chicken broth till wet (not just moist).
Let set in fridge overnight.
VII.
Cover with foil and cook at 350 for about 45 min
to an hour (until no longer wet but still moist). Uncover and cook for additional 15 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes/Yams created by Anne Abbott-Merriman: Serves 10ppl at $1.39 or $0.14 a
person
o
1 Bag of Sweet Potatoes ($1.00 @ Aldi’s for 3lbs)
o
2 Sticks of butter/margarine ($0.39 @ Aldi’s=$0.79
for 4 sticks)
o
4 Tablespoons of Sugar ($0.00, already in home
pantry)
o
4 tablespoons of Cinnamon ($0.00, already in
home pantry)
I.
Clean
and poke sweet potatoes with a fork. Then wrap in foil and bake at 400 degrees
for about an hour or till fully cooked.
II.
Cut
in half and put on a serving dish.
III.
Mix
sugar and cinnamon. Wipe butter and add sugar/cinnamon mix, put in a small
serving bowl with butter knife. Serve on side with sweet potatoes.
For those who enjoy Sweet Potato Casserole and may need a
recipe try
Broccoli & Cheese Casserole created by Mildred Tucci (aka grandma):
Serves 8ppl for $8.74 or $1.09 a person
·
2 12oz bag of frozen broccoli (or 2 heads of
fresh broccoli cut into bit size and cooked). ($2.00 @ Kroger’s=$1.00 a bag in 10 for
10)
·
1lb of shredded sharp cheddar cheese ($2.99 @
Aldi’s)
·
10 Tablespoons of butter/margarine ($0.25 @Aldi’s=$0.79
for 32Tbsp)
·
4 cups of self-crushed gf multi grain crackers ($3.50
@Sam’s Club=$7.00 box)
I.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a medium
sized casserole dish.
II.
Put 2 cups of the crushed gf multi grain
crackers on the bottom of the dish.
III.
Place 5 Tablespoons of butter on top of
crackers.
IV.
Then put a layer of frozen broccoli, layer of
cheese, layer of broccoli, and layer of cheese.
V.
Cover with 2 cups of crushed cracker and top
with 5 Tablespoons of butter.
VI.
Cooked covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook
for additional 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and brown.
Whole Cranberry Sauce by Joy of Cooking: Serves 8ppl for $3.00 or $0.38 a person
· 1 Pound of fresh cranberries (est.
$2.00 @ local store)
· 2 Cups of Sugar ($0.00 all-ready in
home pantry)
· 2 Cups of Water ($0.00)
· 2 teaspoons of grated orange zest
Please refer to Joy of Cooking for
recipe. http://www.thejoykitchen.com
Mashed
Potatoes: serves 8ppl at $2.24 or $0.28 a person
o
5
pounds of potatoes ($1.00 @ Aldi’s=$2.00 for 10lbs)
o
1
Stick of butter/margarine ($0.19 @ Aldi’s=$0.79 for 4 sticks)
o
1/2
cup of Greek Yogurt (est. $0.88 @ Aldi’s=est. $3.50 a container)
o
½
Cup of Milk (est. $0.17 @ local store=est. $2.75 a gallon)
Fill a pasta pot a little over half way with water add 1
tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Clean and peel potatoes. Cut in half
long ways and then each half into fours. Put into boiling water. Cook until
soft. Strain water and put cooked potatoes into a large bowl. Add butter and Greek
yogurt. With a hand blender mix still smooth. Place in serving bowl and serve.
Pumpkin Pie by Libby’s: Serves 8ppl for $6.00 or $0.75 a
person
Please refer to recipe on the can of Libby’s pumpkin (or whichever
brand you use). For the gf crust the best to use is Gluten Free Pantry perfect
pie crust mix (averages around $3.00 which is included in the above price). www.glutino.com
Tip for the gf crust: Don’t worry about rolling the dough.
Skip it and use your hands to flatten the ball of dough and then shape into pie
dish. This will save you time and frustration.
Other Tips:
GF Gravy: Use drippings from the turkey & a cornstarch
slurry (instead of flour). Please refer to the blog about cornstarch to read
about how the slurry will react (correct temperatures a must for gravy to gel).
GF Bread: Gluten Free Pantry and Wildtree make a good consistent
bread Mix. Or refer to Everyday Loaf in one of my earlier blogs.
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