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Part 2 of 2
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I am the only celiac in my family(husband and 2 girls),but we have a
gluten-free Thanksgiving with all my favorite dishes. If you live where the
Albertson's grocery stores are they always have a special this time of year
to buy 1 turkey and get the other free. They carry Honeysuckle Brand
Turkeys that state "Gluten-Free" on the package. So I always get
Honeysuckle brand without any problems. I make my cornbread dressing
gluten-free(in separate pan) and my mother's pecan pie recipe with a
gluten-free crust. Since we live far away from family, it is always just
the 4 of us. I have heard horror stories from other celiacs that have to
go to the "big" family gatherings and face relatives unwilling to change
the menu for the celiac family members. I really don't get this mentality
since most recipes can be easily adapted and taste delicious. For more
control in the kitchen maybe you can have the Dinner at your home. This is
a very difficult Holiday for many because it really is a focus on the
food. Many families have food traditions and will not change, but it can
be fun to plan a menu outside the normal way. I really haven't had
problems just substituting things to make it gluten-free. You do have to
make sure your food is safe otherwise you'll spend your Thanksgiving in
the bathroom (what fun). Carol Fenster,Ph.D. is a gluten-free cookbook
writer and she has a great book "Special Diet Celebrations" which has
great menus for all kinds of holidays that can give you ideas too. Her
website is www.savorypalate.com .
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I use the Dream Pastry Mix from Bette Hagman's Fast and Healthy GF Gourmet
cookbook.  It makes a great pie crust  - it would stand up to any regular
pie crust and no one would know the difference.
Just alter your recipes a bit - use cornstarch for thickening instead of
flour and all will be well.
Bread is the only thing we still don't have completely figured out.  So
far, we like the ciabetta bread from 135 gluten free recipes by Butt and
Washburn the best.  I have only tried this recently and haven't tried it
in roll form yet.  That's my next experiment!
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Usually the local store brand with the cheapest price with say "minimally
processed.  Nothing added."  The USDA which hand meat, poultry & fish has
strict guidelines on what can be added & how it is labeled. Find it at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/FAQ/flavorings.htm
******
The turkey is easy. Name a national brand and it's almost without question
GF.  In three years I've never found a turkey with gluten (although some,
like butterball, will have a gravy packet that you need to throw out).
In addition, USDA rules require that something like wheat or barley be
clearly  listed if it's added to raw meat, so all you need to do is read
the labels.
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I can help with the turkey!  We eat turkey weekly.  National GF brands
include Jennie-O, Honeysuckle White and Safeway's Manor House brand, as
well as all Diestal whole birds and roasting breasts (at Whole Foods).  In
the NW there's also Northwest Natural birds.
Roast this way: preheat oven to 500 degrees. Combine 2 quartered onions, 2
quartered celery stalks, and 2 quartered carrots.  Toss with enough melted
butter to coat and place on bottom of wide, low roasting pan.  This will
be your roasting rack.   Place 4 sprigs fresh parsley and 4 sprigs fresh
thymne in cavity of clean bird.  Tuck back wings and coat whole bird
liberally with  olive or soy oil.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove
from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert meat
thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing
temperature to 350 degrees F. Roast until breast is 161 degrees. Let
turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.
We don't eat stuffing, so I can't help you there -- sorry.  But I hope
this helps with the main course at least.  For gravy, you'll need turkey
or chicken stock, which is very easy to make at home if you've never done
it.
********
There is a gravy recipe on the Kingsford corn starch box.  Use canned
chicken broth instead of water (& of course any drippings from the meat).

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ORIGINAL MESSAGE
Hi fellow list members,
This will be my first Thanksgiving gluten free.  I searched the archives
looking for any 'suggestions' on how to survive this gluten-full holiday
and have not found much...
My basic question is what should you look for in finding a safe
turkey...are there any national brands, etc. that are OK?  If you need to
go local, are there any terms, etc. you want to watch out for...
Anything else to make this holiday yummy for me and my 2 year old CD son
would be great (tips, recipes, cookbooks, etc.).  I will compile and post
for future reference.

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