Ratatouille

This ratatouille recipe is a delicious version of the classic French stew. It's rich and flavorful, filled with late summer vegetables, olive oil, and herbs.

Ratatouille is a French stew made with late summer vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. It’s rich with olive oil, bright with vinegar, and flecked with fresh herbs. If you haven’t tried it, put this ratatouille recipe on your list to make this summer. It’s even more delightful than the Disney movie of the same name (which is pretty delightful, if you ask me). Making this ratatouille recipe always transports me to Provence, France. A few years ago, I stayed with a local family there. On my first night with them, they served ratatouille for dinner. We sat on…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Grilled Broccoli

This easy grilled broccoli recipe is a simple, delicious summer side dish! Ready in 20 minutes, it's crisp-tender, flavorful, and beautifully charred.

This grilled broccoli recipe is a fresh, easy summer side dish. If you’re a fan of roasted broccoli, you’ll love it. It has the same dark, crispy edges and crisp-tender texture, but its flavor is even more complex. This grilled broccoli is smoky, sweet, and savory. As the broccoli cooks, the hot grill brings out its natural sweetness. At the same time, it becomes beautifully charred, taking on a smoky taste. A sprinkle of garlic powder gives it savory depth. This grilled broccoli is broccoli at its best. I’ve tried a variety of methods for grilling broccoli (in a grill…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Quinoa Salad

This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is hearty, healthy, and packed with fresh flavor! Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it as a meal on its own.

This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is fresh and flavorful. It’s a delicious addition to the menu of any potluck, cookout, or picnic. It can easily pass as a side dish, but it’s so hearty and satisfying that it can be the main event, too. And if you happen to have leftovers, you’re in luck! This quinoa salad keeps well if you make it ahead of time, so it’s a great recipe to meal prep for healthy lunches throughout the week. Over the years, I’ve shared lots of quinoa salad recipes on the blog, but I’m especially smitten with this one.…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Corn Fritters

These easy corn fritters are the snack of the summer! They're crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and packed with fresh sweet corn.

These corn fritters are the latest addition to my summer recipe rotation. Fresh sweet corn made its first appearance at our farmers market this week. I was so excited to see it that I bought as many ears of corn as I could carry. After making my favorite corn salad and corn on the cob, I tested out these corn fritters, and they immediately had me hooked. I’ll be making them on repeat for the rest of the summer! These corn fritters are seriously delicious. They’re crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and dotted with fresh, whole corn kernels for…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Italian Pasta Salad

This Italian pasta salad recipe is fresh and delicious! A zesty Italian dressing, veggies, olives, pepperoncini, and cheese fill it with bold flavor.

I’ve made this Italian pasta salad for all our picnics and potlucks over the last few weeks. When I added the ingredients to my shopping list again this morning, I knew I had to share the recipe! This Italian pasta salad is full of bold, zesty flavor. It starts with colorful veggies, oodles of noodles, and chewy mozzarella cheese. Then, I add olives and pepperoncini for tangy, briny flavor and fresh herbs for an aromatic pop. To tie it all together, I douse it in my homemade Italian dressing. It’s a perfect recipe for summer gatherings because, like many pasta salads, you can…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Baba Ganoush

This easy baba ganoush recipe is smoky, savory, and creamy. Made with eggplant, tahini, garlic, and lemon, it's a delicious dip for pita and veggies.

Have you tried baba ganoush? If you like hummus, I have a feeling you’ll love this Mediterranean eggplant dip too. Made with grilled or roasted eggplant, tahini, garlic, and lemon, it’s creamy, smoky, nutty, and bright. I’m sharing my easy baba ganoush recipe below. It pairs perfectly with crisp veggies and pita bread, but I love it so much that I’ve also been known to eat it straight off a spoon. I hope you enjoy it too! How to Make Baba Ganoush This baba ganoush recipe is simple to make. It starts with 6 basic ingredients: Baba Ganoush Ingredients Eggplant…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Watermelon Salad with Feta

This refreshing watermelon salad recipe is meant for hot summer days. Made with feta, cucumber, and mint, it's a perfect mix of savory and sweet.

This watermelon salad recipe is everything I want on a summer day. At this time of year, I can’t get enough of salads made with peak-season fruits and veggies. I especially love a good sweet and salty combination. This watermelon salad with feta, cucumber, mint, and a tangy lime dressing is exactly that. The recipe takes minutes to throw together, and it’s incredibly refreshing. Try it once, and—if you’re anything like me—you’ll have it on repeat for the rest of watermelon season. Watermelon Salad Recipe Ingredients If you’ve never tried watermelon in a savory setting, you have to make this…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

How to Boil Corn on the Cob

Learn how to boil corn on the cob! Sweet, juicy, and golden, it's the BEST summer side dish. Top it with butter, salt, and pepper, and dig in!

I think my love of seasonal cooking comes from all the corn on the cob I ate as a kid. In the summer, my mom served boiled corn on the cob with dinner almost every night. She’d pick it up from a farm stand nearby, so it was always super-sweet and fresh. I couldn’t get enough of it – the juicy, golden kernels coated in butter and sprinkled with salt. To this day, the thought of that summer sweet corn makes my mouth start watering. I’ve posted recipes for steamed corn on the cob and grilled corn on the cob…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Easy Gazpacho

Beat the heat with this easy gazpacho recipe! Made with summer veggies, vinegar, and olive oil, this cool soup is rich, tangy, and refreshing.

It’s no secret that I love gazpacho. Over the years, I’ve shared a gazpacho recipe with watermelon, one with corn, another with carrots, and still another with tangy tomatillos. What can I say? On a hot summer day, there’s no better way to cool off than with cold soup. If you’re not familiar with gazpacho, it’s a chilled soup that originated in Andalucía, Spain. Traditional recipes call for tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and bread, which thickens the soup. This recipe isn’t entirely authentic, but it has a lot in common with Spanish gazpacho. Tomatoes, cucumber, and…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Macaroni Salad

This macaroni salad recipe is a crowd-pleasing side dish! A creamy dressing, crunchy veggies, and pickles pack it with delicious textures and flavors.

This classic macaroni salad recipe is a hit at potlucks and cookouts! Based on the macaroni salad I ate at summer gatherings as a kid, it features a creamy dressing and crunchy veggies like celery, red bell peppers, and onion. Diced dill pickles add a pop of tangy, savory flavor to the salad, and a splash of pickle juice punches up the dressing. This macaroni salad is easy to make, and it’s perfect for making ahead. Prep it a few hours or even a day before a picnic or BBQ, and chill it until you’re ready to serve. The flavors get…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Grilled Corn on the Cob

It wouldn't be summer without grilled corn on the cob! Learn how to cook it 2 ways—in and out of the husk—so that it's sweet, juicy, and nicely charred.

Grilled corn on the cob is one of the highlights of summer. It’s sweet and juicy, with a satisfying crunch and smoky char from the hot grill grates. It’ll be on the menu at every BBQ and cookout I host for the next few months, and I hope you’re planning to make it for all your get-togethers too. Fresh corn season will be gone before we know it! Let’s enjoy it while we can. Below, I’m sharing two methods for how to grill corn on the cob—in the husk and out. The first method yields super-juicy, bright yellow kernels, while…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>
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.