Focaccia Bread

Even bread beginners can pull off this homemade focaccia recipe! Topped with olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt, it's SO delicious and easy to make.

This focaccia recipe is our favorite bread to bake at home. We love it because it’s soft and pillowy in the middle, crisp and golden around the edges, and filled with rich flavor from olive oil and sea salt. And that’s just the start! The #1 reason we love this focaccia recipe is that it’s so easy to make.  When Jack first started baking bread (15+ years ago now!), he made lots of rustic ciabatta loaves. The ingredients were simple, and the bread came out delicious, but it required hours of rising and precise kneading. So when we discovered how…

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Stuffed Mushrooms

This stuffed mushrooms recipe is an irresistible (and easy!) appetizer. The filling is a crispy, savory combo of bread crumbs, garlic, herbs, and cheese.

stuffed mushrooms

In my totally unbiased opinion, we have some really great holiday appetizers on the blog (French onion dip or baked brie, anyone?), but this stuffed mushrooms recipe might just be my favorite. It’s Jack’s favorite too. Of course, he loves anything with mushrooms, but we’ve actually gotten into arguments about these stuffed mushrooms. I take them out of the oven, he samples a few, and before I know it, most of the batch is gone. I’ve learned the hard way: if I want any of these stuffed mushrooms for myself, I have to claim them ASAP. …which is to say…

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What is a Parsnip? (And How to Cook It)

Learn how to cook parsnips! Closely related to carrots, this humble root vegetable has a sweet, nutty flavor. It's delicious roasted, mashed, and more.

The humble parsnip is one of the most underrated vegetables. It’s cheap, versatile, easy to work with, and PACKED with flavor…but most of us cook it rarely, if at all. I think it’s time parsnips got a lot more love, so I’m sharing my complete guide to them below. You’ll learn how to cook them, how to store them, and find my favorite parsnip recipes. I hope you’ll give this tasty root vegetable a chance! What is a parsnip? A parsnip is a pale, tapered root vegetable that resembles a white carrot. The resemblance makes sense, because parsnips and carrots…

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This crispy roasted Brussels sprouts recipe is my favorite healthy side dish! A delicious lemon Parmesan dressing makes it bright, zingy & addictive.

How do you feel about Brussels sprouts? Do you love them, or hate them? Over the last few years, I feel like they’ve been getting more and more popular, and I couldn’t be happier about it! Brussels sprouts are some of my favorite fall veggies – they’re fresh and healthy, but still hearty, and they pair well with all sorts of seasonings. But, in my opinion, the key to loving Brussels sprouts is preparing them the right way. No one’s clamoring for more boiled or steamed sprouts – they’re often bitter, and they have an unappealing mushy texture. So if…

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Spinach Salad

This easy spinach salad recipe is a fresh, delicious side dish! It's filled with apples, dried cranberries, and pecans. A tangy dressing ties it all together.

This spinach salad recipe is simple, fresh, and delicious. A version of my mom’s favorite salad, it’s filled with crisp apples, dried cranberries, red onion, creamy goat cheese, and toasty candied pecans. A bright apple cider vinaigrette ties it all together. *Chef’s kiss* This fall, I’ve been making it on repeat. To be totally honest, that’s a bit out of character for me, because I’m not always a fan of spinach salad recipes (something about the texture of the greens, I think). So you should trust me when I say that THIS spinach salad really works. It’s sweet, tangy, and savory,…

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Homemade Mac and Cheese

This homemade mac and cheese recipe will be a hit with the whole family! It's insanely cheesy, so creamy, and baked with crispy breadcrumbs on top.

If your family is anything like ours, then this baked mac and cheese recipe will be a huge hit. Jack can’t get enough of it, I keep finding myself going back for more, and our kiddo has been asking for “MAC!” ever since the first time he tried it. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, and it’s packed with gooey noodles and crispy, toasty breadcrumbs. Seriously, comfort food doesn’t get better than this. I’ve been wanting to add a baked macaroni and cheese recipe to the blog for a while now. A few years back, I ran an Instagram poll about holiday…

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Mushroom Gravy

This mushroom gravy recipe will take your mashed potatoes to a whole new level! It's vegan, but even meat lovers will fall for its rich, savory flavor.

I’ve had a mushroom gravy recipe on my list to make for years. After trying this one, all I can think is, “What took me so long?!” This mushroom gravy is rich, velvety, and packed with savory flavor. It’s totally vegan, but it’ll give any gravy made with meat or butter a run for its money. Every time I make it, I always eat a few spoonfuls straight from the pan. It’s that good! Pour it over mashed potatoes once, and you’ll never want to eat them any other way. Vegan Mushroom Gravy Recipe Ingredients This mushroom gravy recipe comes…

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Green Bean Casserole

This green bean casserole recipe is an updated take on the classic dish. It's made from scratch with fresh green beans and a creamy mushroom sauce.

Green bean casserole is always on my family’s Thanksgiving menu, right alongside the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. We, like many folks, made the version with Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, French fried onions, and canned green beans for years…until I set myself the task of making a homemade green bean casserole from scratch. Let me introduce you to the results: this green bean casserole recipe. It stars fresh green beans, crispy baked onions, and a rich and creamy mushroom sauce that blows the canned soup out of the water. Once I tried it, I couldn’t go back to…

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Roasted Honeynut Squash

Learn how to cook honeynut squash! This newer winter squash variety has an adorable small size and sweet, creamy orange flesh. Try it this fall!

Have you tried honeynut squash?! This cute little winter squash has become one of my favorite vegetables to pick up at farmers markets in the fall. I have a soft spot for anything mini, and this squash’s petite size makes it hard for me to resist. But that’s not the only reason I love it! Honeynut squash has sweet, creamy orange flesh and edible skin. Its small size makes it easy to prepare—you can simply slice it in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast it! No peeling or difficult chopping required. I’m sharing my go-to method for how to…

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Roasted Acorn Squash

Learn how to cook acorn squash with this easy recipe! Roasted with olive oil, maple syrup, and herbs, it's a simple, delicious fall or winter side dish.

This roasted acorn squash recipe is my favorite way to cook acorn squash. It couldn’t be simpler: just cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake it with olive oil, savory herbs, and a drizzle of maple syrup. After roasting, the squash is amazingly tender, with a subtly sweet, nutty flavor. Who says recipes have to be complicated in order to be delicious?! This roasted squash is an easy side dish for fall weeknights, but it tastes so good that it would fit right in at Thanksgiving dinner too. Whether you’re learning how to cook acorn squash for…

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Best Guacamole Recipe

The BEST guacamole recipe! It's easy to make with simple, fresh ingredients like ripe avocados, onion, and lime juice. Great with chips, tacos, and more!

If you don’t already have a go-to guacamole recipe, let me introduce you to mine. This guacamole recipe is easy to make. You can whip it up in 10 minutes or less! It calls for simple, fresh ingredients. Think ripe avocados, onion, cilantro, and lime. It’s DELICIOUS. This homemade guacamole is creamy, zesty, and bright. I developed the recipe while I was living in Austin, Texas. The city has incredible Tex Mex and Mexican food, and I ate a TON of great guac at local restaurants there. It inspired me to learn how to make guacamole at home. With a…

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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.