Homemade Hot Chocolate

This homemade hot chocolate is creamy, thick, and flavorful, made with both melted chocolate and cocoa powder. It's a perfect cozy treat for a cold day!

This hot chocolate recipe is so much better than a powdered mix! Made with two types of chocolate—a chopped bar and cocoa powder—it’s deliciously rich, creamy, and just the right amount of sweet. It’s super easy to make too—it comes together with 5 simple ingredients in under 10 minutes. We’ve already made this homemade hot chocolate a few times this December, and I have a feeling that it’ll stay on repeat all month long. It’s the perfect warming treat for a cold winter night, especially if you have a kid (like ours) who loves cozying up under the Christmas tree…

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Pignoli Cookies

Learn how to make pignoli cookies! These Italian pine nut cookies are chewy, nutty, and full of rich almond flavor. They're perfect for the holidays!

These pignoli cookies are a new addition to my holiday cookie lineup, and I already can’t get enough of them. A toasty, crunchy pine nut crust surrounds the chewy cookies, which are bursting with almond flavor (my favorite at Christmastime). They’re easy to make with 7 ingredients, but I think they’d be the star of any holiday cookie plate. I first tried pignoli cookies on a trip to Italy years ago, and I re-discovered them more recently at a bakery near our cottage in Michigan. I bought so many over the last few summers that I knew I had to…

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Spritz Cookies

This spritz cookie recipe has been in my family for years! Buttery, tender, and decorated with sprinkles, they're our favorite Christmas cookies.

This spritz cookie recipe comes straight from my mom’s recipe box! My family has been making it every Christmas for over 40 years—my first kitchen memory is of baking these spritz cookies with my mom and sister for the holidays. Made with a 6-ingredient dough, these spritz cookies are buttery, tender, and scented with almond extract, not unlike sugar cookies or shortbread. What sets them apart from other cookies is how they’re made. Spritz cookies get their festive shapes from a cookie press. Their name comes from the German word spritzen, which means “to squirt,” which describes how the dough…

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Top 10 Kitchen Gadget Gifts

You don't have to break the bank to find the perfect gift for the cook in your life! Fun, unique, and useful, these kitchen gadgets all cost under $50.

Good things come in little packages, and these kitchen gadget gifts are here to prove it! They include unique gifts for vegetable lovers, bakers, and home cooks of all kinds. Though they all clock in under $50, they’re some of the most-used items in my kitchen. Perfect for stocking stuffers or standalone gifts, they’ll surprise and delight the cooks in your life. (Disclosure: I earn a small commission on items purchased. This post is not sponsored – these are kitchen tools we’ve selected because we love and use them every day. We hope you like them too!) Prices were accurate at…

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Creamy Potato Soup

Warm up on a cold day with this easy potato soup! Thick, creamy, and loaded with toppings like green onions and cheese, it's the ultimate comfort food.

winter / soups

This potato soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food for a cold day! It’s like a loaded baked potato in soup form—the thick, creamy, savory soup is piled high with toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions or chives. Jack loves it so much that he can polish off half the pot in a single night. Luckily, this potato soup comes together in one pot with simple ingredients, so it’ll be easy to keep in our rotation this winter. It’s one of those recipes that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. You start with humble…

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The Best Holiday Gifts for Cooks

Searching for the perfect gift for someone who loves to cook? Our gift guide has you covered! Find stunning cookware, fun appliances, and more.

Our 2025 holiday gift guide is here! If you’re looking for gifts for the cooks in your life, you’ll find some amazing options in this post. I’ve included my favorite pots and pans, the BEST storage containers, an unbeatable immersion blender, and more. When I make this gift guide every year, my goal is to recommend gifts that the cooks you know will use and love. Every item is something I reach for regularly in my kitchen, and each one has stood the test of time through years of consistent use. As a recipe developer and cookbook author, I’d be thrilled…

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Stuffed Mushrooms

This stuffed mushrooms recipe is a delicious, easy party appetizer! The filling is a crispy, savory combo of breadcrumbs, garlic, herbs, and cheese.

appetizers / winter

This stuffed mushrooms recipe is one of my favorite party appetizers, especially for the holidays. Instead of making a typical cream cheese filling, I stuff the tender mushroom caps with a crispy, garlicky breadcrumb mixture. Sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese make it rich and savory, pine nuts add crunch, and parsley adds freshness. Grab two while you’re at the snack table—these bite-sized apps disappear fast. Another reason to love these stuffed mushrooms: they’re easy to make! They come together with 10 simple ingredients and about 15 minutes of hands-on prep. If you’re looking for a quick, crowd-pleasing appetizer for your next party, I…

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50 Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Whether you're seeking classic Thanksgiving recipes or something totally new, you're sure to love one (or more!) of these 50 Thanksgiving side dishes.

vegetarian / side dishes

Can we agree that Thanksgiving side dishes are the best part of the holiday meal? No offense to roast turkey and pumpkin pie, but the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and other sides are what I look forward to most. I’m sharing 50 of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes below. They include all the classics (think green bean casserole and dinner rolls) as well as inventive veggie sides, crowd-pleasing potatoes, and more. If you’re still planning you holiday menu, check them out! You’re sure to find some recipes you love. Our Best Classic Thanksgiving Sides Best Stuffing Based on my mom’s classic recipe,…

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Green Bean Casserole

This green bean casserole recipe is a delicious holiday side dish! It's made from scratch with fresh green beans and a creamy mushroom sauce.

thanksgiving / side dishes

Green bean casserole is always on my family’s Thanksgiving menu. We, like many folks, made the classic version with Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, french fried onions, and canned green beans for years…until I set myself the task of making a homemade green bean casserole from scratch. Let me introduce you to the results: this green bean casserole recipe. It stars fresh green beans, crispy onions, and a creamy mushroom sauce that blows the canned soup out of the water. Once I tried it, I couldn’t go back to the Campbell’s version, and I don’t think you’ll be able to…

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Cranberry Orange Bread

This cranberry bread recipe is packed with fresh cranberries and topped with a zesty orange glaze. It's a perfect easy treat for the holiday season!

I love keeping this cranberry orange bread around the house during the holidays. Packed with tart, juicy cranberries, this loaf is perfectly moist and tender. Orange juice and zest give it a lovely bright flavor, and a simple orange glaze takes it over the top. This cranberry orange bread is sweet enough to pass as dessert, but it’s not so sweet that you can’t enjoy it with an afternoon coffee or for breakfast with holiday guests. Easy to make with 10 basic ingredients, this recipe will be on repeat in my kitchen this season. I hope it will be in yours…

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Best Stuffing Recipe

The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based on my family's classic recipe, it's rich and savory, made with fresh herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.

fall / side dishes

This stuffing recipe is my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Based on my grandma’s homemade stuffing, it’s buttery and flavorful, made with celery, leeks (or onions), fresh herbs, and dried bread cubes. As it bakes, it gets crisp and golden on top but stays moist and gooey in the middle. If you’re looking for a traditional stuffing to complete your Thanksgiving menu, I think you’ll love this recipe. Simple, classic, and SO delicious, it’s hands down the best stuffing recipe I’ve tried. Find make-ahead tips and variations below! Stuffing Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade stuffing recipe: Bread, of…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.