Lemon Orzo Soup

I love to make this lemon orzo soup on busy weeknights! A cozy, healthy one-pot meal, it has a lemony broth filled with tender orzo and veggies.

Let’s make lemon orzo soup! This recipe has quickly become a favorite in our house this winter, a new go-to dinner for busy weeknights. I love that it’s cozy enough to feel warming and satisfying on a cold day, but that it’s still healthy and fresh. A bright lemon broth surrounds tender orzo pasta, flavorful vegetables, and creamy white beans. A sprinkle of dill or parsley takes it over the top. Like all the best weeknight dinners, this lemon orzo soup is easy to make. It comes together in one pot with simple ingredients and cooks up in about 30 minutes. I…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter fills these chocolate chip cookies with rich, caramelized flavor. With crisp edges and chewy centers, they're a bakery-worthy treat!

These brown butter chocolate chip cookies are insanely delicious. They have lightly crisp edges, perfect chewy middles, and melty chocolate in every bite. Best of all, brown butter (plus an extra dose of brown sugar) fills them with toffee-like flavor. I went through a bit of a browned butter phase last year, after I started making these blondies and couldn’t get enough them. Around that time, I tried using brown butter in my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. We devoured every last one of those cookies, but they didn’t have the toasty, nutty brown butter flavor I was after… Many…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

These lemon ricotta pancakes are bright, moist, and wonderfully fluffy. Easy to make with 10 ingredients, they're a delicious breakfast or brunch!

It’s official: these lemon ricotta pancakes are my favorite weekend breakfast. They’re gloriously light and fluffy, like bouncy pancake pillows, and they have a wonderful zesty flavor. Topped with blueberry compote or a drizzle of maple syrup, they’re lightly sweet, bright, and delicious. You know you’re going to have a good day when it starts with these lemon ricotta pancakes. 🙂 Ok, if you’re thinking, “Cheese? In pancakes?!” I hear you. But you don’t actually taste the ricotta here. It acts like Greek yogurt and sour cream do in many sweet recipes, making these pancakes exceptionally moist and tender. It also…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

20 Best Valentine’s Day Dinner Ideas

Our best Valentine's Day dinner ideas! Find everything you need for a date night at home—cozy pastas, elegant risottos, side salads, and more.

These Valentine’s Day dinner ideas will help you plan the perfect date night at home! Jack and I gave up going to restaurants on Valentine’s Day years ago. We realized that it was way more romantic—and more fun—to spend time in the kitchen together than it was to eat at a crowded restaurant that we chose weeks or months in advance (because that’s how far ahead you have to plan in order to get a reservation). I’ve rounded up some of our go-to date night dinner recipes below. They include classic Italian pastas, comforting risottos, soups, and more. Choose one for a…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

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 after years of living in Austin, Texas. The city has incredible Tex Mex and Mexican food, and I’ve eaten a TON of great guac at local restaurants there. Eventually, it inspired me to learn how to make guacamole at home. With…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

35 Best Super Bowl Food Ideas

The best part of Super Bowl Sunday? The snacks! Below, you'll find easy Super Bowl food ideas to help you make a crowd-pleasing game day spread.

If you ask me, great Super Bowl snacks are the secret to a great Super Bowl party. Sure, I can get into the game, but the snacks are the reason I look forward to it. Buffalo cauliflower, homemade guacamole, a great dip and potato chips… I’ll be hanging out by the snack table all night. 🙂 To help you get ready for this year’s big game, I’ve rounded up my best Super Bowl food ideas below. They include everything you need to put together an epic game day spread—finger foods, delicious dips, salty snacks, desserts, and more. These Super Bowl…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Homemade Soft Pretzels

This homemade soft pretzels recipe has been one of our favorite snacks for years! The pretzels are chewy, flavorful, and easy to make with 8 ingredients.

This easy soft pretzel recipe has been a favorite in our house for years now. These homemade soft pretzels have a delicious chewy texture and a perfect pretzel flavor thanks to a quick baking soda boil. They’re a fun cooking project anytime, but we especially love to make them for parties and game days—they’re always a crowd-pleasing snack! Jack and I shared the first version of this recipe way back in 2014. We’ve since updated it to yield a larger batch (these pretzels go quick!) and a smoother dough that’s easier to work with. Whether you take your pretzels with…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Tiramisu

This easy tiramisu recipe has delicious layers of espresso-dipped ladyfingers and creamy mascarpone. It's a show-stopping no-bake dessert!

Is there anything more delicious than tiramisu? This Italian dessert consists of decadent layers of espresso-dipped ladyfingers and plush mascarpone cream. It’s perfectly creamy and only lightly sweet, with a rich dusting of cocoa powder on top. On our first trip to Italy, I ordered it at every restaurant Jack and I went to. It’s just that good. After I shared this strawberry tiramisu last summer and this pumpkin tiramisu in the fall, I couldn’t resist developing a classic tiramisu recipe too. I’m so happy with how this one came out. It’s impressive and indulgent, but deceptively easy. This tiramisu…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Learn how to make chocolate covered strawberries! Made with just 3 ingredients, this recipe is easy, yet impressive. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Chocolate covered strawberries are my favorite Valentine’s Day treat. They’re the perfect balance of indulgent yet fresh, fancy yet so utterly simple at the same time. I love how the rich chocolate coating gives way to the sweet, juicy berries inside. You’ll see them in grocery stores and chocolate shops around the holiday, but for a fun project (and the best deal), learn how to make chocolate covered strawberries at home! I’m sharing my go-to chocolate covered strawberries recipe below, along with my best tips for success. This recipe is easy to make with just 3 ingredients. Make it for…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

This homemade blue cheese dressing recipe is so much better than store-bought! Creamy, thick, and tangy, it's a delicious dip or salad dressing.

Meet my go-to blue cheese dressing recipe! Easy to make with 9 simple ingredients, it’s creamy, tangy, and flecked with tender crumbles of blue cheese. I’ve been getting requests for a blue cheese dressing recipe ever since I shared these buffalo cauliflower wings a few years ago. After testing and tweaking this one with various ratios of mayo, buttermilk, and sour cream, I’m happy to report that it works perfectly as a dip for wings or veggies. With a little more buttermilk (or regular milk) stirred in, it becomes a flavorful, pourable salad dressing too. I’ve never been a fan…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>

White Bean Chili

This zesty white bean chili is one of my favorite game day recipes! Creamy, hearty, and easy to make, it's also a perfect dinner for busy weeknights.

Meet my favorite white bean chili recipe! A plant-based spin on white chicken chili, this creamy vegan recipe is a perfect meal for busy weeknights and game day alike. It’s easy to make with basic ingredients (and minimal chopping!), and the flavor is oh-so-good. Spices like cumin and coriander add earthy depth, and canned green chiles and fresh lime juice make it zesty and bright. Load up your bowl with toppings like avocado, jalapeños, and cilantro for a hearty, healthy, and delicious meal! White Bean Chili Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this white bean chili: White beans, of…

TO THE RECIPE >>>>
A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Welcome to Love & Lemons!

I'm Jeanine Donofrio, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer. I share fresh, delicious vegetarian recipes that celebrate seasonal ingredients and flavors.

More about us...