Thanksgiving Recap

I call this one: the stoic dachshund.

Well folks, I’m sad to say that Thanksgiving week is over and Niles and I are back in Utah. However, our stay in Texas was wonderful and I can’t be any more happy about all the fun we had!

As an explanation, Niles and I are both from Texas. In fact, we grew up together, which is how we met. We have so many memories in Texas, and our families both live there, so we visit as much as possible. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my in-laws, who were so kind to be gluten-conscious. Then, we went to my aunt and uncle’s farm and held our annual Shutzenfest (as my mom mentioned), a week long event filled gun shooting, motorcycle riding, and eating our Thanksgiving meal under the pecan trees.

Here are some highlights:

Our dog Lexi did her favorite activity: bossing the cows around. They weren’t amused.

We ate this sausage, which we call “pencil sausage”. It is straight from Shiner, TX, and it was cooked over a campfire. Manna from heaven, folks.

I took Bekah’s senior portraits at the farm. Isn’t she so pretty?!

And now for some practical gluten free holiday season tips I’ve learned over the years:

• If you’re going to be the only GF person at a holiday meal, offer to bring the stuffing, or other large dish that usually has gluten. I offered to make the stuffing for my mother-in-law during Thanksgiving with my husband’s family. She was happy to have one less thing to cook, and I was happy being able to eat everything. And no one even noticed it was gluten free! (Try our cornbread stuffing recipe…you’ll get the same reaction)
• If you’re staying with relatives who aren’t gluten free, pack a “snack pack” (that’s what my mom calls it! haha) My mom actually packed one for me with a few little meals such as chicken salad and crackers, peanut butter and pretzels. She also included treats like chocolate, popcorn, etc. I didn’t have to worry if my in-laws were having a meal I couldn’t eat!
• Learn a new holiday recipe this year. Look one up or try a new one. Leaving behind old gluten-ous traditions can be sad, so take this opportunity to make a new one!