Monday, December 1, 2008

Being thankful for family who "get it"

Our extended families have been incredibly supportive of our gluten free needs. They are happy to go to restaurants with gluten free menus when we go out -- and they have been more than willing to prepare safe, gluten free feasts for family gatherings.

Take this Thanksgiving. My sister and her husband hosted and coordinated, cooked and cleaned, and -- except for one premade pumpkin pie that they bought at a fundraiser -- the meal (for 15 of us) was entirely gluten free. And quite delicious, I might add. We started with olives, humus, cheese and Mary's Gone Crackers. The turkey, of course, was the centerpiece. Roasted vegetables (including baby brussel sprouts, new for me but actually really sweet), squash (made by my mom), a wild and brown rice "dressing", green salad with a nice vinaigrette (provided by my in-laws), mashed potatoes and gluten free cornbread (provided by us). I baked some gluten free Heath Bar brownies and a gluten free apple pie, using an Annalise Roberts recipe and a Whole Foods gluten free pantry pie crust, and we had ice cream as well. Although none of the foods being prepared for the meal contained gluten, it is always more challenging to cook gluten free in a "gluten" kitchen, and I appreaciate the extra efforts my sister and her husband made to keep preparations safe, such as using new cutting boards.

I don't think that anyone came away from the meal saying "that was a great gluten free meal" -- I think they came away saying "that was a great meal". Because it was. Not only did the food itself taste great -- but because it is simply nicer and warmer when everyone at the table can fully partake of a meal , and not worry about whether something is safe to eat.

So, thanks!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Families who "get it" definitely need to be applauded. I made a totally gluten/dairy free Thanksgiving meal for my family and they loved it. I too only heard, "the food was great".

Vee said...

It's wonderful to hear that everyone is so supportive! You're very lucky.

I'm doing PR for a company that's launching a line of GF sweets and wondered if you and your family would like to receive a sample to review on your blog. If so, please email me you email address (for a digital press release) and mailing address (for samples) at vee at veetea dot com.

Thanks, and Happy New Year!
~Vee

Linda said...

My family is the same way, and I'm very thankful also. I know that many people do not have the same experience.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I had already found Pamela's bread mix on Amazon and buy it by the case, but I neglected to mention that in the post.

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Karen said...

A little goes a long way but your family went beyond the call of duty.

A teen and her family's experiences living gluten-free.