Homemade Cherry Pie

Learn how to make a cherry pie! This easy recipe features a thick, almond-scented cherry pie filling and a flaky all-butter crust. It's SO delicious!

This cherry pie recipe is one of my favorite homemade desserts. It features a buttery, flaky crust and a velvety, almond-scented filling. If you allow it to cool completely, it slices beautifully, but the filling still stays a tiny bit juicy so that you can savor the cherries’ delicious texture. This cherry pie recipe is simple to make. But heads up: it does take some time. The pie dough has to chill and the filling has to cool before you can assemble and bake the pie. If you want to get ahead, you can make both the crust and the filling a…

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Antipasto Platter

This antipasto platter recipe is a crowd-pleasing party appetizer! It's loaded with flavorful Italian ingredients like cheeses, olives, and fresh veggies.

Let’s make an antipasto platter! This Italian appetizer spread is one of my favorite things to serve when I’m hosting family and friends. Everyone (kids included!) loves trying the different snacks and bites on the board—cheeses, veggies, olives, nuts, and more. Often, folks enjoy grazing so much that there’s no need to serve a larger meal. As a host, I think an antipasto platter is the ideal party food. I can use a mix of store-bought and homemade components, and I can prep all the homemade ones in advance. When guests arrive, I just assemble the platter and serve. I’m sharing my…

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Marinated Mozzarella Balls

These marinated mozzarella balls are a quick and easy party appetizer! Coated in olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs, they're full of rich flavor.

These marinated mozzarella balls are quickly becoming a family favorite snack. I love them because they’re the perfect last-minute appetizer for gatherings—flavorful, elegant, and SO easy to throw together. Jack and Ollie love them…well…because they love anything with cheese. The recipe is super simple. I marinate mini fresh mozzarella balls in olive oil with herbs, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. The bright, savory flavor of the fresh garlic, lemon, and herbs saturates the oil, which in turn soaks into the chewy balls of cheese. I hope these marinated mozzarella balls become your go-to appetizer for parties and gatherings,…

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Marinated Gigante Beans

These marinated gigante beans are a delicious appetizer or lunch! Olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, garlic, and herbs infuse them with savory flavor.

This marinated gigante beans recipe is an easy, delicious kitchen staple. A flavorful blend of olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest, and parsley coats the big, creamy white beans. They’re rich, tangy, and intensely savory. Try them once, and you’ll make them on repeat for picnics, appetizer platters, and protein-packed lunches. Before I developed this recipe, I regularly bought marinated gigante beans from the olive bar at my grocery store. I loved the taste, but I was always disappointed by their mushy texture. These homemade marinated gigante beans solve that problem. Made with good-quality canned beans or dried beans…

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Best Broccoli Salad

Meet my favorite broccoli salad recipe...aka the best cookout side dish! With a lightly creamy, tangy dressing, it's fresh, healthy, and delicious.

This broccoli salad recipe is one of my favorite side dishes. It’s my lighter spin on classic Midwest broccoli salad, and though you won’t find any cheese or bacon here, it’s every bit as delicious. A creamy, tangy dressing coats crisp broccoli florets, chewy dried cranberries, sharp red onion, and smoky roasted nuts. Even salad skeptics will love it. This broccoli salad recipe is easy to make, and even better, make ahead. A few hours or a day in the fridge gives the broccoli a chance to soften and soak up the dressing’s punchy flavor. Pack it up for a…

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Air Fryer Chickpeas

Love oven roasted chickpeas? These air fryer chickpeas are even better! They're super crispy, flavorful, and easy to make. A delicious healthy snack!

Air fryer chickpeas! If you love oven roasted chickpeas, get ready: these air fryer chickpeas are even better. I’ve been making them on repeat lately. Here’s why: They’re ready in 15 minutes. Roasting chickpeas in the air fryer is about twice as fast as making roasted chickpeas in the oven. Bonus: the air fryer preheats in no time! They’re INSANELY crunchy. Expect to eat a few (erm…half) straight from the air fryer basket. They’re irresistible! I love sprinkling these crispy chickpeas over salads and grain bowls. Filled with fiber and plant-based protein, they’re also a delicious healthy snack! Season them simply with…

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Breakfast Potatoes

This breakfast potatoes recipe is easy to make in the oven! Perfectly crispy and flavorful, the potatoes are a delicious side dish for breakfast or brunch.

What’s not to love about breakfast potatoes? They’re crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and seasoned to perfection with smoky, savory spices. They’re SO simple to make, and they taste great with just about any breakfast food. Pancakes? Scrambled eggs? Yes, please! You’ll find my easy breakfast potatoes recipe below. It’s one of my favorite breakfast dishes, perfect for special occasion brunches and everyday breakfasts alike. I offer two variations in the recipe. If you like, you can simply roast the potatoes with salt, pepper, and spices. OR you can toss the roasted potatoes with sautéed onions and…

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French Toast Casserole

This overnight French toast casserole recipe is the perfect breakfast for a crowd! It's simple and delicious, with a crisp topping and custardy middle.

This French toast casserole recipe is the easiest way to make French toast for a crowd. Instead of standing at the stove, flipping slices to order, you pile cubed bread into a casserole dish, douse it in a rich, cinnamon-spiced custard, and bake it with pecans and brown sugar on top. It’s a breeze to assemble on the morning you plan to serve it, but if you want to streamline this French toast casserole recipe even more, you can put it together the day before and let it sit overnight in the fridge. The next morning, all you have to…

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Huevos Rancheros

This easy huevos rancheros recipe consists of corn tortillas topped with refried beans, salsa, and eggs. It's a delicious, filling breakfast or brunch!

Huevos rancheros are the best way to start the day! I think so, at least. After years of living in Austin, I love any breakfast made with tortillas + salsa + eggs. Huevos rancheros are one of the simplest and most delicious. I’m sharing my easy huevos rancheros recipe below, complete with tips, variations, and ways to get ahead. I hope it becomes a staple in your rotation, and not just for breakfast. This huevos rancheros recipe makes a great lunch or dinner too! Huevos Rancheros Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this huevos rancheros recipe: Corn tortillas – Don’t…

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Ranchero Sauce

This ranchero sauce recipe calls for fresh ingredients like tomato, jalapeño, and onion. Spicy and bright, it's delicious on Mexican and Tex Mex dishes!

This ranchero sauce is zesty, spicy, tangy, and fresh. It’s the star component in my homemade huevos rancheros, but this punchy sauce is good for so much more. Use it to make enchiladas or chilaquiles, or simply scoop it up with tortilla chips! What is ranchero sauce? Ranchero sauce is a spicy tomato-based sauce that originated in Northern Mexico. It shares ingredients like tomatoes, chiles, and garlic with enchilada sauce and salsa roja, but some of its distinguishing features are that It contains fresh hot chiles like jalapeños. It’s always a cooked sauce, not a fresh salsa made of blended or…

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These lemon poppy seed muffins are super moist and bursting with bright citrus flavor. They're delicious plain or with a simple lemon glaze on top!

Let’s make lemon poppy seed muffins! These classic muffins are bursting with fresh citrus flavor, and they have a moist, tender texture that’s punctuated by the poppy seeds’ crunch. I love them plain for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but they’re also wonderful with my quick lemon glaze on top. It makes them a bakery-worthy treat that would be perfect for a special occasion brunch or even dessert. Like all my muffin recipes, these lemon poppy seed muffins are easy to make. You simply stir together the batter in a couple of mixing bowls. No mixer required! Lemon Poppy Seed…

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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.