How to Cut a Pomegranate

Learn how to cut a pomegranate like a pro! Plus, find delicious pomegranate recipes to showcase this vibrant, juicy, feel-good fruit.

Who else loves pomegranates?! As soon as these vibrant, ruby red fruits appear at the grocery store each fall, Jack and I start eating them like crazy. We can’t get enough of their sweet/tart flavor and their juicy, bursty texture. I sprinkle the seeds over desserts, salads, and even dips, while Jack eats them by the spoonful as a snack! But…how do you cut a pomegranate fruit, anyway? If you’re asking that question right now, you’re not alone. Learning how to cut a pomegranate can seem intimidating, and done the wrong way, it can be a huge mess. Not to…

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Cranberry Sauce

Scented with orange and sweetened with maple, this cranberry sauce recipe is a delicious version of the Thanksgiving classic. Great for making ahead!

Meet my best cranberry sauce recipe! This homemade cranberry sauce is easy to make with 5 simple ingredients. It’s thick, tart, and jammy, and maple syrup and orange zest give it wonderful depth of flavor. It’s the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving table, but it’s so delicious that I’d happily eat it at any time of year. If you’ve never tried homemade cranberry sauce before, I hope you’ll make this recipe. I grew up eating the kind from the can, so you can trust me when I tell you that this fresh cranberry sauce is SO much better. Since I…

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What are Leeks? (And How to Cook Them)

Leeks add sweet, oniony flavor to soups, stews, pastas, and more! Read on to learn how to cut and cook them, and find some of my favorite leek recipes.

Ever heard of potato leek soup? I thought so! But how often do you cook leeks in other recipes? Have you tried them in pasta, stuffing, or risotto? Have you eaten them on their own? If I had my way, we’d all be eating leeks way more often. They’re incredibly versatile, adding unique, sweet, and mild onion flavor to a huge range of dishes. To spread the leek love, I’m sharing my go-to methods for how to cut, clean, and cook leeks below, as well as my favorite leek recipes. If you have a leek in your fridge right now,…

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Mashed Cauliflower

This creamy mashed cauliflower recipe is an easy, delicious low carb side dish! Roasted garlic and a little butter fill it with rich, nutty flavor.

When I asked Jack to taste this mashed cauliflower recipe, I told him it was mashed potatoes. Call me cruel, but I wanted his honest opinion. He loves mashed potatoes more than anyone I know! He wasn’t completely fooled (“I was standing next to you when you bought the cauliflower…”), but he did happily enjoy bite after bite. Since then, he’s devoured several bowls of this mashed cauliflower and accidentally called it “mashed potatoes” more than once. I’ll take it! In the past, I’ve made cauliflower mashed potatoes with a mix of potatoes and cauliflower. But this year, I decided…

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Roasted Garlic

Making mashed potatoes, a sauce, or soup? Roasted garlic will infuse it with rich, nutty flavor. Find my easy method for how to roast garlic below!

Have you ever roasted garlic in the oven? As it cooks, your kitchen fills with an amazing savory scent. It’s the kind of mouthwatering aroma that’s guaranteed to make you hungry, even if you’ve just finished lunch. If you ask me, this smell alone is enough reason to learn how to roast garlic at home. But of course, the main reason to make roasted garlic is the taste. Unlike raw garlic, roasted garlic doesn’t have any sort of bite. Its flavor is sweet, mellow, nutty, and rich. It also softens as it roasts, becoming tender, creamy, and spreadable. Blend it…

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Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta

This butternut squash pasta is healthy, comforting, and delicious! Roasted squash, sage, and thyme fill the creamy sauce with cozy autumn flavor.

The first time I made this butternut squash pasta sauce, Jack couldn’t stop talking about it for days. “That sauce!”, he kept saying. “That sauce!” Of course, I teased him for it, but if I’m being totally honest, I was completely smitten with it too. Looking at this butternut squash pasta, you might expect it to taste like mac and cheese. But don’t be fooled. The creamy sauce is rich and nutty, with bold autumn flavor from herbs like sage and thyme. Because it’s so flavorful and complex, this butternut squash pasta would make a show-stopping vegetarian main dish at a special…

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Sautéed Broccoli

Learn how to sauté broccoli like a pro! This easy sautéed broccoli recipe is a light, healthy side dish or delicious addition to pastas, bowls, and more.

I’ll say it: I don’t cook sautéed broccoli often enough. I don’t know why, but whenever I have broccoli on hand, my first impulse is to roast it. But a few weeks back, I was making this butternut squash pasta for dinner, and I needed a quick and easy side dish to pair with it. I chopped up a bunch of broccoli and cooked it on the stove with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. The broccoli florets came out vibrant green and tender, while the stalks kept a nice al dente bite. It was so simple, flavorful, and refreshing…

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Vegan Frosting

This vegan frosting recipe is perfect for cakes, bars, cookies, and more! With just 4 ingredients, it's sweet, creamy, tangy, and super easy to make.

The next time you need to dress up cookies, bars, or cake, make this vegan frosting recipe! Made with just 4 ingredients, it’s an easy way to turn everyday baked goods into special occasion treats. Want to transform a simple carrot cake into a birthday-worthy layer cake? Make this vegan frosting! Wish that your muffins were a little more like cupcakes? This vegan frosting can help with that too. This recipe is my plant-based riff on classic cream cheese frosting, so its flavor is rich, sweet, and tangy. I especially love it on my vegan carrot cake and pumpkin bars,…

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Wheat Berry Salad

Roasted squash and shallots fill this wheat berry salad with sweet and savory autumn flavor. Serve it as a side dish, or make it ahead for lunch.

I can’t think of a better way to start the week than by sharing this wheat berry salad recipe with all of you! I try not to play favorites when it comes to recipes, but this one is something special. It’s that rare sort of dish that really can do it all. Make it on a Sunday for lunches all week, or serve it as a side dish at your Thanksgiving dinner. No matter when you eat it, I think you’ll savor every bite. Wheat berries may not be the trendiest grain these days, but if you try them here,…

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How to Cook Wheat Berries

Learn how to cook wheat berries perfectly every time! This chewy, nutty whole grain is a delicious addition to soups, salads, bowls, and more.

When I lived in Austin, I bought wheat berries all the time from the bulk bins at our grocery store. But when we moved to Chicago, I couldn’t find them anywhere – not in bulk, not pre-bagged, nothing. Finally, this fall, I noticed a local wheat grower selling organic wheat berries at our farmers market. I love pairing this earthy whole grain with autumn ingredients like squash, kale, and dried cranberries, so I knew I had to get some. Since then, I’ve been tossing wheat berries into salads and side dishes like crazy! For how delicious they are, I don’t…

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Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing

This apple cider vinegar dressing is my favorite way to brighten up a fall salad! Made with 7 basic ingredients, it's super flavorful and easy to make.

If I’m making a salad in the fall, there’s a good chance that I’ll drizzle an apple cider vinegar dressing on top. Maybe it’s because fall is apple season, but there’s something irresistible about the combination of apple cider vinegar and autumn foods like cranberries and squash. In a hearty salad or side dish, an apple cider vinaigrette adds a tangy pop of flavor that brings these sweet ingredients to life. I’ve made a million apple cider vinegar dressing recipes over the years. Some are spiced with cinnamon, others are infused with sage, but the recipe below is the one…

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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.