Homemade Ranch Dressing

This homemade ranch dressing recipe is SO much better than store-bought! Creamy, rich, and tangy, it's delicious as a dip, on salads, and more.

Our kiddo loves this homemade ranch dressing…and honestly, I do too! It has a delicious creamy texture and tangy, savory flavor. Keep it on the thicker side to use as a dip with veggies, or thin it out to drizzle over salads and pizzas (if ranch on pizza happens to be your thing). This ranch dressing recipe calls for simple ingredients, which make it taste SO much better than any store-bought ranch dressing I’ve tried. It has a rich sour cream base (Greek yogurt works too!), and seasonings like dried dill and garlic powder add bold flavor. Fresh lemon juice gives it…

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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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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

These easy pumpkin muffins are moist, tender, and warmly spiced—the perfect fall treat! Make a batch, and it'll disappear before you know it.

These pumpkin muffins are perfect for fall! They’re soft, super moist, and deliciously spiced—cinnamon, allspice, and more fill them with seasonal flavor. But best of all, they’re so easy to make. You can whip them up in less than an hour with a couple of mixing bowls and a whisk. No mixer required here! I love that these pumpkin muffins taste sweet, but not too sweet, so that they can pass for breakfast or a healthy snack. Enjoy one (or two) in the morning with a cup of coffee, and then grab another for an afternoon pick-me-up. If you have any…

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Potato Leek Soup

This creamy potato leek soup recipe is comforting and delicious! Easy to make with simple ingredients, it's one of our favorite fall and winter meals.

Let’s make potato leek soup! Now that it’s fall, I’ve been bringing home tall, lush leeks from the farmers market nearly every week. This potato leek soup recipe is my favorite way to use them. It’s creamy, rich, and flavorful, filled with the delicate, oniony leeks, buttery yellow potatoes, garlic, and thyme. Easy to make with simple ingredients, it’s exactly the kind of warming, veggie-forward fare I crave throughout the fall and winter. You can make this potato leek soup recipe in two ways. First, you have the option to make a quick broth using the dark green tops of the…

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Hot Toddy

This classic hot toddy recipe is a great way to warm up on a cold night! This soothing drink is easy to make with hot water, whiskey, honey, and lemon.

Learn how to make a hot toddy! Made with hot water, whiskey, honey, and lemon juice, this classic drink is a famous home remedy for a cough or a cold. When Jack has a sore throat, he always makes this hot toddy recipe to soothe it. But you don’t have to be under the weather to enjoy this simple cocktail. Though I’m typically not a whiskey drinker, I love a hot toddy on a cold fall or winter night. Garnished with a cinnamon stick and a slice of lemon, it’s such a cozy way to warm up. Cheers! What’s in…

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Soft Pumpkin Cookies

These pumpkin cookies are soft, moist, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. Enjoy them plain or with cream cheese frosting for a delicious fall treat!

These pumpkin cookies are soft, cakey, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. You can think of them as little pumpkin muffin tops. They’re not chewy like chocolate chip cookies. Instead, they’re airy and moist. I love them plain (especially alongside a cup of coffee), but they’re also delicious with cream cheese frosting. If you need more reasons to love this pumpkin cookie recipe, here’s a big one: you don’t have to chill the cookie dough! When you’re in the mood for fall baking (which for me, lately, has been often), you can quickly whip these cookies up. I hope you…

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35 Best Soup Recipes

If there's one thing I love about cold weather, it's soup! Read on to find over 30 easy soup recipes I'll be making all fall and winter long.

Soup season is here! There’s a lot to love about fall—beautiful weather, changing leaves, cozy baked goods, and hot drinks—but the soup recipes are hands down my favorite part. I adore soup. I love making it, I love eating it, and I love packing up the leftovers so that I can enjoy it again the next day. When I’m stressed, I turn to soup because I find it meditative to cook. When I’m snowed in, I turn to it because I keep a stash stored away in my freezer. And when I’m in need of a healthy reset, I turn…

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Best Garlic Bread Recipe

This homemade garlic bread recipe is easy to make and SO delicious. The crispy, buttery slices are topped with flavorful garlic and fresh herbs.

What’s better than homemade garlic bread? If you ask me, not much. Crisp around the edges, soft and buttery in the middle, and packed with rich flavor from garlic and herbs, this Italian-American staple is comforting and delicious. It’s also very easy to make. I’m sharing my best garlic bread recipe below, along with tips for storing it and making it ahead. If you’re used to eating garlic bread from the grocery store, get ready—this homemade version is on another level. Serve it as a side dish with your favorite pasta recipes, or devour it warm from the baking sheet.…

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Vegetarian Chili

Meet the best vegetarian chili recipe I've tasted! It's thick, hearty, and comforting, filled with flavorful veggies and two types of beans.

This vegetarian chili is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. I make it on repeat throughout the fall and winter because it’s warming, hearty, and flavorful. Made with two types of beans, corn, peppers, and more, it packs in a hefty amount of veggies, but it’s still a hit with meat lovers (just ask Jack!). This easy vegetarian chili recipe calls for a short list of pantry ingredients. To make it, you only need to do a few minutes of hands-on prep. Then, let it simmer away on its own. 30 minutes later, this thick, smoky, spicy veggie chili will…

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Homemade Cornbread

Learn how to make the BEST cornbread from scratch! With a lightly sweet corn flavor and tender crumb, it's delicious alongside a hot bowl of soup.

This cornbread recipe has been a staple in my kitchen for years. I hope it’ll become one in yours too! If my Midwestern upbringing taught me one thing, it’s that there’s nothing better than a slice of cornbread and a bowl of chili on a cold fall night. But I’m not talking about just any cornbread. I’m talking about good cornbread, the kind that’s slightly crumbly, perfectly golden, and right on the line between savory and sweet. This homemade cornbread recipe checks every box. Even Jack, who generally swears off cornbread, is happy eating slice after slice. I’ll always vote for pairing…

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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.