What to Bake When You’re Out of Butter Shortening, applesauce, and even beans are known butter substitutes, but some of the most delicious, tender-crumbed baked treats don’t require softened butter at all. Here are some of our favorites to satisfy your sweet tooth. Banana Bread: Cooking oil produces a moist bread just as well as butter, and our tried-and-true banana bread recipe proves it. Olive Oil Cake with Roasted Citrus: If you’ve never tried an olive oil cake, now’s your chance....

Avoid the unsightly appearance and great risk that comes with a weathered deck by keeping your deck properly sealed. While deck sealing requires a little elbow grease, it’s surprisingly simple to complete yourself. Plus, once you see the glisten and glow of a properly sealed wood deck, all that work will be more than worth it. Read on to learn everything you need to know about deck sealing, from how to seal a deck to which types of stains and sealants to use and when the ideal time to get the job done is....

Doiron’s caption innocently claims she was just in a “goofy butter mood,” so it must be an unexpected surprise to find the 28-second video getting so much attention. At the time of writing this, the video has 8.1 million views on TikTok and 133,000 views on Instagram. The term “butter board trend” has also spiked by 750% on Google search trends within the week—but what makes these boards so special?...

Colorful Combinations More common verbenas are generally a hybrid of many different species to make the common varieties you see today. Another commonly planted variety is Verbena bonariensis. Otherwise known as purpletop vervain, V. bonariensis is a tall, versatile annual. This species can grow up to 4 feet tall and put on a wonderful show in a garden setting, especially with other prairie-type plants and grasses. The flowers of the purpletop vervain are much smaller than the more common verbena, but just as plentiful....

Whatever type you choose for your flagstone paver patio must be at least 2 inches thick to avoid cracking or breaking. A ton of stone covers about 120 square feet; order 5 percent more for breakage. Large stones cover a surface more quickly than smaller pieces but may prove harder to move, cut, and design. Unlike ceramic tile, you can set flagstone in a sand base. A mortared installation, however, will give you years of maintenance-free use of your flagstone paver patio....

You can purchase metal and plastic access panels in a wide variety of sizes—from fist-size to large enough to permit an average-size person to crawl through. Some styles of purchased panels permit a choice between easy surface mounting or flush mounting. Flush mounting is slightly more difficult but much less visible. Expect to spend roughly 20 minutes installing a small access panel. Before you begin, choose the location for your panel....

Stock up on winter greenery and seasonal accents to decorate the prettiest Christmas front door on the block. We used faux branches, but you can use the same directions to build a swag from real evergreen. Supplies Needed Long-needle teardrop-shape swag with pinecones2 large faux mixed pine spraysFlorists wireWire snipsPinecones (optional, depending on how many pinecones your swag has)1-2/3 yards of 2-inch-wide wire-edge red ribbonScissorsFaux red berries on stemsFaux eucalyptus stemsHot-glue gun and glue sticks...

See more awesome weekend living room projects here. Attach the top table base once you have the legs secured. Find the second rectangle you made previously, and set it on top of the legs. Make sure all edges are flush with each other. Drill down from the top table base and into the legs. Use a paintbrush to paint the base of the table your desired color (we love the look of bright white) and let dry....

All you need is our free vase template, some colorful sheets of leather, and a collection of rivets. Then just follow our five-step process to make a fun vase embellishment. Did we mention that these beauties are budget-friendly, too? A leather sheet will run you about $10 to $15, but the end result looks much more high-end. What You’ll Need Paper templateScissorsTapeHole punchLeather sheetPencilHeavy-duty revolving hole punchRivets Step 1: Cut and Trace Template Print and cut out two copies of the paper template....

How to Make a DIY Pouf With prior sewing skills, this budget-friendly sewing project can be done in a couple of hours. Follow these step-by-step instructions on how to make a pouf ottoman. What You Need Pattern print-outsScissorsTape3 yards of 45-inch-wide fabricStraight pinsSewing machine1 spool (125 yards) heavy-duty/upholstery thread2 large garbage bags full of fabric items for stuffing (e.g. worn towels, fabric scraps)1 5-lb. box of fiberfill1 roll fusible-web tapeLarge embroidery or straight upholstery needle4 skeins embroidery floss to match or contrast fabric...

Safety Tip: If you are planning on breaking a pot for this project, first fill the inside of the pot with cardboard or foam. Carefully use a hammer to break the pot into separate pieces, keeping the back wall of the pot intact. Be cautious of sharp edges. Editor’s Tip: When selecting plants for your mini fairy garden, look for plants with similar care needs.

How to Can Pickles Dill is probably the most prominent flavor of pickles you’ll find at your grocery store. To get the hang of how to make pickles and the process of canning pickles, we’ll show you how it’s done with our easy pickled cucumber recipe. The recipe makes 6 pints of homemade dill pickles, so you’ll have plenty for stacking on sandwiches now and in the future. In addition to your canning supplies and equipment, here’s what you’ll need to make a basic canning pickles recipe:...

Want to know how to make Mexican rice? Or how to transform it into a filling meal? Read on for all of our easy Mexican rice tips and tricks. How to Make Mexican Rice on the Stove Top The most common way to whip up Mexican rice is on the stove. Here’s how: Step 1: Prepare tomato sauce Make the tomato sauce in the blender or food processor, using unpeeled roma tomatoes, onion, and garlic....

How to Make Fajita Seasoning If you want to speed up the process, using a packaged fajita spice mix is a quick and easy trick to get dinner underway. However, you can also make your own fajita seasoning and store it in the pantry for whenever you’re making a quick plate of fajitas. To make a batch, just combine 1½ teaspoons ground cumin, ½ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon onion powder....

After the crust, the key to truly great quiche is a creamy filling that holds a cut edge. The secret to that perfect filling is finding the right ratio of milk to eggs—too much milk, and the custard won’t set properly; too little, and it turns tough during baking. Use our Test Kitchen-approved tips to learn how to make quiche expertly. Prepare the Quiche Crust With pie crust for quiche, as with any pie, you have options....

Keep these fantastic Test Kitchen tips handy for Thanksgiving (and all other occasions with roasted poultry on the menu) if you don’t already have a go-to gravy recipe. How to Make Chicken Gravy with Drippings The five-step process for making chicken gravy with drippings might look a bit overwhelming, but we promise the whole recipe for this simple chicken gravy comes together in just 10 minutes. Step 1: Pour Drippings into a Measuring Cup Start by roasting your chicken....