Planning your Thanksgiving dinner is EASY!

The big day is just one week away. Are you ready? I know, it kind of crept up on me too, believe it or not! I've been writing about Thanksgiving ideas and posting recipes for weeks, but it seems like we should have another week to get ready. That seems to be the way it works for me every year though, no matter how hard I try to be ready.

This year, I am blessed to have a year off from hosting, but I still have to cook for the big day. Menu planning for a holiday gathering can be overwhelming when you have food issues to consider, along with just making sure that all of the favorites are on the table as well. Not to worry, this year can be an easy one for you and your family. All of us here at Gling have been working hard to make this Thanksgiving as easy as possible!

There is so much information on our Thanksgiving page to give you a good start in your menu planning. Grab yourself a cup of tea, cider or hot cocoa and spend a bit of time looking over our Thanksgiving ideas. Every family has their own traditions, special dishes and likes, and of course, dislikes. You know your family better than we do, but the ideas we have given will give you a good starting point.

Maybe this is your first holiday dinner having to consider what has gluten in it, maybe you are hosting this year for your family and there are some that have to avoid gluten. Trust me, this can and will be easy, so relax and enjoy looking through all of our mouth watering ideas. Having to avoid gluten does not mean that your wonderful holiday meals are a thing of the past. Gluten-free can be just as good as your memories of gluten-loaded holiday fair.

So, what does your family want to eat? What is the "tradition" for your Thanksgiving table? Are you wanting to add a new dish to your traditional menu? Here is a list of the basics to get you started:

• Turkey, roast it or deep fry it either way it is so easy to make gluten-free. The biggest part, aside from reading labels, is remembering to take it out of the freezer to thaw before the big day. If you find yourself in a bind with a frozen bird, no worries. Take it out of the freezer, leaving it in the packaging, put it in a tub of cool water to thaw. Change the water every half hour or so and make sure not to use hot water. You will have a ready to cook bird in no time!
• Mashed potatoes are a very tasty part of the meal that my family thoroughly enjoys. Easy to make and easy to personalize with different flavors or make very traditionally with butter and milk. No worries here, potatoes should not be a stress. So relax.
• Gravy is another easy part of the meal. Just make sure you thicken it with corn starch and you are good to go. Make plenty though, everyone loves gravy!
• Stuffing was a huge stress for me in the past, but this year it is easy with TanyaG's wonderful recipe. Her bread makes it so easy too. Make this bread a day or two in advanced for easy assembly on Thanksgiving.
• Cranberry sauce is another easy one. Yes you can open a can and serve it to your guests and if you choose to do that it will be wonderful. If you want to make it yourself, it is so easy and so yummy!
• Rolls used to be a stress for me, but there are so many wonderful recipes out there now. Making your own is not hard, but there are some good varieties available to purchase at your local specialty food store.
• Sweet potatoes can also be an easy part of your meal. There are so many wonderful flavor options out there to choose from. Want to try something a bit different this year, Gling has several to choose from. Just do a search in the recipe section for sweet potatoes.
• Pumpkin pie has never been so good. The pie crust recipe that TanyaG came up with is, by far, the easiest pie crust I have worked with. It comes out beautifully every time!
• Apple pie is another family favorite.
• Cheese cake is always on the menu for Thanksgiving or any holiday for that matter. This recipe is one of my family's favorites.
• Appetizers are another thing to consider. Easy to make gluten-free and your guests will love them. There are many awesome options to choose from, even your gluten-eating guests will love them and keep coming back for more.

How is that for a list to get you started? Still feeling overwhelmed? I hope not, this can and will be an easy Thanksgiving for you and your family with a bit of planning. The recipes are all here on Gling, if you have some of your own favorites, I do hope you will share them with us as well. We are ALWAYS looking for a few more tasty options for our menu planning.

Relax and enjoy the holiday with your family. There is no reason for your Thanksgiving to not be a delicious one, there are so many yummy dishes to enjoy! The problem now will be choosing what ones to make, or make it easy and make them all!