Roasted Fennel

These roasted fennel wedges are tender, sweet, and deeply caramelized. Garnished with lemon zest and/or Parmesan, they're a delicious side dish.

This roasted fennel recipe is one of my all-time favorite side dishes. I adore roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower, and roasted carrots, but I might love roasted fennel most of all. Raw fennel has a distinct anise flavor and crunchy texture. Roasted fennel, on the other hand, is beautifully tender, almost silky. As it caramelizes in the oven, its licorice flavor transforms into something sweeter, nuttier, and richer. There’s nothing else quite like it. If you’ve never tried roasted fennel, I hope you will soon. Serve it as a side dish with any weeknight dinner, or dress it up with garnishes like lemon…

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Mulled Wine

This mulled wine recipe is perfect for the holidays! Simmered with citrus, apple cider, and warming spices, it's cozy, festive, and delicious.

Jack and I love to make this mulled wine recipe during the holiday season. Packed with notes of citrus, apple, and aromatic spices, it’s cozy, flavorful, and festive. Sipping a steaming mug of it is the best way to warm up on a cold winter night. This mulled wine is the perfect drink for holiday parties. For one, the recipe is easy to scale up or down depending on the size of your group. It also makes your kitchen smell amazing. The heady, spiced aroma on its own is reason enough to try it! Mulled Wine Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need…

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45 Christmas Breakfast Ideas

With recipes for cinnamon rolls, breakfast casseroles, French toast, waffles, and more, these Christmas breakfast ideas include something for everyone.

All our best Christmas breakfast ideas, all in one place! In case you’re still figuring out your menu for the holiday morning (don’t worry, I’m right there with you…), I thought I’d share some of my favorite festive brunch recipes today. They include Christmas breakfast ideas of every size and style—sweet ones, savory ones, ones you can make ahead, and ones you can whip up at the last minute. Some are great for a group, while others are meant for smaller celebrations. I hope you find some you love! Christmas Breakfast Ideas for a Crowd Serving a crowd on Christmas…

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23 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

Celebrate the holiday season with these easy Christmas cookies! Find recipes for gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, shortbread, and more.

Let’s make Christmas cookies! The holiday season is here, and I’m ready to bake. Every year, I make Christmas cookies to share with friends and family. These sweet treats are my favorite way to spread holiday cheer. They look so festive—cut into seasonal shapes, decorated with icing, or dusted with powdered sugar—and they taste delicious. If you want to make someone smile this season, gift them a Christmas cookie tray. Just be sure to save some cookies for yourself too! I’ve rounded up my best Christmas cookie recipes below. They range from classics like gingerbread and sugar cookies to unique treats…

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50 Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Whether you're seeking classic Thanksgiving recipes or something totally new, you're sure to love one (or more!) of these 50 Thanksgiving side dishes.

Can we agree that Thanksgiving side dishes are the best part of the holiday meal? No offense to roast turkey and pumpkin pie, but the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and other sides are what I look forward to most. I’m sharing 50 of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes below. They include all the classics (think green bean casserole and dinner rolls) as well as inventive veggie sides, crowd-pleasing potatoes, and more. If you’re still planning you holiday menu, check them out! You’re sure to find some recipes you love. Our Best Classic Thanksgiving Sides Best Stuffing Based on my mom’s classic recipe,…

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Without question, this is the best sweet potato casserole recipe I've tried! Smooth and creamy sweet potatoes are topped with a savory pecan crumble.

This sweet potato casserole recipe is one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. Instead of topping it with mini marshmallows, I cover it in a crisp pecan crumble. I love how this nutty, savory topping balances the creamy sweet potato filling. It’s delicious…and it tastes like it belongs at dinner, not dessert. 🙂 This recipe is great for the holidays because the ingredients are super simple (ALDI shoppers, you can get all of them there!) and you can make it ahead. Prepare the filling and topping up to 2 days in advance, and store them separately in the fridge until the…

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25 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers

Kick off your holiday feast with these easy Thanksgiving appetizers! They include fun, festive ideas like stuffed mushrooms, baked brie, and more.

If I’ve learned one thing from hosting Thanksgiving over the years, it’s this: Thanksgiving appetizers are essential. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve served a holiday meal 30 minutes or an hour (or two) later than planned because my roasted beets were still rock-hard or the water for my mashed potatoes took longer than expected to boil. In those moments, Thanksgiving appetizers save the big day. They tide over hungry guests until it’s time to sit down to dinner, keeping everyone’s spirits up and the atmosphere light. I’m sharing my 25 best Thanksgiving appetizer ideas below. They include a simple cheese…

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Homemade Dinner Rolls

Try these homemade dinner rolls once, and you'll make them forever! Flaky, soft, and buttery, they're an easy, delicious addition to any meal.

These homemade dinner rolls are a perfect addition to almost any meal. Flaky, soft, and buttery, they’re delicious alongside a humble bowl of soup or a full spread of Thanksgiving recipes. We even love them on their own with honey butter or jam! My husband Jack started making these dinner rolls several years ago, and they’ve been a fixture in our rotation ever since. We keep coming back to them because they’re so simple. You only need 7 basic ingredients to make this dinner roll recipe! If you’re new to baking, don’t worry. You can totally pull off these pillowy, golden…

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Roasted Green Beans

Learn how to make oven roasted green beans! Tender, caramelized, and ready in 15 minutes, they're a fresh, easy, and delicious side dish.

Let’s make roasted green beans! These tender, caramelized beauties roast in just 15 minutes in the oven, so they’re a perfect veggie side dish for busy weeknights. Topped with flavorful garnishes like lemon zest, toasted almonds, and/or Parmesan cheese, they fit right in on a holiday table too. To be totally honest, when I have fresh green beans on hand, my first instinct isn’t usually to roast them. Blanched and sautéed green beans are my typical go-tos. But a few weeks back, I was making a frittata for dinner. With the oven already on, I figured I might as well roast…

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Oven Roasted Potatoes

These oven roasted potatoes are a delicious, easy side dish for any meal! They're crispy on the outside, creamy inside, and full of bright, bold flavor.

These oven roasted potatoes are a delicious, easy side dish. They’re simple enough to make on weeknights and flavorful enough to add to a holiday dinner. No matter when you serve them, they’ll be a hit. Here’s why: Crispy outsides. The potato skins puff and crisp up in the oven. Creamy middles. The crispy skins give way to creamy centers, so each bite of these roasted potatoes has an amazing mix of textures. A zesty dressing. While they’re still warm, I toss the potatoes with a zingy vinaigrette made with lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme. It…

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21 Fall Salad Recipes

We'll be making these fall salad recipes all season long! Simple and delicious, they're filled with autumn produce like apples, arugula, and more.

A fall salad is my favorite way to show off the season’s best produce. Summer’s tomatoes and sweet corn may be gone, but spicy arugula, crisp apples, sweet potatoes, squash, and more are here in abundance. What better way to enjoy them than in a colorful autumn salad with a zippy dressing? I’m sharing some of my best fall salad recipes below. They include hearty grain salads that pack up well for lunch as well as simple side salads that can accompany any dinner. I hope you try a few this fall! In a season that’s known for cozy soups and baking…

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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.