How To Layer Lasagna

Learn how to layer lasagna! Yes, there is a proper order for the noodles, sauce, and cheese. This step-by-step guide will help you nail it every time.

Learn how to layer lasagna! Below, you’ll find my guide to layering a perfect lasagna, complete with pictures that show you every step. Lasagna was one of the first dinners that I learned how to make. After a few attempts, I was confident enough to cook the noodles and prep the filling without a recipe…but I could NEVER remember the right way to layer the ingredients in the baking dish. Is it noodles first and then sauce? Or sauce first and then cheese? How to Layer Lasagna If you’ve ever had the same struggle, you’ll love this guide to how…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Vegan Ricotta

Don't do dairy? You'll love this easy vegan ricotta cheese. Just like regular ricotta, it's rich and creamy. Perfect for lasagna, stuffed shells, and more!

Good vegan ricotta is the secret to a great vegan lasagna or stuffed shells. It should be rich, thick, and creamy—so delicious that you don’t miss the cheese. I’ve tried making it all sorts of ways over the years—with nuts like cashews and almonds…even sunflower seeds! But this tofu ricotta cheese is hands down my favorite. This vegan ricotta cheese is easy to make in the food processor. The recipe calls for less than 10 ingredients and whizzes up in minutes! It has a savory, cheesy flavor and perfect creamy texture. Add it to your next plant-based pasta or homemade…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Gingerbread Cookies

Our best gingerbread cookie recipe! These festive treats are soft and warmly spiced, with a rich molasses flavor. Perfect for spreading holiday cheer!

What could be more festive than gingerbread cookies?! With Christmas just a few weeks away, I’m ready to turn up the holiday cheer around here, and making this gingerbread cookie recipe seems like a great place to start. For one, it makes the house smell amazing, filling it with the comforting aroma of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. It’s also a blast to make–rolling out the dough, cutting out gingerbread people, baking them, and decorating them once they cool. But more important than all of that, these gingerbread cookies are delicious! They’re soft, warmly spiced, and richly flavored with molasses and…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Shortbread Cookies Recipe

This shortbread cookie recipe is easy to make with 5 simple ingredients. The cookies are tender and buttery. They practically melt in your mouth!

Shortbread cookies are perfect for the holidays, but they’re so delicious that I make them all throughout the year. They have crisp edges, a buttery flavor, and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. When I want a little treat to enjoy with a coffee or tea, shortbread cookies always hit the spot. I’ve previously shared a lemon shortbread cookie recipe and an orange shortbread cookie recipe, but this classic shortbread recipe is the one I make the most. The cookies are simple, scrumptious, and easy to make with 5 ingredients. Add them to a Christmas cookie plate this season, or keep them…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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,…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Candied Pecans

Learn how to make candied pecans with this easy recipe! Ready in 10 minutes, they're a great gift or delicious topping for salads and more.

Candied pecans are a wonderful topping for salads, side dishes, and desserts…but in our house, they rarely make it that far. These sweet, crunchy, cinnamon-spiced nuts are SO tasty that Jack, the kiddo, and I usually polish them off as a snack. It’s very easy to think you’re going to have just one, maybe two, and then eat half a batch. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Luckily, if you accidentally eat all the nuts you were supposed to put on a salad, it’s quick and easy to make more. This candied pecans recipe calls for 5 ingredients and comes together…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

This vegan pumpkin pie recipe is easy to make with 8 ingredients! With a rich, creamy filling and flaky crust, it's a delicious Thanksgiving dessert.

I’m making this vegan pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and I already can’t wait. I’ll never turn down a slice of pumpkin pie—it’s been my favorite Thanksgiving dessert since I was a kid. But this vegan pumpkin pie recipe takes the classic dessert to another level. The pumpkin filling has an amazing creamy texture and rich, spiced flavor. It contrasts perfectly with the crisp, flaky crust. Tasting it, you’d never guess that it’s made without dairy or eggs. This vegan pumpkin pie recipe is easy to make with 8 simple ingredients. It needs to chill after baking, so…

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.