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.

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My Absolute FAVORITE Pie Crust Recipe [+Video]

I’m a self-proclaimed pie fanatic and this easy, All Butter Pie Crust is my absolute favorite pie crust recipe! It’s super flaky, easy to make, and comes together quickly!

I’m here to teach you how to make a homemade pie crust that will be so easy, so delicious, and so flaky without any stress! Making a pie crust from scratch is one of the most intimidating recipes that a home baker will encounter. A yeast bread is almost equal, and I can not only teach you how to make both, but I can make you an expert!

Your pie crust texture is 100% dependent on the fat that you choose to use. I’ve experimented with it all, and I’ve got a suggestion for you.

If you’re a beginner and you’ve already struggled with making a homemade pie crust, let’s take a step back and make my mom’s fail-proof pie crust recipe. It is so easy and the addition of egg and vinegar along with using cold shortening makes for a really easy pie crust recipe.

However, if you’re really looking for the best pie crust recipe that’s not difficult and really brings flavor and texture, well that’s an all butter pie crust.

Ingredients in an All Butter Pie Crust

Making a flaky pie crust is one of the most basic recipes with perfectly basic ingredients:

• Flour
• Salt
• Butter
• Ice Water
• Sugar

You’ll notice this recipe adds a touch of sugar, which I’ve found does not sweeten the crust but does create a flakier, more golden crust.

Keep reading to find out why I made this an all butter pie crust recipe! 

How to Pick the Best Source of Fat for Your Pie Crust

There are a few different fats that you can use for a pie crust. I’ve used lard a few times, but honestly I don’t find it to be worth it. Here’s a breakdown of each fat and why I’ve settled on butter.

Using Lard in Pie Crust

• Pros: Lard produces an extremely crisp, flaky crust. Its melting point is higher than butter, so it doesn’t soften as quickly while you handle it so you can really bust out a good crust.
• Cons: I don’t like lard because it’s too darn hard to find a good quality lard. And your pie can 100% taste like whatever lard you use. No thanks.

Using Shortening in Pie Crust

I have absolutely nothing against shortening. It’s cheaper to buy than butter, so there’s that going for us. Sometimes I use both shortening and butter so that I can get in the flavor but still end up with a decorative crust.

• Pros: Shortening has a higher melting point than any other fat, so it’s easy to cut into pie dough and roll out. It’s also awesome when making any kind of decorative pie crust, because doughs made with shortening hold their shape the best during baking.
• Cons: