Blistered Shishito Peppers

Looking for a fun summer appetizer or snack? Make these blistered shishito peppers! Tender, charred, and topped with sesame oil, they're always a hit.

I love the simplicity of this blistered shishito peppers recipe. It relies on just 3 main ingredients – shishito peppers, salt, and sesame oil – but it’s still flavorful, satisfying, and totally addictive. You might think you’re going to eat one pepper, maybe two, but before you know it, you’ll have devoured half the pan! Um…yes, I’m speaking from experience. If you’re not familiar with shishito peppers, they’re small, thin-walled peppers that are traditionally used in Japanese and Korean cooking. These days, you can often find them at farmers markets in the US and at major grocery stores like Whole Foods…

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Herb Compound Butter

These herb compound butter recipes will add bold flavor to the simplest dishes. They're delicious on corn on the cob, toast, potatoes, and more!

I have a new favorite cooking project: making compound butter! In the summer, I’m always hunting for different ways to use the herbs we grow on our back deck. When I’ve blended up a million batches of pesto and tossed together fifteen pasta salads, I start to wonder, “What next?” I thought to make these compound butter recipes when I was dreaming up ways to serve corn on the cob. I imagined slathering it with butter and sprinkling it with herbs, but then I thought, “Why not put the herbs in the butter?” First, I experimented with chives and dill. The…

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Caprese Skewers

These Caprese skewers are such a fun summer appetizer! Topped with a tangy balsamic glaze, they're light, flavorful, and fresh.

Last week I shared this cherry tomato pasta recipe, and now I’m onto these Caprese skewers… If you couldn’t tell, I’m having a moment with cherry tomatoes. I love how many different varieties are available at this time of year – some are round and yellow, others are oblong and speckled with red. Still others are purple, orange, and green. When I see all these shapes and colors at the farmers market or grocery store, I can never resist bringing home some of each. They’re just so darn pretty (and delicious, too!). You can toss them into a salad, top…

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20 Easy Peach Recipes

Make the most of peach season with these fresh peach recipes! They include drinks, desserts, and more to help you celebrate this sweet summer fruit.

It’s peach season! For the next few weeks, I’ll come home with a bag of peaches after every trip to the farmers market or store. The season is just so short, so while it’s here, and fresh peaches are juicy, sweet, and abundant, I make it my goal to eat as many of them as I can. Some I devour plain, their sticky juice dripping down my chin. But I use even more in my favorite peach recipes. As you might expect, these peach recipes include desserts like crisps and cobblers. But they go way beyond that, too. Have you…

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25 Fresh Corn Recipes

Sweet corn is one of the highlights of summer, and these fresh corn recipes show it off at its best. Find salads, sides, and more to enjoy all season long.

If you’re looking for corn recipes to make this summer, you’re in the right place! There are few, if any, foods I love more than fresh sweet corn, and as a result, I’ve developed tons of corn recipes over the years. I’ve rounded up my 25 best below. They range from simple preparations of corn on the cob to spicy dips, zesty salads, comforting soups, and more. No matter what kind of corn recipes you’re craving, I’m sure you’ll find something you love. My Top 5 Corn Recipes If you only make one of the fresh corn recipes in this…

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9 Cold Soup Recipes for Hot Summer Days

Hot days call for cold soup! Cool off this summer with these refreshing cold soup recipes. They include classic gazpacho, chilled corn soup, and more.

Cold soup is one of my summer obsessions, right up there with salads, cold brew, and everything sweet corn. On a hot summer day, there’s nothing I crave more. Cold soup is hydrating, refreshing, and brimming with peak-season produce. Often, its flavor improves after a day or two in the fridge, so it’s the sort of thing you can make ahead and keep on hand for easy, no-cook summer meals. You’ll find 9 of my go-to cold soup recipes below. They include classics like gazpacho and chilled cucumber soup as well as out-of-the-box ideas like cold carrot coconut soup and…

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Cold Cucumber Soup

This cold cucumber soup recipe is perfect for hot summer days. Creamy, cool, bright, and refreshing, it's a delicious, nourishing starter or side dish.

This cold cucumber soup is everything I want on a hot summer day. To make it, you don’t have to turn on the oven, the stove, or even the grill. Just toss the ingredients into a blender, puree, and chill! After a few hours in the fridge, this cucumber soup will be so creamy, cool, bright, and refreshing that you won’t be able to resist going back for seconds. Cucumber Soup Recipe Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this cucumber soup: Cucumbers, of course! I love to use delicate, thin-skinned Persian cucumbers in this recipe. Don’t forget to save…

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Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans & Corn

Chipotle dressing, mango salsa, and pickled onions infuse this dish with bold summer flavor. Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it as a meal on its own!

The first time I made this recipe, I was doing what I love most: cooking with what I have on hand. I had some sweet potatoes on the counter, a little mango salsa in the fridge, and half a jar of pickled onions that needed to be used up. I grilled the sweet potatoes (because who wants to roast or bake them in the summer?), spread them on a platter, and started piling things on top. Smoky Sweet Potatoes Recipe Ingredients It was all improvised, but it ended up tasting so delicious that I’ve made the same dish two times…

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Grilled Pineapple

This grilled pineapple recipe is a fun burger topping or summer side dish. Cooked in a quick chili-lime marinade, it's tangy, smoky, juicy, and sweet.

When you make grilled pineapple, something magical happens. The already-juicy fruit becomes even juicier, and its sugars caramelize and char against the grill grates. You end up with grilled pineapple rings that are smoky, tart, tender, and sweet. To be honest, if I had to pick between eating a slice of regular pineapple or a slice of grilled pineapple, I’d take the grilled pineapple every time. It’s just that good. How to Grill Pineapple Here’s the good news: this recipe cooks up in no time! Once you have the grill going, it’ll be ready in under 10 minutes. The bad…

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Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

These air fryer zucchini chips are crispy, golden brown, and filled with delicious Parmesan flavor. They're an easy, addictive side dish or snack!

Heads up: these air fryer zucchini chips are one delicious snack. They’re crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, and filled with nutty Parmesan flavor. You might think you’re going to try just one, or maybe two, but if you’re anything like me, you’re not. You’re going to munch on these air fryer zucchini chips until every last one is gone! I based this recipe on the baked zucchini chips I shared last summer. Both versions are super yummy, but at this time of year, I like how I can make the air fryer recipe without turning on the…

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Sesame Cucumber Salad with Pickled Mustard Seeds

This easy, refreshing cucumber salad recipe is perfect for hot days! A sweet and tangy dressing coats cool cucumbers, onions, and lots of fresh herbs.

This cucumber salad recipe is the quintessential summer side dish. Like all the best summer recipes, it calls for just a few ingredients, but it still packs a big punch of flavor. Thanks to a light sesame salad dressing, it’s salty, sweet, nutty, and tangy, with plenty of fresh mint and dill to take it over the top. You only need 15 minutes to make it (including 10 minutes of hands-off chill time), so toss it together and enjoy it as a dinner side dish, or, like me, eat it straight out of the bowl! On hot days, there’s nothing…

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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.