I am changing blog sites!!

Hey everyone,
I am changing the location of my blog...I'm switching over to Wordpress blog, due to having run out of free picture space on this blog. In my opinion, the pictures are some of the most important parts of my blog (and my favorite)! So my new website is: www.discoveringtheextraordinary.wordpress.com.

If you are currently following my blog posts by email and want to continue, please re-subscribe in the box on the right-hand column of the new blog.

Sorry for the confusion! I hope that you continue to follow the new blog site...and stay tuned for new holiday recipes coming soon!!

(Click here for the new site)

Show Hope

On this day before Thanksgiving, I thought that I would share a blog post with you that touched my heart. It is from Show Hope, an adoption- and foster care-aid organization started by the Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman, and his wife Mary Beth.

Thanksgiving recipe ideas for you...

So, I had intended to do a whole series of blog posts regarding food for Thanksgiving.

Well, sometimes life just gets busy. I'll just have to save those posts for later (well, hopefully sooner than later!).

For now, here are some of my go-to recipes that would be great for sharing with your loved ones. I'm bringing a few of them to my own family's gathering this year :)
Hope you enjoy, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Butternut Squash Soup
Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Potato Rolls
No-Bake Mini Pumpkin Tarts
Mashed Cauliflower "Potatoes"

Peanut Butter Fudge

As a little treat to possibly add to your Thanksgiving dessert list, here's some yummy, dairy free peanut butter FUDGE!! :)

Apple Almond Cake

I first got the idea for this cake when I saw it in the bakery window of my favorite downtown coffee shop...it looked so delicious, I just knew I had to try my hand at it. So, when this month's Gluten Free Ratio Rally challenge was announced--Bundt Cake--I decided it was time.

Lifting my eyes

This week, I have been reading some amazing posts by Christine over at Grace Covers Me about hospitality. This is a subject that is close to my heart, and something that I'm still learning and practicing. Please read the posts on this website...they will inspire you toward the true heart of hospitality.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

I am extremely proud of this bread!

This weekend, I brought my ingredients and made some at my parent's house (keeping in mind that the rest of my family is not always as enthusiastic about my food as I am), and my mom liked it!! This bread is very moist, and reminds me of my aunt's recipe that we made at my house growing up.

pumpkin pancakes

I am long overdue for a blog!
This one's actually been sitting in my post list for a while, but I debated posting another pumpkin recipe! But I've made these so often in the last couple of weeks (and plan on making them for breakfast in the morning), that I truly think they are worth sharing. My sister says these taste like fall :)

Pumpkin Pie in a Glass...

I went to the pumpkin patch for the first time last week.
That's right...I'd never been to an actual pumpkin patch...but now I have :)

How to Make Sweet Potato Chips

I can tell that, as the seasons are changing, I am craving different foods...especially vegetables. I no longer crave summer squash like zucchini and yellow squash, but want to make all things pumpkin, along with butternut squash (my favorite), and potatoes. Okay, so potatoes are not a vegetable, but close enough, and they definitely say "comfort food" to me. Baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, and of course these sweet potato chips.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Two Ways

These muffins can be used with either the whole grain flour blend, or almond flour (if you want to make them grain free and Paleo). Depending on which one you use, the amount of oil will be altered. Other than that, both recipes are made the same way.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cooler weather definitely calls for some soup!

Pumpkin Pie Muffins - from Elana's Pantry

Last fall, my baking obsession was apples...This year, I think it's pumpkin/ winter squash.
I've been saving these until it was closer to fall...I think it is officially fall now! I've been preparing for fall since the beginning of September. This is my favorite season, so as soon as the weather stopped being in the 100's every day, I slowly began changing the house for the arrival of fall.

No-Bake Mini Pumpkin Tarts (grain free)

This month's Gluten Free Ratio Rally challenge: tarts...Savory tarts, sweet tarts...with the rally crew, you never know what kind of creative masterpieces you'll run across! This month, I see that there are some new bloggers! So if that's you, welcome to the rally :)

How to Roast Winter Squashes

This method for roasting can be used for any type of winter squashes: pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, etc.

Potato rolls

I forgot that I hadn't posted the recipe for these rolls since I first mentioned them in this post about my first gluten-free Thanksgiving. Now that fall is on it's way in, I figured I'd better get going with this one, just in case any of you want to include them in your upcoming Thanksgiving meal (or any meal, for that matter!). I made them this week to go with this tomato basil soup, which is one of my favorites. Perfect for chilly nights...

Banana Pancakes

Now don't tell me that doesn't make you think about the song by Jack Johnson??! (thank you, Sarah, for introducing me to that song when I was your roommate in college! :)

But I will refrain from singing it.

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

I'm very happy about these cookies :)
They are so simple, and the tiny, one-bite size makes them even better!

Real chocolate chip cookies!

I think this is going to be my new favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies, adapted from Tessa the Domestic Diva. Being fairly new to chia seeds, I was facinated by this recipe that doesn't use eggs (for more about chia seeds, click here). I guess for those of you that have a phobia about not eating raw cookie dough, due to the raw eggs in the batter, can now make this and eat without guilt! ;)

the way flour tortillas are meant to be.

When I was preparing for the Gluten Free Ratio Rally post earlier this month, I ran across Gluten Free Girl's recipe for homemade flour tortillas. Her tips about making the tortillas are extremely helpful. Adapting from that post, I created my own version. These are thick, soft, small tortillas, and the cast-iron skillet makes them awesome! However, let me advise one tip: Turn the stove fan on high before you start cooking the tortillas, or you will have smoke all through your house from the cast iron skillet (yes, I speak from experience)!