Gluten Free Turkey Dinner Menu

Don't dream of an entire gluten free turkey dinner, plan one and make it. Everyone with food restrictions has apprehension about the awkward questions they will have to ask to determine what food will be safe to eat. Over time gluten free cooks learn new ways to enjoy, or tolerate, these big gatherings. One thing that is for sure, is that many families do enjoy an entire gluten free holiday dinner with all the trimmings.

People have a variety of approaches to make these family events more enjoyable. For some people it's cooking the whole meal themselves, for others it's just making the pumpkin pie to end dinner on a happy note.

Another idea is to host your version of a turkey feast at a different time and with different people. Keep reading for my idea of Opposite Day.

My Southwestern Turkey Dinner Menu

Every elaborate feast involves many steps and organization is the key to success. This post has ideas and tips to prepare the kind of turkey dinner you want.

In my family everyone has fond memories of the sage-infused bread stuffing my mother and grandmother both made for years. My turkey stuffing features the flavours of the American Southwest made with cornbread and sausage.

Top 5 Tips for Making Turkey Dinner

Each recipe is straightforward but this menu requires a few specialty ingredients and plenty of advance planning. The best tip is to make a plan and stick with it.

1. Plan your table – Decide what the table will look like and commit to it. Buy what you need and resist the urge to change your table because you saw a cool picture on Pinterest. Borrow any dishes you need and get them well in advance.
2. Respect tradition – Ask people what part of the meal is most important to them and include it on your menu. Tell them you did it just for them. If one person really wants wheat bread stuffing then ask someone to make it and bring it in a casserole dish. Some people have fun making signs with hazardous waste symbols for anything that contains wheat. Ask year after year and you may find that when people think about it they realize it's not about the jellied salad...or maybe it is.
3. Ask for help – Choose a few recipes someone else can make and ask people you trust to make them. Do not ask the people who will add more stress to your planning. If you want to do all the work then include do-ahead dishes like a frozen dessert and be mindful that you made the choice.
4. Make lists – Not everyone is a list maker but lists can sure help. Make a separate list of ingredients you can purchase well in advance and then do it. Avoid a last minute grocery run for something that will keep in your cupboard for a year. Make a list of what prep you can do a week in advance and then one, two and three days in advance.
5. Enjoy the process – Cooking and entertaining involves planning, time in the kitchen and cleaning up. As with everything in life the glass is both half empty and half full, you decide what you want to focus on. Crank up the music while you chop and stir, enjoy the peace and quiet at midnight while you wash dishes, or share a glass of wine and laugh with someone while you work together. This small effort can make up for the usual family foibles that go along with these traditional gatherings.

Is it Worth the Effort?

The goal is perhaps a fabulous celebration of the many things we all have to be thankful for. If you're celebrating family, friends and good health then steps to minimize stress should be included. In five minutes you could list the three (or ten) most stressful aspects of entertaining.

Do it, make the list now. Then beside each one write something you can do to minimize that stress.

Think Outside the Box

Clarifying your perspective of the whole event will increase the chance that your dinner is enjoyable. If after thinking about your list of what causes you stress you decide it's not worth it then rethink turkey dinner.

Maybe your gluten free turkey feast is not for family. Did you know you can actually cook turkey on days that are not Thanksgiving and Christmas? Here are a few ideas to think outside the box for a satisfying feast. Be careful, if it turns out to be a lot of fun you may have just started a new annual event.

• Cook your Turkey Feast for people who appreciate it on a date that works for that crowd.
• Remember Opposite Day? If you are in the United States why not host an annual Canadian Thanksgiving in October. For Canadians do the opposite, an American Thanksgiving in November. This is a perfect opportunity to have a turkey dinner your way.
• Organize a fancy Christmas or New Year's party around a Turkey Feast.
• For a turkey lover (like my mom) plan a Turkey Feast for a winter birthday celebration. This is an idea for December and January birthdays.
• Plan an elaborate Pot Luck Turkey Feast for a more fun and casual Christmas in July.

Hosting a Big Turkey Dinner

Are you ready to host a big turkey dinner? At some point families realize mom has cooked enough turkey dinners and it's time to pass on the torch. Or maybe you're ready to try Thanksgiving dinner for friends.

Whether you're trying to embrace tradition or create your own annual event I hope you'll consider some or all of menu for your feast. You never know, you might just have fun doing it.