How to Make Crostini

Learn how to make crostini! Topped with fresh garnishes or a creamy spread, these crisp, golden little toasts are the perfect party appetizer.

If you ask me, everyone should learn how to make crostini. These little Italian toasts are at home at any party or gathering, and they’re an absolute breeze to make. Thinly slice a baguette, brush the slices with olive oil, and toast them in the oven until they’re crisp and golden. Once they’re toasted, they’re the perfect base for all kinds of toppings. Creamy spreads, fresh veggies, herbs, fruit, or cheese… You’ll find over 10 crostini recipes in our recipe index and another 4 in my cookbooks. What can I say? The crostini topping possibilities are endless! How to Make…

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Roasted Zucchini

Learn how to make easy roasted zucchini! It's beautifully caramelized, golden brown, and seasoned to perfection with lemon, herbs, and cheese.

summer / side dishes

I’m finally coming around to roasted zucchini. You’d think, given how much I love pretty much all zucchini recipes, that I would have been a fan of it forever. But no. Roasted zucchini and I got off to a rocky start. See, I have a strong aversion to anything mushy. Before I worked out this game-changing recipe, that’s how my roasted zucchini always ended up. It was too soft and too watery, basically mush. But this summer, I decided to give roasted zucchini another chance. Instead of slicing the squash into thin rounds like I had in the past, I…

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Italian Seasoning

Instead of using store-bought Italian seasoning, make your own at home! This simple blend of dried herbs is delicious in sauces, soups, and more.

Italian seasoning is one of those kitchen basics, like bread crumbs or a simple vinaigrette, that I prefer to make at home instead of buying at the store. I keep all the ingredients in my pantry anyway. I may as well combine them myself instead of picking up an extra spice! More importantly, making my own Italian seasoning allows me to control the balance of flavors. My homemade blend has a mix of sweet, earthy, and aromatic notes that I absolutely love. I’ve shared my favorite Italian seasoning recipe below. Try it as written, or experiment with the ratios to…

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Zucchini Brownies

You won't taste the zucchini in this easy zucchini brownies recipe. It melts into the rich chocolate batter, making them amazingly gooey and moist.

As soon as I finish writing this post, I’m heading to the kitchen and making more of these zucchini brownies. It’s impossible for me to sit here, looking at photos of their glossy tops and gooey, chocolatey middles and NOT start to crave them. Tell me they’re tempting you too? The really fun thing about this zucchini brownies recipe is that even though is has 2 WHOLE CUPS of zucchini inside it, the zucchini is almost undetectable. It melts into the rich chocolate batter, giving the brownies an amazing moist and gooey texture. I’ll admit that they’re slightly cakier than…

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Eggplant Rollatini

In this eggplant rollatini recipe, bubbly marinara surrounds tender eggplant slices rolled around a rich ricotta filling. It's SO comforting and delicious!

Ok, saucy, cheesy comfort food fans – you’re going to love this eggplant rollatini recipe! “Rollatini” is an Americanized version of the Italian word “involtini,” which describes small bundles of food made by rolling thin slices of meat or produce around a filling. In this eggplant rollatini recipe, I wrap delicate planks of roasted eggplant around a rich blend of lemon zest, pecorino, and ricotta cheese. I nestle the rolls in a dish of marinara sauce and bake until the filling is hot and the eggplant is tender. The combination of flavors and textures is fantastic. The filling offers a…

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Tabbouleh

This version of tabbouleh - the Middle Eastern herb and bulgur salad - is zingy, fragrant, and SO refreshing. Perfect for a mezze platter or picnic!

Herbs are arguably my favorite fresh ingredients, so it should come as no surprise that I love tabbouleh. Alternatively spelled tabouli or tabouleh, this Middle Eastern salad consists of finely chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat. Don’t let the bulgur’s presence fool you – traditional Lebanese tabbouleh isn’t so much a grain salad as it is an herb salad with grains. The parsley and mint are the real star ingredients, making the salad pungent, fragrant, and intensely refreshing. You’ll find my go-to tabbouleh recipe below. If you love bright, herbaceous flavors, it’s one you have to try. Pack it up…

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Muhammara

This recipe is my take on muhammara, the Syrian red pepper dip. Nutty, zingy, spicy, and sweet, it's best enjoyed with warm pita and fresh veggies.

This recipe is my take on muhammara, the Middle Eastern red pepper and walnut dip. I love to make it in the summer, when peppers are abundant and a cool dip sounds like the perfect starting point for a meal or snack. In case you’re not familiar with muhammara, here’s a little background: this punchy dip originated in Syria, and it’s now common throughout the Middle East. Its key ingredients are roasted red peppers, walnuts, breadcrumbs, chile flakes, and pomegranate molasses, which combine to make it thick, nutty, zingy, spicy, sour, and sweet. I still remember the first time I…

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Oven Roasted Eggplant

Learn how to make perfect roasted eggplant! Tender in the middle and caramelized on the edges, it's delicious as a side dish, in pastas, and more.

This roasted eggplant recipe is so tasty that you might find yourself devouring it straight off the baking sheet. Yes, eggplant skeptics – even you. The thing about cooking eggplant is that it’s easy to get wrong. Underdo it, and it’s spongy and tough. Overdo it, and it turns to mush. But get it just right, and eggplant is one of the most flavorful vegetables out there. This roasted eggplant recipe is a super simple way to get eggplant right. It comes out of the oven beautifully caramelized and golden brown around the edges and melt-in-your-mouth tender in the middle.…

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Peach Salsa

Love peaches? Love salsa? Then this peach salsa is for you! Sweet, spicy, zesty, and fresh, it's delicious with tortilla chips or on tacos and more.

When life gives you peaches, make peach salsa! Well, peach salsa and peach crisp and peach cobbler and peach salads and peach pizza and, and, and… It’s peach season, people! I hope you’re eating these honey-sweet, chin-dripping fruits at every chance you get. But today, let’s talk peach salsa. This super-simple recipe is one of my favorites to make at this time of year. It’s sweet and savory, spicy and bright, and it’s an absolute breeze to put together. Dice up all the ingredients, add them to a bowl, and stir to combine! In ten-ish minutes, you’ll have a zesty,…

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Grilled Tomatoes

Tender, juicy, smoky, and sweet, these easy grilled tomatoes are a knockout summer side dish! Italian dressing and fresh basil take them over the top.

Have you tried grilled tomatoes? I hadn’t until just recently, instead reaching for veggies like sweet corn, mushrooms, and zucchini whenever I fired up the grill. But a few weeks ago, I brought a bag of bright red romas home from the market. A variety of paste tomatoes, they’re firmer and denser than the heirloom tomatoes that I like to add to salads at this time of year. So, on a night when I was grilling veggie burgers for dinner, I decided to try grilling the tomatoes too. Seriously, I had no idea what I was missing! Grilled tomatoes are…

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Remoulade Sauce

You only need 10 ingredients to make this easy remoulade recipe! Creamy and tangy, with a spicy kick, it's a delicious dipping sauce or condiment.

dressings & sauces

Creamy and tangy, with a delicious spicy kick, this remoulade is my favorite sauce of the moment. I’ve been slathering it on veggie burgers, serving it with French fries, and setting it out with these addictive air fryer fried pickles. We even loved it on the grilled sweet potatoes we made last week! All that’s to say, if you’re looking for an easy sauce to punch up a meal, this remoulade might be just the thing. Classic French remoulade resembles tartar sauce. It has a mayonnaise base, and capers or gherkins and fresh herbs are often mixed in. This recipe…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.