24 Days ’til Christmas: Gluten Free Stuffing

Last year I was sorely disappointed with the boxed gluten free stuffing mix that I bought for Thanksgiving (sadly, it’s now a necessity for our household to be gluten free…I really miss croissants!) so I did my own thing this year. It was so much better and, in case you’re doing a turkey for Christmas, I thought I’d share.

006Gluten Free Stuffing

Makes enough stuffing for a 17 pound bird plus a casserole dish to bake on the side.

1 bag Bobs Red Mill (no affiliation, just what I used) gluten free cornbread mix, prepared according to directions except baked in a well greased 13″x18″ (1/2-sheet) pan until very golden brown

2 Schar (no affiliation, just what I used) parbaked gluten free baguettes

1 stick butter

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

5 stalks of celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups low sodium chicken stock plus 2 additional cups for the baked dressing

Cut the baked cornbread into little squares–you’re basically making croutons here. Tear the bread into pieces. Let both breads get stale or bake in a low oven until dried out.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté celery, onion, mushrooms, and garlic together until very tender. Add broth, herbs, and spices. Pour over breads. Toss to combine.

Use part of it to stuff your turkey. To the remainder of the stuffing (which will now morph into dressing), add the two additional cups of stock. Place in a greased casserole dish, cover, and bake at 325º F for at least 45 minutes.

Let me know if you have a good gluten free croissant recipe!

 

 

Thanksgiving Puzzle Fun

I’ve come up with another word search puzzle for you. This one, of course, is Thanksgiving-themed.  If you’re waiting around for the pies to bake or the turkey to roast, this might be just the ticket. Not too taxing but relaxing. Enjoy (answers up after I’ve recovered from the feast…later this weekend) and Happy Thanksgiving!

ThanksgivingWordSearch-page001ThanksgivingWordSearch (pdf)

Happy Veterans Day

Thanks to our veterans.  Particular thanks to my dad, the Korean War Vet!  Amazing that 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI and that we’re 96 years away from the armistice also celebrated on this date.  My paternal grandfather tried to enlist in 1917 but his first wife (not my grandmother) marched down to the draft board office and said that he was “needed at home” so he wasn’t sent off.  We have a copy of the document with that notation at the bottom.  I think he was trying to both do his duty and escape from his wife who was significantly older than he was.

I wasn’t able to find any VFW members selling poppies today but here’s the poem:

In Flanders Fields
–by John McCrae

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.