How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Learn how to make cold brew coffee at home! This recipe is energizing, delicious, and SO easy to make - a perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer day.

Have I ever mentioned that I love cold brew coffee? Like, I really love cold brew coffee. Sure, Jack and I own a regular coffee maker, but we use it so rarely that you can find it tucked away in a cupboard underneath the kitchen counter. I love cold brew’s richer, smoother, and less acidic flavor. Plus, on a hot summer day, drinking a steaming cup of coffee is simply out of the question. For years, I bought cold brew concentrate at the store…until I learned that it’s super easy to make at home! You don’t need any special ingredients –…

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Watermelon Juice

This easy watermelon juice recipe is perfect for hot summer days. Made with just 3 ingredients (and no added sugar!), it's cool, delicious, and refreshing.

A cold glass of this watermelon juice is everything I want on a warm summer day. When it’s blistering hot outside (or super humid, like it has been here), this hydrating juice is the best way to cool off. And, like, how gorgeous is that color?! Topped off with a sprig of fresh mint, this watermelon juice is just plain fun. How to Make Watermelon Juice I’m not a fan of overly sweet fruit juices, so I don’t use any added sugar in this recipe. Instead, I make it with 3 basic ingredients: watermelon, lime juice, and ginger juice. Here’s…

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Mango Margarita

This frozen mango margarita recipe is my ideal warm weather drink. It's tangy, frosty, sweet, and refreshing. Pass the chips and salsa, please!

It’s finally warming up in Chicago, so we’re cooling off with this mango margarita! To me, it’s the perfect warm weather drink – frosty, refreshing, and blissfully easy to make. Just toss 5 ingredients into the blender, puree until smooth, and enjoy! Yep, making this frozen mango margarita recipe is as simple as that. Another great thing about this recipe? It’s all about the mango. Instead of using mango juice or added sweeteners, I blend up frozen mango to create its thick texture and sweet, tangy flavor. Once you try it, you’ll never make a mango margarita any other way. It’s smooth,…

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Kale Smoothie

This energizing kale smoothie recipe is a great morning pick-me-up! Banana, peaches, and fresh ginger make it creamy, sweet, and refreshing.

This kale smoothie recipe is such an energizing way to start the day! Now that the weather’s warming up in Chicago, it’s made its way into my breakfast rotation of freezer burritos, muffins, and avocado toast. Refreshing and nutritious, it’s what I crave on mornings when the sun is shining, the air smells sweet, and it really feels like spring is on its way. The magic of this kale smoothie recipe is that it doesn’t actually taste like kale. Don’t get me wrong, kale’s flavor has its time and place. It’s irresistible in a kale salad or pasta, but in…

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Mojito Recipe

If you're in the mood for a fun summer drink, this mint mojito recipe is just what you need! It's refreshing, delicious, and super easy to make.

When life gives you mint leaves, what do you make? This mint mojito recipe! When Jack and I planted our little back deck garden this summer, I immediately started wondering, “What am I going to do with all this mint?!” The basil looked good, the eggplant was thriving, but the luscious, leafy mint plants were the cream of the crop. This summer, I’ve been tossing mint into salads and blending it into pesto like crazy, but I wanted to find a way to really showcase the pretty, aromatic leaves. A mint mojito recipe seemed like the perfect solution. For the…

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Watermelon Margarita

This watermelon margarita recipe is the best drink you'll make all summer! Naturally sweetened with watermelon, it's easy, refreshing, and delicious.

I can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend than with this watermelon margarita recipe! It’s super easy to make (no cocktail shaker required!), and its vibrant color just screams summer. Thanks to the watermelon, it’s naturally sweet, and fresh lime juice gives it a delicious tart finish. This watermelon margarita recipe is perfect for parties, happy hours, or any summer evening. Sip it on its own, or enjoy it alongside tortilla chips, salsa, and/or guacamole. Cheers, friends, and happy summer! Watermelon Margarita Ingredients A classic margarita is made with tequila, fresh lime juice, an orange liqueur like…

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3-Layer Fruit Smoothie

This 3-layer fruit smoothie is the ultimate healthy breakfast! I'll make the whole thing for a special occasion or just one layer for a quick, yummy treat.

Nothing says love like a smoothie, right? 🙂 I love love love Valentine’s Day, but not in the fancy-dinner-prix-fixe dinner sort of way. I love it for of all of the cute things that remind me of being a little kid… tiny paper cards, homemade cupcakes with pink frosting, heart shaped candies… so in the spirit of being crafty, I made this 3-layer fruit smoothie! I always see layered fruit smoothies on Instagram and think, “who the heck has time to make three separate smoothies?” – but here I am doing it. It actually was pretty simple, and while I…

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Vanilla Pecan Milk Chai Lattes

Homemade pecan milk is so delicious and easy to make! This dairy free nut milk creates the perfect fall vegan chai latte.

So, by now you all know that I don’t drink regular milk. I do enjoy cheese occasionally, and I love greek yogurt, but regular milk… no matter if it’s just a little, it’s just not my thing (although, my entire family loves it and I’m totally fine with that – to each their own!). Suffice it to say that I’ve been drinking, baking with, and altogether enjoying non-dairy milk for years, but I had yet to discover how lovely and delicious homemade PECAN milk is until now. This post is in partnership with Pure Leaf Tea Home Brewed Teas because…

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How to Make Matcha

When it comes to food “trends,” I’m usually so late to the game. Chia pudding, smoothie bowls, cauliflower smoothies… I didn’t see any of those foods coming and staying (to be honest the cauliflower smoothie thing still sounds a little gross to me). But matcha… I’ve been loving matcha before it was the cool thing to love. I can’t quite remember the first time I tried matcha. It’s been so long, but it might have been on a swirly soft serve cone in Kyoto. Matcha desserts and matcha lattes are all over the place now, but what I want to…

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Iced Tea with Fancy Herbal & Fruity Ice

A fun, summery, creative way to serve iced tea. Freeze herbs, fruits, citrus, and cucumbers (whatever you want, really) inside ice cubes!

You might not know this little factoid about myself and Jack, but we freaking love iced tea. Black tea, green tea, tea in our cocktails – we’re obsessed, especially now that we’re in the heat of the summer. Although, we’re weirdos that drink iced tea in the winter too, but I digress… Today’s recipe is less of a recipe and more of a really fun, summery way to serve iced tea. What you do is freeze herbs, fruits, citrus, and cucumbers (whatever you want, really) and serve it with yummy iced tea! I think this is such an easy and pretty party…

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Avocado Smoothie

Made with banana and coconut milk, this avocado smoothie recipe is deliciously creamy without any dairy. An easy, refreshing vegan breakfast!

A recent trip to Dallas inspired me to make this creamy avocado smoothie recipe. While we were there, Jack and I went to a popsicle shop that had this dairy-free avocado lime pop that I went crazy for. I’ve wanted to recreate it all summer, and I finally did…in smoothie form! Don’t worry – this avocado smoothie doesn’t taste at all like guacamole. Instead, it’s like a fresh lime sorbet. Thanks to the avocado and banana, it has a delicious creamy texture that makes it a really satisfying breakfast or snack. In fact, it’s so good that I’d even eat…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.