thanksgiving

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

It seemed like Thanksgiving flew by this year...  Everything seemed to go by really fast & I am so bummed that we didn't even take a family picture!  Next year I will have to make that my top priority.  All in all, we had a nice & relaxing day.  Thanksgiving is a good reminder for me to be thankful everyday, not only in the big things, but the little ones too!  This past year has been full of joy & I am so thankful for all these blessing the Lord has given to us: the birth of Oliver, family, friends, two cars, my husbands job, a roof over our head & food to eat.

We spent this Thanksgiving with Matt's family & my job was to make cranberry chutney, gluten free stuffing & mini gluten free pies!  Everything was delicious!  Although I love Thanksgiving food, I am glad the leftovers are gone!  But, I wanted to share the recipes I made & also for me because I tend to forget where I got the recipes ;)  My husband is gluten free & I am dairy free, so I do have to tweak normal recipes to suite our needs, but I will post the sites where I got the original recipes! Enjoy!

Cranberry Chutney

 (original recipe found here)

1lb fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup apple cider

1 cinnamon stick

6 fresh mint leaves

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1.  rinse the cranberries & discard any soft ones 

2.  in a saucepan over medium heat, combine cranberries, sugars, orange juice, apple cider, salt, cinnamon & mint, stir to mix

3.  bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to med-low 

4.  simmer until all the juices have reduced & the consistency is getting thick, about an hour or hour & a half

5.  let the chutney cool to room temperature, then cover & refrigerate 

6.  let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving

note*  I add salt & more sugar because it was really tart, & it helped cut the tartness in half ;)

Gluten Free Bacon Stuffing

(original recipe found here)

5 cups gluten free bread, dried & cut in cubes

1lb bacon, cut into bite size pieces 

1 granny smith apple, cut into bite size pieces

1 onion, cut into bite size pieces

3 stalks celery, cut into bite size pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 TBS fresh poultry seasoning, chopped

salt & pepper

2 eggs

1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth

1.  cook bacon & reserve about 1/2 the bacon grease, set bacon aside

2.  add all the chopped ingredients (except poultry seasoning) to the same pan that the bacon was in & pour in the reserved bacon grease

3.  add the minced garlic, salt & pepper to the pan & cook until everything is soft

4.  next, place cooked ingredients in a large bowl, then add bacon, gluten free bread cubes & seasoning & stir together

5.  finally, stir in the eggs & broth then place in a greased baking dish

6.  bake at 375 F for 30 minutes

note*  I pretty much halved the original recipe & didn't use the bourbon or apple cider vinegar that it said in the original recipe

  

Gluten Free Mini Pies

(original maple pecan recipe here, original pumpkin pie recipe here & original apple pie recipe here)  

note*  I used two containers of Pillsbury gluten free pie & pastry dough, which made about 24 mini cupcake sized pies & I just pressed them into the cupcake pans before I made any of the fillings.

Apple Pie Filling

1/4 cup gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour)

3lbs granny smith apples, peeled & sliced thin

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 TBS apple cider vinegar

2 TBS dairy free butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp allspice

1 egg

1.  place all ingredients in a large bowl & mix together

2.  scoop filling in unbaked pie crusts

3.  bake at 375 F for about 15-20 min (check frequently as to not burn them)

4.  transfer to a wire rack & cool completely

5.  can be stored at room temperature

note*  I made 12 of the mini gluten free apple pie's, but I would almost recommend cutting this recipe in half or buying more dough because it could have made 24 mini pies!  also, I greased the cupcake pans before placing the dough in.

Pecan Pie Filling

1 cup pecan pieces or halves

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 eggs

2 TBS dairy free butter

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1.  place pecans in a skillet over medium low heat & cook until they smell fragrant, string occasionally about 5 minutes

2.  pour maple syrup & butter in a small saucepan over medium low, cook until butter melts

3.  beat eggs in large bowl, then whisk in sugar, vanilla & salt 

4.  slowly add the maple syrup mixture & whisk away

5.  stir in pecans, then add filling to the uncooked pie shells & cook at 375 F for about 15-20 minutes (check frequently as to not burn them)

6.  cool thoroughly & store in refrigerator

note*  I halved the original recipe, but it still made extra ( I made 6 mini pies with this recipe)

Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 15oz can pumpkin puree

2 eggs

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 cup coconut milk

1.  preheat oven to 425 F

2.  whisk all ingredients together

3.  pour in unbaked pie shells & bake 10 minutes

4.  reduce heat to 350 F for another 15-20 minutes (check frequently as to not burn them)

5.  cool on wire rack

Hope all my American friends had a Happy Thanksgiving!