Our Trip to the French Wine Region of Beaujolais

In 2015, I had the amazing opportunity to visit vineyards all over the Rhone Valley. I loved every bit of it – the hilltop views, the lavender fields, the food, the wine (of course)… the only thing missing was my better half, Jack, who was stuck at work. This past fall we not only got to go to Beaujolais together, but it happened to fall on the week of our wedding anniversary. It was picture perfect, except the little mishap in the beginning where we missed our flight. Oops. We scrambled to get on a flight the next day, landed…

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Pasta World Championship in Milan & Parma

Our trip to Italy - to Milan and Parma for the Pasta World Championship.

It’s been a crazy few months. We moved into our new place in Chicago, almost immediately left for a whirlwind trip that took us through France and Italy, then ended back in the Midwest in Madison before heading back home. I’m eventually going to share a little bit about each trip, but for today I’m starting with the most logical place to begin – the middle! Italy! Jack and I spent 4 days in Milan and Parma at Barilla® Pasta World Championship. It’s crazy to reflect and see where our work takes us. Eating our way through northern Italy was a…

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Two days in Copenhagen

Ever since watching those chef-y TV shows about Rene Redzepi, I’ve wanted to go to Copenhagen. Sadly, we didn’t get into Noma (we were #1400 on the waiting list when Jack entered us 5 months ago, ha!), but we had a blast eating our way through Copenhagen nonetheless. We had only 2 short days to take it all in, but I think we did pretty well. Thanks to all of you who gave us so many amazing recommendations on Instagram! Day 1: We checked into this Airbnb, had a conference call and took a nap (#werk). Later, we walked through Nørrebro…

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A Picnic at Hamilton Pool

Jack and I took a day trip to Hamilton Pool, near Austin Texas. Check out our picnic perfect menu!

Since Jack and I first moved to Austin, we’ve loved exploring all of the local natural springs and watering holes. The heat here in the summertime is no joke and the best way to beat it is by getting around some water. A few weeks ago, we took the day off and spent a lovely afternoon hiking and picnicking at Hamilton Pool. For this post, we’re partnering with Bota Box to share our little local adventure. Hamilton Pool is SO beautiful.It’s a natural pool with a gorgeous 50-foot waterfall. It’s about a 40 minute drive outside of Austin – an easy half-day trip. There’s a quarter mile hike…

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My Guide to the Rhone Valley, part II

Last week, I spent six days in the Rhone Valley(!) The trip was so packed that I decided to break this into two posts. If you missed part one, click here. If you’re planning a trip to the south of France, I hope you find these posts helpful! Day 4: After a lovely breakfast at Hotel de la Villeon, we headed to Maison Chapoutier which is a short walk from the hotel. This area, the northern part of the Rhone Valley, produces more complex wines that are less fruit-forward than the wines I tasted further south. Maison Chapoutier is a great place…

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My Guide to the Rhone Valley – Part I

Last week, I spent a whirlwind 6 days in the Rhone Valley. I loved meeting many of the winemakers, hearing their stories, walking through the vineyards, and driving to the tops of (so many) peaks. There was so much to see in addition to the wine – olive trees, lavender, cherry trees, apricot trees, wild vegetables, and herbs growing everywhere. It’s a heavenly place to visit if you love fruit, vegetables, and wines as much as I do. All of the vineyards listed here are open daily for tasting. If you call in advance you can schedule a more personal tour…

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hello from France!

The Rhone Valley, France

Hello from France! This past week, I’ve been in the Rhone Valley touring vineyards, tasting wine, taking in amazing views and of course eating great food. I’ll be back later this week with a new recipe, but for now here are some photos from my trip – of course, follow along on Instagram to see more! Au Revoir! Special thanks to Atout France & Air France for sending me & for my new friends at Inter Rhone for taking me around!

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A Trip to Sonoma

The ultimate trip to Sonoma. A visit to the original WIlliams Sonoma, handmade pasta from Flour+Water, and wine at Silver Oaks Winery.

I love my job more than anything, but working from home can sometimes get a little isolating. So when opportunities like this come my way, I’m all in! Last month, I spent an amazing few days with Williams Sonoma, Fortessa, The Fairmont, and a group of lovely bloggers in Sonoma. We were wined and dined and wined some more… Here’s just a quick recap! I’m a sucker for kitchen gear so it was fun to visit the original Williams Sonoma store. It just reopened this year – many of the charming details were replicated from the store that Chuck Williams first opened in 1956. If you’re in Sonoma,…

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Almond Breeze Brunch Workshop

I made "emoji smoothies," whole grain vegan waffles, and a tomato basil frittata for a brunch workshop in LA. Check out the recipes here!

Happy Friday! I hope you have brunch plans this weekend, because today I have a little brunch recipe inspiration to get you started… Last weekend, we flew to California to host this super fun brunch cooking class with Almond Breeze. It was a blast getting to meet & cook with a few fans of the blog (of all ages!). First we made my favorite frittata recipe with summer squash, cherry tomatoes and basil. This is a great easy recipe, especially with the abundance of late summer produce that’s in season right now. Of course we couldn’t have an almond milk party without smoothies. At the class, we made super…

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Peach, Basil & Radicchio Salad

So… it turns out that it actually is possible to have too much gelato. It’s also possible to have too much burrata, too much bread, and too much pasta… Normally, my matcha and kale-loving self would say that these truths are obvious – but when in Rome… well, you know the rest. We created this post on the day of the vacation when I needed salad most. Not that it’s hard to find good salads in Rome, but we enjoyed spending our early evenings on this terrace of the Airbnb apartment where we were staying. Earlier that morning, we picked up a…

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travel tips for Rome & Amalfi?

Later this week, we’re taking a little trip and would love to hear your travel recs… especially those that involve food (of course)! If you have favorite restaurants, markets, or gelato shops please let me know! Jack and I are heading to Rome, and the Amalfi coast so we’d love suggestions for Positano, Amalfi, Capri, and Sorrento. We’ve been to Rome (and Capri, pictured) before, so we’ll probably skip some of the main tourist attractions but would love other ideas – cool neighborhoods to check out – that sort of thing. Grazie!!

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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.