Thanksgiving Recap:

Thanksgiving is my all-time favorite holiday!  You have food, family, and fellowship without the pressure of gift giving: perfection!

Seven years ago, our "sister/daughter/friend" came to visit us in Nashville for Thanksgiving and our holiday traditions began!  Kirsten moved to San Francisco and was unable to come to Thanksgiving last year, and we were all committed to making sure she could be here for this years' festivities.

I love to do the cooking, I learned the art of Thanksgiving cooking at the right hand of my older sister.  So, although we don't spend the holiday with my family, we eat roughly the same foods!  In recent years, we have moved to a gluten free diet so this year was the first year without "cheating" I made everything gluten free!

Our menu this year: (and I should mention that this was for 3 adults, you just can't scrimp when it comes to Thanksgiving!)
Butter/herb roasted turkey breast & gravy
Lemon/thyme mashed potatoes
Maple/thyme roasted acorn squash
GF cornbread Italian sausage dressing
Sweet potato spoon bread
Lemon pepper green beans
Cranberry salad
GF rolls
GF pumpkin pie

My favorite thing that we do, besides eat, is watching all of the Thanksgiving "Friends" episodes.  We usually start them out while we are cooking in the morning and then continue watching them after the meal.  Every year, we forget just how hilarious they all are...best show ever.

Everything was so so yummy, and we are so thankful that we got to spend the holiday with one of our most favorite friends.  Especially with the events that were about to occur...

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Last summer I posted my tried and true whole wheat pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe.  These muffins are a staple in our house, they might even be more prevalent than milk and bread.  I make them as fast as we eat them, so yummy!

However, Ryan has been gluten free since May and I have had to adapt my recipe a bit to accommodate his dietary needs, and I can honestly say that they are better than ever!

Here's the updated recipe if you are gluten free, or just wanting to try something different:

In a large bowl, combine and mix well:
1 C. GF all-purpose flour*
1/3 C. almond meal*
1/3 C. ground flax seed*
3/4 C. sugar
1 TBS. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. xanthan gum*
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer mini)

In a medium bowl, whisk together:
1 stick melted butter
1 C. canned pumpkin
2 eggs

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine (don't overmix!).  Divide into muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy!

*I have had a lot of success with Bob's Red Mill products and use them for most of my specialty flours and ingredients.