Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We’re enjoying the weather so much here in Ohio, nothing beats a chilly morning and a sunshine-filled afternoon. I’ll happily take it for as long as it lasts.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve gone out for lunch just because I was craving this salad. Crunchy greens, tangy pepperoncini, and hearty chickpeas are tossed with a sweet Italian dressing and then sprinkled with crumbles of creamy cheese to recreate Harvest’s House Chop Salad.

There’s something about the sweet and smoky flavor combination that just works. And this Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon proves it with every perfectly caramelized bite of salmon that practically melts in your mouth.

Crispy roasted Brussels sprouts with pecans and bacon are a fancy-sounding side dish you can eat any day of the week. 

Sweet corn kernels are coated with an irresistible creamy sauce in this easy Creamed Corn. It’s a dish that instantly takes me back to holidays at my grandma’s house. Why not make it year-round?

The -ber months are in full swing. Wonderful sweater weather has arrived. And, that means it’s time for all things pumpkin at my house. This Pumpkin Spice Creamer is the perfect at-home fall treat.

You know how food just feels more fun when it’s tiny? Maybe it’s the cuteness factor, or maybe it just reminds me of being a kid. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but a tiny stack of Silver Dollar Pancakes hits that sweet spot every single time for me.

Packed with tart and tangy flavor, this Cranberry Ice Cream is balanced perfectly with the soft crunch and slight bitterness of dark chocolate chunks. I cannot get enough.

What I’m CRAVING: These peanut butter cookies. I’ve been making a tiny batch several times a week and can’t get enough of them. I’ve learned I can bake just a few in the air fryer on a paper liner. That’s dangerous knowledge, my friends. I’m only 6 minutes away from a fresh batch. 

What I’m READING: When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptil Manning. My sister stumbled on this book a couple of weeks ago and immediately told me about it. I have a lifelong love of books, and this one is a treasure. It tells the story of the ASE (Armed Services Edition) books that were published during WWII and sent to the troops serving during the war. Before this, I’d never even heard of the ASE books.

When America

Iced Lemon Pound Cake

Attention lemon lovers…we have got the best lemon dessert for you! This lemon pound cake is dense but moist, soaked in a simple syrup and topped with a lemon glaze.

There is lemon around every corner in this lemon pound cake recipe! That’s exactly how a lemon dessert recipe should be in my opinion. The more lemon, the better!

I’ve been testing pound cakes for seriously over 10 years and they are never soft enough or dense enough and so I gave up. Until now. I don’t know why it worked. I don’t know why sour cream nailed it. But it just really did! Haha!

Sink your teeth into a slice of this buttery tart lemon cake! It is the perfect treat for any occasion!

Ingredients for Making Lemon Pound Cake

Get ready for fresh lemon flavor in every step! I’m going to give you a list of all the ingredients to make the pound cake, syrup and glaze. Here is everything you will need:

Pound Cake

• Butter: unsalted and softened
• Sugar: regular white granulated sugar
• Eggs: gives structure to the cake
• Sour Cream: adds moisture and richness and the high fat content helps the cake stay tender
  • PRO TIP: Full fat sour cream will result in better texture, but low fat or fat free can be used and the results are still delicious.
• Lemon Extract: boosts the lemon flavor
• Almond Extract: adds flavor
• Flour: just regular all purpose flour is all you need
• Baking Powder: give rise and fluffiness to the cake
• Salt: adds flavor and enhances all the other flavors
• Fresh Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: adds more bold lemon flavor

Simple Syrup

• Water: combines with the sugar to make a simple syrup
• Sugar: adds sweetness to the syrup
• Fresh Lemon Juice: adds natural lemon flavor to the syrup

Glaze

• Powdered Sugar: adds sweetness and structure to the glaze
• Fresh Lemon Juice: adds fresh and bright lemon flavor
• Milk: adds creaminess to the glaze

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Moist Lemon Pound Cake

This lemon pound cake recipe is as simple as making a loaf cake, soaking it with a homemade lemon syrup and then topping it with a tangy glaze. Here is a step-by-step guide for making this recipe:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a bread pan.
2. Wet Ingredients: Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and then add the egg yolks one at a time. Add the sour cream and mix well and then add the flavo

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to share this recipe. I’ve shared so many different ice cream flavors over the years. And, I stand by them all. But, this Cranberry Ice Cream is truly something special.

Packed with tart and tangy cranberry flavor, this ice cream is balanced perfectly with the soft crunch and slight bitterness of dark chocolate chunks. I cannot get enough.

Cranberry Ice Cream

Is there anything else quite so good as ice cream for dessert? Give me a scoop on cake or pie, or give it to me in a cone or bowl. But, give it to me, please! I love the way that the chunks of chocolate begin to melt in your mouth as you savor each bite.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Fruit and Chocolate

Fruit and chocolate is a classic pairing. Strawberries and chocolate, am I right? This recipe highlights the match beautifully. Different textures. Different flavors. The sweet and the bitter work together to make the sum more than its parts.

It’s hard to believ

Easy Halloween Snack Board

You know we love a good snack board around here — especially one that brings the fun! This Halloween Snack Board is everything I want in a festive treat: easy to assemble, a little spooky, and full of sweet and savory bites that everyone will love.

Whether you’re throwing a big party or just making a fun after-school snack for the kids, this board is guaranteed to bring smiles (and maybe a few giggles).

Why We Love a Halloween Snack Board

The best thing about a snack board is that everyone can find at least one thing that they like! There are sweet and salty snacks, chewy and crunchy snacks, light healthy options and super indulgent options…everyone is happy!

For this Halloween charcuterie board, we like to keep it fun with kid-friendly Halloween treats. We include fun shapes, colorful candies, and bite-sized foods like pretzels, grapes, and cheese puffs. The kids love it!

The Best Ingredients for a Spooky Snack Board

We have most of these on our snack board pictured here, but it’s really open for whatever your friends and family will love!

Cheese: Wensleydale pumpkin spice cheese, string cheese “ghosts”

Deli Meats: salami or pepperoni rolled up

Salty Snacks: pretzels, crackers (I found some that are pumpkin shaped at Trader Joe’s), cheese puff balls or popcorn

Halloween Candy: candy corn and candy corn pumpkins, M&M’s, Reese’s pumpkins

Fresh Fruit: mandarin “pumpkins,” apple slices, green grapes

Dips: hummus, caramel, ranch

Olives: black olives or green olives

Sweet Snacks: yogurt-covered pretzels or cookies

Decorative Touches: googly eyes, candy bones and skulls, plastic spiders, festive sprinkles

How to Arrange a Snack Board

I’m sure professional charcuterie board masters will scoff at this, but I let the kids help me fill up our Halloween snack board and there’s no real rhyme or reason to it. I like to distribute the colors and textures around the board, but it honestly doesn’t matter. Once people start digging in, it all gets mixed anyway.

One thing to keep in mind when arranging a snack board is that fresh ingredients like fruit will release moisture and make crispy ingredients soggy over time. Also, refrigerated ingredients shouldn’t sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Add pops of orange and black, fun Halloween props, and themed treats…the kids loved creating this spread! My favorite addition to this board of easy Halloween snacks was this Wensleydale pumpkin spice cheese. Holy moly, it was delicious!

How to Make It Ahead or Store Leftovers

Most of the snack ideas for this board don’t need any prep at all…just open a bag and scatter on the tray. The ingredients that do need some prep can be

Glazed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

There’s nothing quite like a warm slice of pumpkin bread on a crisp fall day, but this glazed pumpkin chocolate chip bread takes it to the next level. The bread itself is tender and full of cozy pumpkin spice, studded with melty chocolate chips, and then comes the twist—fresh orange zest and almond extract give it a bright, unexpected flavor that makes every bite sensational.

Topped with a sweet orange-almond glaze, it’s the kind of recipe that feels fancy enough for sharing but easy enough for an everyday bake with the kiddos.

My Latest Inspiration

I always thought it was so weird, orange juice and pumpkin? Who are these people? But, I was wrong and I will own it.

My friend, Whitney makes the most delicious Glazed Pumpkin Bread and there are two crazy changes that make it uniquely incredible; 1. Orange zest and juice 2. No cinnamon- look, it works so just trust us.

Whitney is one of my latest inspirations. She is an all-in Mom, an incredible cook and baker, and her family is LIVING life. A backyard full of a zipline, a playhouse that dad and his kids will have movie night sleepovers in and all the family time, including friends, you can imagine.

So, I kinda want that. Less of the “to-dos” and more of the “to-loves”. I love this bread. I love that it’s from her mom and even her 10 year old requested it instead of cake for his birthday. And I love the reminder of moments, not tasks. I needed a bit of a slap in the face with our home remodel taking up so much time lately, and this bread, my people and all of you are exactly what is on my “list” this week.

Why This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is So Special

• The Secret Twist: The pairing of orange and almond with pumpkin is a flavor combination you never knew you were missing.
• Perfectly Moist and Tender: The pumpkin not only adds flavor, but it keeps the bread tender.
• Easy to Make: This is a great recipe to get the kids in the kitchen!
• Texture: The glaze adds sweetness and shine, balancing the bread.
• Occasions: Great for Thanksgiving, holiday brunches, or giving as gifts to friends and neighbors.

Ingredients for Glazed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

• Flour: Gives the bread its structure and holds everything together.
• Baking Soda: Helps the bread rise and keeps it tender.
• Ground Ginger & Ground Nutmeg: Add cozy, spiced fall flavor with a hint of warmth.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and makes all the flavors pop.
• Sugar: Sweetens the bread and locks in moisture.
• Melted Butter: Adds richness and keeps the crumb soft and tender.
• Pumpkin Puree: The star ingredient! It adds moisture, natural sweetness, and that signature pumpkin flavor.
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