Co-Op Question: How do you celebrate Gluten Free Thanksgiving?

Okay so here are the main dishes. The family voted against turkey this year because we eat turkey in some form almost every day. I will try to capture pictures this week.

Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Onions and Garlic

Ingredients

· 1 3 to 4 pound frying chicken. (It’s easier to roast a fryer, and they have less fat on them overall.)

· 1 apple, cut in four pieces

· The juice of one lemon

· 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces

· 1 large red onion, cut in 1-inch pieces

· 6 cloves garlic, peeled

· extra virgin olive oil

· Salt and Pepper to taste

· Liberally season both the inside and outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the apple slices inside the body cavity of the chicken and pour the lemon juice inside as well. Place chicken in the center of a baking sheet that has a cooling rack placed right-side up in the pan.

· Toss the potatoes, onions and garlic in a bowl with a few tablespoons of olive oil, some salt, pepper and a bit of nutmeg if desired. Arrange around chicken on baking sheet. Pour any remaining olive oil over the chicken.

· Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh, making sure the probe is not touching any bones. (I generally slide the probe all the way through the bottom of the breast and into the thigh; just to be sure I’ve got the tip in the right spot.)

· Place chicken and vegetables in a 350° F oven and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 155 degrees. (You may have to peek in on the veggies. If they look like they’re over-roasting, turn once.) Remove chicken from oven and cover loosely with two layers of aluminum foil. Allow to rest until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (Approximately 15 minutes)

Gluten Free Southern Corn Bread Dressing

To prepare: Preheat oven 350 F. Makes about 8 cups; 12 servings

Ingredients

· ½ cup (1 stick) butter

· ½ cup chopped onion

· 1 cups chopped celery

· ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

· 1 teaspoon rubbed or ground sage, or to taste

· 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

· ¼ teaspoon rosemary seasoning

· ½ teaspoon ground black or white pepper

· ½ teaspoon salt (optional)

· 5 cups crumbled Bob Mills Gluten Free Corn Bread mix

· 3 large eggs, slightly beaten

• 1 ½ to 2 cups Chicken Broth

Heat oven to 350⁰ F. In large skillet, melt butter; add onions and celery. Over low heat sauté until tender (but not mushy), about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, sage, thyme, pepper and salt (if desired). In large bowl add crumbled corn bread and vegetable mixture. Stir in eggs and 1 ½ cups of broth. If mixture seems dry, add remaining ½ cup of broth. Taste and if necessary, adjust seasonings

To cook inside turkey: Spoon dressing into body cavity (do not pack); spoon any additional dressing into neck cavity and/or buttered baking dish.

To bake dressing separately: Spoon into large greased baking dish; cover loosely. To cook along with turkey, add to oven during the last 30 to 40 minutes roasting time.

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QOTD: Why Do People Yell Geronimo When They Jump?

So my curious son asked last week, "Why Do People Yell Geronimo When They Jump?" My answer "Let's google that." We found the answer which was a great lead into my little mini unit study on Veterans Day, which took 10 minutes with craft.


Since then we have been talking about Native Americans and planning field trips. Oh well off to revise the plan again.

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Geronimo Stilton: A FAB-U-MOUSE Adventure

We discovered a series of books about an adventurous journalist mouse by the name of Geronimo Stilton. This is a wonderful series of books written for kids 8-12 years old and appeals to Ironhide's need for action based stories. This series uses different colored text and Onomatopoeia to bring the story alive. It covers topics from the Amazon, Ancient Egypt and the Ice Age. Ironhide starts reading them standing in line at the library.

I am working on a Lapbook for a couple of the titles and should have them on the blog before Christmas.

So come join us for a Fab-U-Mouse Adventure.

Cold Rainy Days of Homeschooling

If you had asked me two years ago what were my worst days for homeschooling, I would have told you the rainy days short days of October and November. Those were days of just us, without the possibility of going outside because of the allergens in central Texas would have everyone of our gang (us included) trapped inside on some type of antibiotic or breathing treatment. The rain brought sunless days which only served to deepen the feeling of isolation and depression. It was a time of multiple doctor office visit, medication, cancelled play dates and soggy trips to the library.

Last October and November where a whirlwind of co-ops, field trips, hours spent playing outside in the crisp afternoon air and days spent watching the beautiful foliage of the Metro DC area. We were rarely at home and loved it. We became Smithsonian regulars because there was no tourist traffic and our little band of homeschoolers had the run of the place. We took cool classes about flight, visited the Senate chamber and explored Mount Vernon. Did the "schooling part" of homeschool suffer? Nope we were learning without books. Did the workbooks suffer? Oh yes, but I was assured by experienced homeschoolers in this area we would well make up the time during the cold and snowy days of December and January. Which proved to be oh so true and we did and survived two epic blizzards as well.

This October started like last year with field trips, co-ops and the like. But the difference is this year I didn't fell rushed because we had a schedule. I had a plan. There were tough days but I was confident enough to slow things down when we needed to, allowing us to focus more on the "work". It was going well, some curriculum change but still going well.

Then a medical condition that I was getting treatment for started to get off track. I was having days filled with nausea, headaches and general "ugh". I felt guilty because I felt like I should be giving more to my son, my husband and my co-op friends. However through prayer and spiritual sisterhood I started to realize I was doing exactly what I was suppose to being doing , taking care of myself.

Then my son became ill and needed to hospitalize for a short time. Praised God he is healthy and home. During the mist of his illness he ask "Why does this always happen to me? Allergies? Ear Infections? Asthma? Pneumonia? "Then he answered himself just as quick "Because stuff happens and then it's okay. Like rainy days."

So as we recover from our rainy October I ask you to pray with me for the following:

-for the health

-for guidance

-for the ability to see the rainy days as just rainy days.

Wordless Wednesday: Apples