Minestrone Soup

This minestrone soup recipe is a delicious version of the classic Italian vegetable soup. Serve it with crusty bread for an easy vegetarian meal!

Today, I have two goals: to bake a batch of Christmas cookies and to make a pot of minestrone soup. To me, the two go hand-in-hand. After I spend an afternoon baking (and eating!) something sweet, I want nothing more than a warming, nourishing pot of soup for dinner at night. I love this minestrone soup recipe in particular because it’s so satisfying, but still light and fresh. Onions, carrots, and celery add depth of flavor to its herb-flecked tomato broth, and starchy beans and pasta make it nice and thick. I toss in green beans for texture, and, as…

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Homemade Hot Chocolate

Learn how to make the BEST homemade hot chocolate! Rich, creamy, and deeply chocolatey, it's the perfect cozy treat for a cold winter night.

winter / beverage

When the weather outside is frightful, there’s no better way to warm up than with a rich, creamy cup of homemade hot chocolate. Really, take it from us – last winter was a particularly snowy one here in Chicago, and we did a lot of shoveling. When our fingers and toes would start to tingle from the cold, I’d come inside and make this hot chocolate recipe. It’s thick and comforting, the perfect fortifying treat on a chilly winter day. With the holidays right around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to share this recipe with…

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25 Best Dutch Oven Recipes

These easy Dutch oven recipes show off the versatility of everyone's favorite cast-iron pot. Use yours to make bread, stew, pasta, risotto, and more!

fall / winter

‘Tis the season of cozy soups, comforting stews…and holiday shopping. If you’re thinking about treating yourself or a loved one to a new piece of kitchen equipment, let me recommend a Dutch oven! This type of heavy-duty pot might seem like a specialty item, but if you cook often, I promise, you’ll use it daily. In fact, I always have one perched on my stovetop, ready and waiting for the next time I cook a soup, pasta, sauce, or whatever other Dutch oven recipes I might have up my sleeve on a given day. Speaking of Dutch oven recipes, I’ve…

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

These smashed potatoes are SUCH a tasty side dish or snack! They're crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and packed with savory garlic flavor.

appetizers / side dishes

Crispy smashed potatoes? Two, no, three. …Ok, more like four for me, please! I’m a huge fan of potato wedges, roasted potatoes, and even French fries, but these crispy smashed potatoes might just be my favorite potatoes yet. They have glorious crispy skins, comforting creamy middles, and a savory garlic-Parmesan flavor that I’m pretty sure no one could ever get enough of. Conveniently, they’re perfect for a wide variety of occasions. Top them with a drizzle of chipotle sauce, and they’d make a mouthwatering game day snack. Sprinkle them with fresh herbs, and they’d be a crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving side dish.…

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Garlic Knots

We love to make this garlic knots recipe when we're entertaining. The soft, fluffy knots always impress guests, but, secretly, they're super easy to make!

appetizers / baking

I’m trying to think of something more delicious than warm garlic knots fresh out of the oven. …And I’m giving up. It’s just not possible. Garlic knots deliver everything you love about dinner rolls – soft! fluffy! – plus an extra kick of rich, savory garlic flavor. And because they can pass as an appetizer, snack, or even a side dish with the right meal, there’s never an occasion where they’re out of place. If you want to be the life of the party at any gathering you’re attending this season, my advice to you is simple: make this garlic…

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Balsamic Vinaigrette

Skip the store-bought salad dressing! Instead, make this balsamic vinaigrette at home. It's rich, tangy, and SO easy to make. Just 7 ingredients!

dressings & sauces

If you keep a bottle of balsamic vinegar in your pantry, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be making your own balsamic vinaigrette at home. Really, skip the store-bought stuff: this balsamic vinaigrette recipe calls for 7 ingredients and comes together in under 5 minutes. It doesn’t get simpler than that! And this recipe isn’t just simple – it’s flavorful, too. Thanks to the balsamic, mustard, and a touch of honey, it’s bold, sweet, and tangy. It’s a perfect way to jazz up salads, roasted veggies, and more. Try it once, and you’ll be hooked. Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients Here’s what…

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Green Beans Almondine

If you love low effort-high reward recipes, you need these green beans almondine in your rotation. They're super simple and absolutely delicious!

fall / side dishes

If you’re not one for green bean casserole, add this glossy green bean recipe to your Thanksgiving menu instead! It’s my twist on green beans almondine, or amandine in French. Though it sounds fancy, this classic French side dish is really just green beans topped with sliced almonds. It’s remarkably simple and absolutely delicious. Green Beans Almondine Recipe Ingredients To make this green beans almondine recipe, you only need a few basic ingredients: Fresh green beans, of course! French haricots verts are best here, as they’re more tender than other varieties of string beans. Sliced almonds – Their nutty crunch…

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Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

This sautéed Brussels sprouts recipe is my go-to quick and easy side dish. It cooks up in no time, and the sprouts are tender, flavorful, and golden brown.

side dishes / cooking basics

If you need a quick and easy side dish for any meal this season (Thanksgiving included!), these sautéed Brussels sprouts would be a great pick. They cook in a hot skillet until they’re beautifully seared on one side, bright green on the other, and tender all the way through. I toss them with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and…that’s it. In just 10 minutes and with only 6 ingredients, these sautéed Brussels sprouts become crisp, flavorful, and perfectly browned. They’re so simple and so delicious. I can never resist sneaking a few straight out of the…

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Baked Potato Wedges

These oven-baked potato wedges are such a tasty side dish or snack! They're crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and full of savory garlic flavor.

appetizers / snacks & dips

The next time you’re craving a side dish or snack that’s super easy and insanely delicious, make these potato wedges. They’re crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and packed with smoky, savory flavor. And while they’ll satisfy any French fry craving, they’re not at all fussy to make. You’ll just need 7 ingredients, and that’s including salt and pepper. Plus, they only require a few minutes of hands-on prep. The oven does most of the work for you! So break out the ketchup! Or the mayo, or chipotle sauce, or ranch… These baked potato wedges are satisfying, flavorful,…

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Instant Pot Lentil Soup

This Instant Pot lentil soup is a new staple in our cold weather recipe rotation. Packed with lentils and fresh veggies, it's warming and nourishing.

fall / soups

This Instant Pot lentil soup recipe is what I make on nights when I wish that dinner could just cook itself. I’m not going to lie – you still have to chop, measure, and sauté to make this recipe – but once you get that prep work out of the way, the Instant Pot does the rest for you. Pretty awesome, right? It’s especially awesome given how delicious this Instant Pot lentil soup actually is. It’s brothy, warming, and nourishing, with a savory, tangy flavor and plenty of texture from lentils and fresh veggies. It tastes even better on the…

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Butternut Squash Risotto

This butternut squash risotto is perfect for a fall date night! Made with just 10 ingredients, it's creamy, comforting, and filled with cozy autumn flavor.

fall / dinner

I love making this butternut squash risotto as much as I love eating it. Honestly! I know that risotto is famously tedious to prepare – add a little broth, stir, add a little broth, stir some more. But on a crisp, cool fall night, I welcome the chance to stand over the warm stove and watch it come together. I think it’s mesmerizing to see the raw squash and uncooked rice transform into a rich, creamy risotto. The fact that it smells amazing doesn’t hurt either. And when you sit down to eat, all that stirring really pays off. This…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.