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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Air Fryer Cauliflower

If you're craving a savory side dish or snack, make this air fryer cauliflower recipe! Spices like smoked paprika and cayenne fill it with bold flavor.

This air fryer cauliflower recipe is about to become your new favorite veggie side dish! It’s crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and seasoned to perfection with a blend of savory spices. I love regular roasted cauliflower, but I have to admit—this air fryer cauliflower recipe is on another level. What makes it so delicious? Before I cook the cauliflower florets, I dredge them in a quick panko coating. It crisps up beautifully in the air fryer, giving the cauliflower an irresistible crunchy texture. I love this cauliflower on its own as a side dish or snack, but…

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Pumpkin Bread

If you love pumpkin, you HAVE to try this easy pumpkin bread recipe! Moist, warmly spiced, and filled with pumpkin flavor, it's the perfect fall treat.

Once I tried this pumpkin bread recipe, I finally understood what all the fall pumpkin hype was about. To be honest, I didn’t get it for a long time. Why go crazy for pumpkin when apples, sweet potatoes, and hundreds of amazing types of squash (spaghetti, delicata, acorn, and butternut, to name a few) are in peak season too? Enter: this pumpkin bread recipe. Super moist, warmly spiced, and filled with delicious pumpkin flavor, it totally won me over to team pumpkin. I typically crave pumpkin bread at two times of day: in the morning for breakfast or in the…

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Margherita Pizza

This margherita pizza recipe is a celebration of simple, fresh ingredients! Juicy tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese top a crisp, chewy crust.

I think of margherita pizza as the heartier cousin of Caprese salad, with a crisp, chewy crust supporting the delicious trio of tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. You’ll find this classic pizza on the menu of any Neapolitan pizza joint, but you can also make a really great homemade version. This margherita pizza recipe is here to prove it! Margherita Pizza Ingredients My biggest tip for making margherita pizza is to use the best ingredients you can find. Because this classic dish is so simple, the quality of each component counts. Here’s what you’ll need: Pizza dough, of course! We make…

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Pumpkin Soup

This creamy pumpkin soup recipe is perfect for a cool fall night. Packed with curry spices and pumpkin flavor, it's comforting, nourishing, and delicious.

Is there anything more autumnal than creamy pumpkin soup? A few weekends back, Chicago was seeing its first fall weather of the year. The air was crisp, a few leaves were turning yellow and red, and Jack and I were making our traditional Sunday trip to the farmers market. When we got there, I caught sight of a massive kabocha squash with vibrant orange skin. As soon as I saw it, I knew how I was spending my afternoon. On a cool day like that, there’s nothing I love more than making a big pot of soup. I scooped up…

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Pumpkin Pancakes

Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, these pumpkin pancakes are the perfect cozy breakfast for cool mornings. Serve with coffee and maple syrup!

Pumpkin pancakes are the perfect cozy breakfast for cool mornings. They’re moist, fluffy, and warmly spiced, and they beg for a drizzle of maple syrup on top. Add a cup of coffee to the mix, and what more could you want on fall weekend? If you ask me, not much! I’ll be making this pumpkin pancake recipe often this season, and I hope you will be too. It’s festive, delicious, and simple, made with basic pantry ingredients. If you’re a fan of fall flavors, you’ll absolutely love it. Ingredients You’ll Need for Pumpkin Pancakes Here’s what you’ll need to make this…

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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Creamy, cheesy, and SO delicious, this butternut squash mac and cheese is the ultimate fall comfort food. It'll be a hit with the whole family!

Butternut squash mac and cheese! If you thought the Trader Joe’s version was good, you’ll LOVE this homemade one. I adapted the recipe from my traditional macaroni and cheese. Instead of making a roux with flour and butter, I used pureed roasted squash as the base of the cheese sauce. The squash makes it insanely creamy (even creamier than classic mac!) and adds a subtle sweetness to the rich, cheesy flavor. Bonus: it sneaks in some extra nutrients too! This butternut squash mac and cheese has been a huge hit in our house. It’s comforting, delicious, and—thanks to the squash—just…

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21 Types of Squash

Types of squash go WAY beyond butternut and zucchini! Keep reading to learn how to cook some of my favorite summer and winter squash varieties.

How many different types of squash have you tried? There’s good reason to go beyond butternut and zucchini. Each variety of summer or winter squash has its own unique taste and texture, and it lends itself well to different cooking methods and dishes. Delicata squash wouldn’t be my first choice for soup, for example, but acorn squash or kabocha would be fantastic. I might not stuff a patty pan squash, but I would sauté it to make a delicious side dish. Below, I’m breaking down 21 common types of squash and sharing my favorite ways to cook them. I hope…

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Coffee Smoothie

Learn how to make a coffee smoothie to kickstart your morning! Made with banana, almond butter, and more, it's a delicious healthy breakfast or snack.

This coffee smoothie recipe is perfect for busy mornings. You know those days when you have time to make a cup of coffee or a healthy breakfast…but not both? Now you don’t have to choose! Blend up this coffee smoothie, and you can enjoy coffee + breakfast in a single glass. I love this one-and-done morning treat. Made with simple ingredients like coffee, frozen banana, almond butter, and dates, it’s super easy to put together, and it’s so delicious. The banana and almond butter give it an amazing creamy texture, and the dates make it rich and sweet. And of course,…

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Falafel

Packed with fresh herbs and spices, this crispy baked falafel recipe is bursting with flavor. Stuff it into a pita wrap with all the fixings, and enjoy!

I’ll never forget the first time I tried falafel. Stuffed into pita bread with fresh herbs, crisp veggies, and a big slather of hummus, it was crispy, rich, and bursting with earthy, aromatic flavor. I devoured the entire wrap in minutes, amazed at the medley of tastes and textures dancing across my tongue. Falafel has been one of my favorite foods ever since. I still order it out to eat whenever I get the chance, but these days, I more often make this homemade falafel recipe. What Is Falafel? I’m getting ahead of myself. What is falafel, anyway? In case…

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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.