“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa

Instead of sharing Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals with you this year (and potentially buying all sorts of things I don’t even need!), I’m hoping you’ll join me in helping feed the hungry this holiday season.

Barefeet In The Kitchen will donate $5 to Feeding America for every comment on this blog post. In addition to that, on December 4th, we will match all donations made to Feeding America through this link, up to $25,000.

As we sit down at tables overflowing with food to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I’m reminded that the struggle to put food on the table is part of everyday life for so many families.

The number of people living in food-insecure households in the United States in 2023 increased to 47 million, including nearly 14 million children, according to the report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is a significant increase over the previous year and it is the highest rate and number of individuals and children since 2014.

A gift of $10 will feed a family for more than three weeks. How many families could we feed if we work together to donate what we can? For every dollar donated through Feeding America 10 meals are provided – TEN meals, my friends, that is no small thing.

We are all in the presence of hunger, seen or unseen, and even a dollar or two can make a difference. If we hit our goal of $50,000, together we will provide 500,000 meals!

Read more

How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream

Whipped cream that doesn’t weep or melt after it has set for a while is mostly likely stabilized whipped cream. It sounds a little fancy, but it is super easy to make!

Have you ever bit into a cupcake from a bakery with perfectly piped frosting expecting buttercream only to find that it’s whipped cream? How does it hold that perfect shape? Let’s learn How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream!

I use this stabilized cream to top pies, cupcakes, cakes and cheesecakes. I love it because it’s not overly sweet and is light and airy, and it will hold it’s shape for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

The secret to making it stabilized is gelatin. It doesn’t taste like anything so it doesn’t affect the flavor at all but will add structure and make the whipped cream more stable so it won’t deflate.

We will walk through the steps of how to do it and then you’ll be ready for all the holiday baking!

What Ingredients Do I Need for Stabilized Whipped Cream?

You only need 5 ingredients for this recipe! Jump down to the recipe card for the exact measurements.

• Water (should I count that as an ingredient??)
• Gelatin (unflavored) – usually found on the top shelf by the Jello
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Powdered Sugar – also called confectioner’s sugar
• Vanilla Extract

How to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream

I promised earlier that this was super easy, so here is how to do it…

• Add water to a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin powder evenly over the top. Allow to sit for a few minutes to let it bloom. It will look like the first picture below.

• Transfer the gelatin mixture to the microwave and microwave until the gelatin is fully dissolved (this can also be done on the stove top in a sauce pan). This will be super quick, like 5-7 seconds. Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (an electric mixer will also work), combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and whip on medium high speed until the mixture starts to thicken and soft peaks form. A soft peak is when you pull the beaters out and the cream holds its shape for a couple of seconds but then falls.
• Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly pour in the gelatin mixture until well combined, increasing the mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks are when you pull the beaters out and the cream holds its shape indefinitely.
• Place the whipped cream into a piping bag with your favorite tip. Pipe onto your dessert and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It’s a chilly day here in Ohio and I’m looking forward to spending most of it working a bit around the house and then watching movies this afternoon and evening with the kids. I’m grateful for a fridge filled with leftovers and no reason at all to cook today.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK:   Roasted ’til crispy with a signature accordion appearance, Hasselback Potatoes are a favorite in our house. They’re deceptively easy to make using a couple of simple tips, and they add a little flair to your side dish game.

Tender buttery Garlic Butter Steak Bites are crisp on the edges and juicy inside with just a few minutes of cooking time. I’ve been hooked on cooking steak bites for a few years now. I can never resist sneaking a bite (or three) straight from the pan once they’re ready!

I’ve been craving this Sweet and Spicy Broccoli for a while now and am looking forward to making it this weekend! Honey, Sriracha, soy sauce, and sesame oil are all you need to make this irresistible broccoli.

Want an awesome new snack? Light, crispy, and flaky air fryer Brussels Sprouts Chips are delightfully snackable and surprisingly satisfying. This is the snack you never knew you were missing! (And I’m telling you, they really ARE that good!)

Roasted butternut squash with pasta is tossed with plenty of butter, garlic, sage, and red pepper for a flavorful take on this classic pasta dish. Butternut squash pasta is a vegetarian delight, enjoyed by everyone.

Skip the traditional fried donuts and make a batch of Apple Cider Donut Muffins at home! With a sugary coating reminiscent of their namesake, these muffins offer a fun new way to enjoy these flavors.

Full of chocolate chips, chewy oats, crunchy peanut butter, and M&M candies, Monster Cookie Bars are a fun, convenient twist on the classic Monster Cookies – they have been my family’s favorite cookie ever since I was a child.

Creamy Coconut Milk Ice Cream is richly loaded with vanilla bean flavor and just happens to be dairy free and fully vegan. It’s super easy to make, too!

What I’m CRAVING: You know those recipes that you stumble upon and they always look delicious and yet you never get around to making them? I’ve had a sushi ba

Gingerbread Loaf [+Video]

Master the art of baking a delicious gingerbread loaf full of the flavors of the holiday season with this easy quick bread recipe. Moist, flavorful, and sure to be a hit at any holiday gathering!

For the last 10 years, I’ve worked on a gingerbread loaf recipe, and I’ve hated all of them. This recipe is the first that’s actually moist and dense while still full of flavor and bounce. It is pure gingerbread heaven!

And I am an expert on gingerbread heaven, believe it or not! Have you tried our soft and chewy gingerbread man cookie recipe? That, my friends, is gingerbread heaven, and this molasses quick bread is like those gingerbread cookies but in loaf form. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert or snack!

Ingredients for the Perfect Gingerbread Loaf

Here is a quick overview of all the ingredients you will need to make this rich gingerbread loa cakef. It is the perfect mix of those bold holiday spices in a moist delicious bread.

• Dry Ingredients: All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Nutmeg, Ground Ginger, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, Allspice and Salt
• Wet Ingredients: Sugar, Brown Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Apple Butter, Molasses, Vanilla Extract, Eggs and Buttermilk
• Powdered Sugar: gives it a beautiful festive snowy appearance

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe at the end of the post.

How to Make a Gingerbread Loaf

We are going to follow the typical baking steps for making a quick bread recipe. Dry ingredients, wet ingredients, combine and bake! Here are those steps a little more detail:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a bread loaf pan.
2. Whisk: Combine all the dry ingredients together and whisk to combine.
3. Cream: Add the sugars, oil and apple butter to a large bowl and cream together until well combined. Then add the molasses and vanilla and mix well. Finally add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated each time.
4. Combine: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixture and stir until a few flour streaks remain.
5. Fold: Fold in the buttermilk.
6. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.
7. Cool: Once baked, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
8. Dust: Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top once it has cooled completely.

The entire recipe can be found in the recipe card down below so keep scrolling for all the details. You can also print or save the recipe there.

Creamy coconut milk ice cream is richly loaded with vanilla bean flavor and just happens to be dairy free and fully vegan. It’s insanely easy to make, too!

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I’ve made this very simple coconut ice cream numerous times and it is worlds better than most commercially available dairy-free ice cream.

This ice cream is fantastic on its own, but as is the case with most ice cream, with fresh strawberries or homemade chocolate syrup it is even better.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream Recipe

To make this ice cream, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Coconut milk
• Sugar
• Kosher Salt
• Vanilla Beans, Vanilla Extract, or Vanilla Paste

It’s important to note that this recipe requires full fat coconut milk. You cannot get the same results from lite, or low, or reduced-fat coconut milk. I use Thai Kitchen’s unsweetened coconut milk.

Read more