Quick Pickled Carrots

Learn how to make quick pickled carrots! Crunchy, tangy, and refreshing, they're a delicious snack or addition to salads, appetizer boards, and more.

Pickled carrots don’t get as much love as dill pickles or pickled red onions do, and I’m really not sure why. They can add crunch to a salad, acidity to a sandwich, or unexpected depth to a simple crudité platter.  They’re even great straight from the jar. Dripping with fridge-cold brine, pickled carrots are snappy, tangy, earthy, and sweet. You won’t find a more refreshing snack. So, if you’ve never tried pickled carrots before, make this recipe! It’s insanely easy—the prep takes under 15 minutes—and it’s so delicious. These quick pickled carrots keep for up to 2 weeks in the…

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Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Made with roasted tomatillos, this homemade salsa verde is zesty, spicy, and bright. It's SO much better than store-bought. Pass the tortilla chips!

Try this homemade salsa verde recipe once, and you’ll never get the store-bought kind again. It calls for a short list of fresh ingredients: tomatillos, serrano chiles, garlic, onion, cilantro, and lime. They give it an amazing zesty, tangy, bright, and spicy flavor that’ll have you scooping it up with chip after chip (after chip). And speaking of all those chips, another reason I love THIS tomatillo salsa vs. tomatillo salsa from a jar is its amazing texture. It’s thick and silky, which means that it’ll coat a dipped tortilla chip (or even a batch of enchiladas)—no watery salsa verde…

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Homemade Tortilla Chips

Learn how to make homemade tortilla chips with this step-by-step recipe! They're super crispy and flavorful. Enjoy them with your favorite dip!

If you have a bag of stale tortillas hanging out on your counter, don’t toss them. Instead, make homemade tortilla chips! These homemade tortilla chips are crispy, flavorful, and light as air. Made with just 3 ingredients—corn tortillas, salt, and oil—they’re super simple to make, and they taste 10 times better than any store-bought tortilla chips I’ve tried. I can easily devour a handful plain, but the crunchy chips stand up nicely to dips like salsa and guacamole too. They’re the perfect snack for game day, Cinco de Mayo, or a taco night. Keep reading to learn how to make…

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Peanut Sauce

You can make this easy peanut sauce recipe in just 5 minutes! Sweet and spicy, it's delicious as a dipping sauce and on noodles, salads, and more.

This peanut sauce recipe is so tasty that you’ll want to eat it straight off a spoon! It has an amazing creamy texture, with a nutty, bright, and spicy flavor from peanut butter, lime, and sriracha. The ingredient list is short and sweet, and you can stir it together in 5 minutes. Try it on peanut noodles, rice bowls, or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. You’ll be hooked! Peanut Sauce Recipe Ingredients Though this peanut sauce recipe draws inspiration from Indonesian and Thai peanut sauce, it’s not intended to be an authentic version of those sauces by any…

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21 Asparagus Recipes to Make This Spring

Celebrate spring with our best asparagus recipes! Fresh, bright, and easy to make, they include pastas, risottos, salads, side dishes, and more.

I start daydreaming about asparagus recipes as soon as I notice the first signs of spring. If I see daffodils shooting up in front of a neighbor’s house, I crave an asparagus frittata. If I glimpse green buds forming on a tree, I want a bowl of asparagus soup. And if the temperature rises above 60°F, I’m already at the grocery store getting the ingredients for pasta primavera. What can I say? After a long winter filled with root veggies and squash, asparagus recipes are an exciting change. They’re fresh, bright, and often quick to prepare—the beginning of the easy,…

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Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

These air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites are the BEST appetizer or game day snack! They're crispy, saucy, and spicy. You won't be able to get enough!

This air fryer buffalo cauliflower is the ULTIMATE game day snack. It’s saucy, spicy, and crispy, the kind of finger food that packs a ton of flavor into a single bite. If you still need snack recs for the Super Bowl next weekend, here’s mine: make this! I based this recipe on the baked buffalo cauliflower I shared last fall. After I posted it, I heard from so many of you asking for an air fryer version. I am SO GLAD I tried one, because this air fryer buffalo cauliflower might be even better than the oven version (which was…

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35 Best Party Dip Recipes

Throwing a party? You need some easy dip recipes in your back pocket! Find our 35 best below. They include spinach artichoke dip, guacamole, and more!

If you’re looking for dip recipes for your next party or gathering, you’re in the right place! I’ve rounded up 35 of my best below. Some, like spinach artichoke dip, are creamy and cheesy. Others, like homemade salsa, are zesty and bright. But all of these dip recipes have one thing in common: they’re serious crowd-pleasers. Whether you’re throwing a Super Bowl party, a holiday celebration, or a chill summer bbq, you can’t go wrong with any of these fun, flavorful dip recipes. You and your guests will love them. Pass the chips! Our Best Dip Recipes Spinach Artichoke Dip This…

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Jalapeño Popper Dip

This jalapeño popper dip is an addictive party appetizer or game day snack! Crispy bread crumbs and melty cheese top a warm, creamy, spicy dip.

This jalapeño popper dip is the ultimate party appetizer! It’s creamy, cheesy, and tangy, with a delicious spicy kick. Topped with crispy panko bread crumbs and served warm, it’s a HUGE crowd pleaser. I love this recipe because it delivers everything you love about jalapeño poppers, but it’s so much easier to make. Instead of stuffing each individual jalapeño, you simply chop up the peppers and stir them into the dip. And the best part? You can do almost all the prep ahead! Make this jalapeño popper dip for your next party or game day get-together. I think you’ll love…

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Homemade Buffalo Sauce

Learn how to make buffalo sauce! Rich, spicy, and tangy, this easy homemade version rivals any store-bought wing sauce I've tried.

Let’s talk buffalo sauce! This famous wing sauce is rich, tangy, and spicy. I recently tested out a homemade version for this buffalo cauliflower recipe, and I love the bold flavor so much that I’ve been using it in other ways too. As a dip for sweet potato fries or air fryer French fries, slathered on a black bean burger… If you love punchy flavors and lots of heat, then I think you’ll go nuts for this buffalo sauce recipe. But I’m getting ahead of myself. What is buffalo sauce, anyway? I’ll start by saying that it has nothing to…

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Corn Dip

Make this corn dip for your next summer party, and the entire bowl will disappear in minutes. Creamy, tangy, sweet, and spicy, it's always a hit!

This corn dip recipe is the perfect easy appetizer for game day or summer cookouts. It’s super simple to make, and, like all the best party recipes, it actually gets better if you make it ahead. …which is really saying something, because this corn dip is insanely delicious to begin with. A creamy, tangy combo of mayo and Greek yogurt coats juicy, smoky grilled corn kernels, jalapeños, and green onions. Lime juice makes it fresh and bright, and drizzles of hot sauce add an extra kick. Yum, right?! Well, pop it all in the fridge for an hour or so, and…

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Eggplant Caponata

Silky, sweet, and sour, this eggplant caponata recipe is a delicious summer appetizer. Serve it on crostini with lots of fresh basil for garnish!

These days, our neighborhood farmers market is basically like a caponata cooking kit. Mounds of eggplants, tomatoes, and multicolored peppers fill every stall. I’m pretty pleased about it, because this Sicilian vegetable stew is one of my favorite late summer dishes. It’s tangy, briny, and lightly sweet, with a rich, silky texture that’s absolutely irresistible. I first fell in love with caponata years ago on a trip to Italy. Jack and I ordered it as an appetizer with crusty bread and a glass of white wine almost everywhere we went. When we got home, of course I had to learn…

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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.