Many are wondering what we were able to eat while following our new diet. Well, it became a compromise between struggling to make it almost right to letting go of expectations.
We began with the most important part, the bird. We took a little trip on Wednesday to pick up our freshly butchered turkey at the sustainable farm. As we were driving up to the house, Isabella, in a heartfelt almost heart broken sigh, asked, "Where are all the turkeys?"
I chuckled through the word, "Processed!"
The children are use to being greeted by a gaggle of about 18 turkeys when we have ran by the farm to pick up various meats and eggs. Anton, this morning, specifically wore a blue sweatshirt instead of his usual red and blue jacket because it riles up some of the toms. After some explaining and releasing the children to check on chickens and ducks, I payed for our bird (and two ducks) and we were on our way home to get him in the frig.
So, first is the hormone-free, Non-GM fed, free range Heritage Breed turkey. For those of you wanting a bit more details, it was a Bourbon Red, the second best rated turkey breed for flavour in the world. The first is the Midget White.
For weeks I have been failing (yes it does happen!) at a good pie crust. On Monday, I gave up on the traditional crust and made a crushed pecan crust for a sweet potato pie. It was good! But since we had that on Monday, I decided to forgo having one on Thursday. For dessert, we made a Gluten Free/Dairy Free Chocolate Souffle. It turned out well, but I wish I had found my whisk attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer as it would have made the whipping easier on my arms. I am not going to buy a new one, I know it is, it is one of the two boxes left of kitchen items down in the basement that has not been unpacked. (See, I am not perfect. I have not finished my sorting after two and 1/2 years! HAHA!)
For sides we had green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, stuffing (I will explain.), and home made gravy. It did not dawn on me until Thursday Morning, I forgot to pick up cranberries. When I expressed my guilt ridden sorrow to Karl, he shrugged and told me he never really liked cranberry sauce anyway. Then he teased me about not having it for my left over turkey sandwiches, then apologized because of the bread issue. The frozen GF bread in the stores is not good for sandwiches, just for toast.
Alright, stuffing. I have also been having problems with bread recipes. I got the bread right on the first try, a sour dough like GF bread. Then I had problems with one ingredient, Xanthum Gum. The good thing, I have finally figured out why some lotions burn and irritate my skin and others do not. The bad thing is the discomfort it caused me and to a lesser extent the rest of my family. Xanthum Gum is a very gross thing that most American companies put into their products to make them thick. Why, because it is cheaper than what they use to use, Guar Gum which is used in most foreign and some American products. Xanthum Gum is a bacteria found on rotting or molding corn, soy or wheat, but mostly corn. Scientist discovered if they scrape off the mold, dry it, and then grind it into a powder, it has thicken properties like corn starch, Guar Gum, and potato starch. Since then, I have been having several failed attempts at getting the bread right by trying other thickeners, changing flours, etc. On Wednesday night, the health store called to say they finally got my Guar Gum order in the store and it was ready for pick up. A bit too late to try yet another attempt at bread, so I did the next best thing. I had went to various places that sell GF foods and picked up three types of frozen GF bread; one white rice, one brown rice, and one flax seed. All were made in or by Canadian or Italian companies. I thawed half of each loaf, cut into small squares, tossed in olive oil with herbs, and dried in the oven to become the base for home made stuffing. The next morning, I sauteed onions, celery, and bacon fat together. Anton came running down the steps thinking I had made a batch of bacon and was frying potatoes with onions. He was mildly disappointed as I served up some GF doughnuts and eggs instead. I tossed the sauteed veggies with the bread, home made chicken stock, herbs, chopped apples and raisins. It turned out pretty good but next time I will leave out the raisins as it was a bit too sweet. With Karl's help, we stuffed our bird, rubbed down the bird with oil and sprinkled it with herbs.
After that, we went about relaxing with breaks every thirty minutes for basting. The children played a few games on the Wii, we all watched a classic, Willie Wonka (the one from our childhood), and I got to settle into a nice fiction book. Over all, it was a nice quiet time with our family!
