Apple Pie Filling

Learn how to make apple pie filling from scratch! Sweet, tart, juicy, and warmly spiced, it's delicious in pies and on ice cream, pancakes, and more.

Once I started making this apple pie filling recipe, I knew I’d never fill an apple pie any other way. The apples come out with the perfect texture–tender, but not mushy–and they’re dripping with syrupy, cinnamon-spiced juices. If you’re making an apple pie this fall, I can’t recommend this filling highly enough. But even if you’re not making a pie, I still hope you’ll try this recipe. This homemade apple pie filling doesn’t need to hide inside a flaky, buttery crust to be a delicious treat. The soft, sweet-tart apples are fantastic on ice cream or yogurt, stirred into oatmeal, or…

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Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

These roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts have a delicious crispy texture and sweet, tangy flavor. You'll want to eat them straight off the baking sheet!

fall / side dishes

A balsamic Brussels sprouts recipe was one of our first-ever posts on Love & Lemons (10+ years ago now!), so I’ll always have a soft spot for this classic side dish. I wanted to share a new, updated version of it this fall because it’s such a good one to have in your back pocket during the holiday season. Balsamic Brussels sprouts are no harder to make than regular roasted Brussels sprouts, but the addition of the vinegar and a little honey really gives them restaurant-quality flavor. They’re sweet, tangy, caramelized, and crisp around the edges. I love to toss…

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Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Brighten up your plate with these roasted rainbow carrots! Tender, caramelized, and topped with herbs, they're a fresh, festive side dish.

This roasted rainbow carrots recipe lives up to its name. Seriously, how often do you see white, yellow, orange, purple, pink, and green all hanging out in a single dish?! Always, but especially throughout the fall and winter, I aim to add as much color to my meals as I can. These rainbow carrots make it easy! My favorite thing about this recipe (aside from all the colors) is that it uses the carrot tops as well as the carrots themselves. While the roots roast, becoming tender and caramelized in the oven, I use the tops to make a quick…

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Homemade Buffalo Sauce

Learn how to make buffalo sauce! Rich, spicy, and tangy, this easy homemade version rivals any store-bought wing sauce I've tried.

Let’s talk buffalo sauce! This famous wing sauce is rich, tangy, and spicy. I recently tested out a homemade version for this buffalo cauliflower recipe, and I love the bold flavor so much that I’ve been using it in other ways too. As a dip for sweet potato fries or air fryer French fries, slathered on a black bean burger… If you love punchy flavors and lots of heat, then I think you’ll go nuts for this buffalo sauce recipe. But I’m getting ahead of myself. What is buffalo sauce, anyway? I’ll start by saying that it has nothing to…

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Tofu Sofritas

Love Chipotle sofritas? Learn to make your own at home! Saucy, spicy, and flavorful, this plant-based protein is delicious in burritos, tacos, and bowls.

vegetarian

Ok, maybe a copycat Chipotle sofritas recipe is a little past due around here (I think sofritas first came out in like, 2014??), but hey! It was worth the wait! Coated in a blend of roasted veggies, spices, and chipotle peppers, these homemade tofu sofritas are saucy, spicy, and packed with plant-based protein. Just like Chipotle’s, they’re a satisfying addition to a burrito or bowl, but, in my opinion, they taste even better. But first thing’s first: What are sofritas, anyway? Sofritas are a vegan protein option at Chipotle Mexican Grill. According to this article, they originated as a collaboration between…

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Instant Pot Rice

So long, rice cooker! This Instant Pot rice comes out perfectly every time. Fluffy and flavorful, it's delicious as a side dish, in grain bowls, and more.

I first tried this Instant Pot rice recipe last fall, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve cooked rice any other way since. Nothing against the stovetop or the rice cooker, of course, but the convenience and reliable results of this Instant Pot rice recipe just can’t be beat. It’s super quick and easy, and the rice comes out tender, fluffy, and flavorful every time. If you have an Instant Pot, you have to try it! How to Make Instant Pot Rice This recipe couldn’t be simpler! To make it, you’ll need two ingredients: White rice Water This recipe…

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Acorn Squash Soup

This acorn squash soup recipe comes together in three easy steps: roast, simmer, and blend. It's creamy, cozy, and flavorful--perfect for a cold night.

I’ve had a stash of this acorn squash soup in my freezer for the last couple of weeks, ready and waiting for the type of cold fall day that necessitates creamy orange soup. Well, last weekend, that day finally came. Saturday arrived, chilly and crisp, and I knew that this acorn squash soup would hit the spot. I heated up a bowl for lunch, and I enjoyed it so much that I polished off the rest on Sunday. This weekend, I’m definitely making more. This acorn squash soup is sublimely creamy (but not from cream!), and it’s deliciously seasoned with…

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Sweet Potato Hash

I call this sweet potato hash a breakfast recipe, but honestly, we love it for any meal of the day. It's healthy, satisfying, delicious, and SO easy to make!

A good sweet potato hash will always be one of my favorite things to eat. I love the balance of sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors. I love how the tender veggies and sweet potatoes get deliciously crispy on the bottom of the hot skillet. But perhaps most of all, I love that a sweet potato hash is a healthy, one-pan meal that I can easily pull off in 30 minutes. This sweet potato hash recipe is my go-to. It’s nicely spiced with chili powder and packed with veggies like peppers and kale. It’s a great simple meal to have in…

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Instant Pot Chili

If you love recipes that are as simple as they are delicious, then you have to try this Instant Pot chili. It's smoky, spicy, savory, and SO easy to make!

fall

This Instant Pot chili delivers everything you love about regular chili–a smoky tomato broth, tender peppers, and hearty beans–but it has the added bonus of being a set-it-and-forget-it recipe. I won’t argue that regular chili is difficult to make (I call my recipe Easy Vegetarian Chili, after all), but it does require you to stay nearby the kitchen if not in it, close enough to adjust the heat of your stove from time to time to maintain a lively simmer. For most of my life, I loved that aspect of making chili or soup. I wanted to hang out in…

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Instant Pot Pinto Beans

These Instant Pot pinto beans are tender, flavorful, and ready in under an hour, no soaking required! We love them as a side dish or in chili and more.

cooking basics

This Instant Pot pinto beans recipe has become my favorite way to cook pinto beans. It’s faster than simmering them on the stove (no soaking required!), but it still yields beans with a far better texture and flavor than the canned ones have. These Instant Pot pinto beans are tender, creamy, and deliciously seasoned with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and sea salt. They’re so tasty that you can serve them as a side dish on their own, but we love them in other recipes too. Try adding them to chili or soup, or use them to make tacos, refried beans,…

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Pumpkin Spice Latte

This homemade pumpkin spice latte rivals any coffee shop version I've tried. It's creamy, warmly spiced, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

The next time you’re craving a pumpkin spice latte, save yourself a trip to a coffee shop, and make this recipe at home! By October, I always feel like I should share some kind of pumpkin-y treat on the blog, and this year, I thought a homemade version of the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte would be fun. I know it’s a bit of a fall cliché at this point, so I was surprised by how much I ended up loving this recipe. Creamy, cozy, and lightly sweet, it’s warming and comforting on a cool fall morning or crisp afternoon. It’s…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.