Imagine a delicious, gluten-free Holiday meal, and all the members of your family truly enjoying it–without acting as though they’ve made the sacrifice of the century by enduring the annual dinner sans gluten.

If you’re like me, you can hardly blame them. I like to think that even before my diagnosis, I was always pretty sympathetic to friends and family members with food allergies. But then when it did come time to host the dinner party, things could seem quite challenging. I can remember just wanting so badly to impress everyone with my special recipes, but feeling limited by the food allergies of others.

But now . . . I get it. Of course, now I am intolerant to gluten and dairy. So at last year’s meal I had to pass up the turkey, brisket, dirty rice (my utter favorite), sweet potatoes and all desserts. I’m sure the many amazing Southern chefs in my family would have tried to accomodate my food intolerances had they known. But years living in different cities, with little to no communication left me with just one dish brought by my own mother to dig into.

This year, however, is a different story. This year . . . they’re coming to me. Of course, mom and I have already begun to bicker over which ingredients we can leave out. But come Thanksgiving week, I’ll have a fridge full of food, dishes already begun, and it’ll all be free of gluten and dairy. Not to mention, it will knock their socks off.

So as November begins, my advice to you, is to take advantage of the time you have to stun everyone at your dinner table this Holiday Season. Here are some things you can do now, to wow everyone by Thanksgiving:

• Consult the Experts: Try a gluten-free search with our GFF Search Engine, just type in the dish that you want to prepare or the word “thanksgiving”, sort by “recipes” and try out some of the masterpieces you find from top gluten-free bloggers like Gluten Free Girl, Karina’s Kitchen and Gluten Free Mommy.

• Don’t be Afraid to Buy a Little: If you’ve found a favorite gluten-free bread, cake or dessert baker, put in an order for the Holidays. And if you’ve yet to find a favorite, try ordering some stunning gourmet cookies from The Inspired Cookie, some dreamy chocolate brownies from Sweet Evolution or if you live in my neck of the woods, put in an order for a Gingerbread Cake with Maple Cream Frosting with Dolci di Maria. There’s nothing wrong with buying the bread or dessert.

• Wow Them with Something They Already Love: Don’t overshoot and try to get your family to love something they’ve never tried before, that has also been adapted to suit your gluten-free needs. You may be able to get away with this for dessert, but for the main meal, stick to the dishes that your family knows and loves. Simply find better, gluten-free recipes for the dishes.

You’ve got about a month of cooking, ordering and tasting ahead of you. So be patient and you will wow them all this Thanksgiving, and get to the gym, all that tasting and trying can be brutal!