Homemade Cherry Pie

Learn how to make a cherry pie! This easy recipe features a thick, almond-scented cherry pie filling and a flaky all-butter crust. It's SO delicious!

This cherry pie recipe is one of my favorite homemade desserts. It features a buttery, flaky crust and a velvety, almond-scented filling. If you allow it to cool completely, it slices beautifully, but the filling still stays a tiny bit juicy so that you can savor the cherries’ delicious texture. This cherry pie recipe is simple to make. But heads up: it does take some time. The pie dough has to chill and the filling has to cool before you can assemble and bake the pie. If you want to get ahead, you can make both the crust and the filling a…

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Macaroni Salad

This macaroni salad recipe is a crowd-pleasing side dish! A creamy dressing, crunchy veggies, and pickles pack it with delicious textures and flavors.

This classic macaroni salad recipe is a hit at potlucks and cookouts! Based on the macaroni salad I ate at summer gatherings as a kid, it features a creamy dressing and crunchy veggies like celery, red bell peppers, and onion. Diced dill pickles add a pop of tangy, savory flavor to the salad, and a splash of pickle juice punches up the dressing. This macaroni salad is easy to make, and it’s perfect for making ahead. Prep it a few hours or even a day before a picnic or BBQ, and chill it until you’re ready to serve. The flavors get…

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Lemon Bars

These easy lemon bars are a delicious sweet and tangy treat! They have a bright, creamy lemon curd filling and a crisp shortbread crust.

Who else loves lemon bars?! It probably comes as no surprise that these bright, zesty squares are one of my favorite desserts. I shared a recipe for vegan lemon bars in my second cookbook, but I’ve never shared a classic lemon bars recipe until now. I’m so excited to finally change that! This recipe comes to you after lots of testing and tinkering. To me, it has the ideal ratio of lemon filling to shortbread crust. The lemon curd layer is thick, creamy, and not too sweet, delivering the tartness I crave in a lemon bar. The buttery crust is…

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Grilled Corn on the Cob

It wouldn't be summer without grilled corn on the cob! Learn how to cook it 2 ways—in and out of the husk—so that it's sweet, juicy, and nicely charred.

Grilled corn on the cob is one of the highlights of summer. It’s sweet and juicy, with a satisfying crunch and smoky char from the hot grill grates. It’ll be on the menu at every BBQ and cookout I host for the next few months, and I hope you’re planning to make it for all your get-togethers too. Fresh corn season will be gone before we know it! Let’s enjoy it while we can. Below, I’m sharing two methods for how to grill corn on the cob—in the husk and out. The first method yields super-juicy, bright yellow kernels, while…

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Grilled Potatoes

These easy grilled potatoes are crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and filled with smoky flavor. They're a delicious summer side dish!

Grilled potatoes belong in your summer side dish rotation! Just like oven roasted potatoes, they’re crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle, but the grill infuses them with an extra layer of smoky flavor. Delicious is an understatement, if you ask me. Many grilled potato recipes instruct you to grill the potatoes in foil packets. After using that method for years, I finally tried putting the potatoes directly on the grill grates. Once I did, I never looked back. These grilled potatoes have crispier skins and a smokier flavor. When I’m making grilled potatoes, that’s exactly what I’m after.…

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30 Easy Summer Desserts

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these easy summer desserts! They include fuss-free ice cream recipes, no-bake treats, fruit pies, crisps, and more.

Bring on the summer desserts! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for frozen treats like ice cream and popsicles. I’m ready for no-bake sweets that hit the spot on days when it’s too hot to use the oven. And I’m especially ready for summer desserts that showcase the season’s best fruit. Cherry pie? Peach crisp? Blueberry cobbler? Yes, please! You’ll find 30 of my favorite easy summer desserts below. Some are perfect for packing up for picnics. Others are designed to help you cool off on hot days, and still others are celebration-worthy centerpieces like pies, cakes, and tarts. I love…

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Strawberry Shortcake

Homemade strawberry shortcake is the perfect summer dessert! My recipe is easy and delicious, featuring flaky lemon biscuits, fresh berries, and cream.

This strawberry shortcake recipe is the ultimate summer dessert! Fresh strawberries and airy whipped cream fill flaky, tender homemade biscuits. At this time of year, strawberries are at their best. They’re insanely juicy and bursting with sweet and tangy flavor. I love this recipe because it shows how little you have to do to make them a delicious dessert. There’s no need to cook them or even sweeten them. Just sandwich them between biscuits with a dollop of whipped cream for a simple, rustic, and luxurious treat. If you’ve never made strawberry shortcake from scratch before, I hope you’ll try…

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Antipasto Platter

This antipasto platter recipe is a crowd-pleasing party appetizer! It's loaded with flavorful Italian ingredients like cheeses, olives, and fresh veggies.

Let’s make an antipasto platter! This Italian appetizer spread is one of my favorite things to serve when I’m hosting family and friends. Everyone (kids included!) loves trying the different snacks and bites on the board—cheeses, veggies, olives, nuts, and more. Often, folks enjoy grazing so much that there’s no need to serve a larger meal. As a host, I think an antipasto platter is the ideal party food. I can use a mix of store-bought and homemade components, and I can prep all the homemade ones in advance. When guests arrive, I just assemble the platter and serve. I’m sharing my…

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Marinated Mozzarella Balls

These marinated mozzarella balls are a quick and easy party appetizer! Coated in olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs, they're full of rich flavor.

These marinated mozzarella balls are quickly becoming a family favorite snack. I love them because they’re the perfect last-minute appetizer for gatherings—flavorful, elegant, and SO easy to throw together. Jack and Ollie love them…well…because they love anything with cheese. The recipe is super simple. I marinate mini fresh mozzarella balls in olive oil with herbs, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. The bright, savory flavor of the fresh garlic, lemon, and herbs saturates the oil, which in turn soaks into the chewy balls of cheese. I hope these marinated mozzarella balls become your go-to appetizer for parties and gatherings,…

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Marinated Gigante Beans

These marinated gigante beans are a delicious appetizer or lunch! Olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, garlic, and herbs infuse them with savory flavor.

This marinated gigante beans recipe is an easy, delicious kitchen staple. A flavorful blend of olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest, and parsley coats the big, creamy white beans. They’re rich, tangy, and intensely savory. Try them once, and you’ll make them on repeat for picnics, appetizer platters, and protein-packed lunches. Before I developed this recipe, I regularly bought marinated gigante beans from the olive bar at my grocery store. I loved the taste, but I was always disappointed by their mushy texture. These homemade marinated gigante beans solve that problem. Made with good-quality canned beans or dried beans…

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45 Easy Summer Dinner Ideas

Tired of the same old recipe rotation? Change things up with these easy summer dinner ideas! They include grilling recipes, quick pastas, and more.

If you’re looking for new summer dinner ideas, you’re in the right place! Below, you’ll find 45 of my best summer dinner recipes. They include easy weeknight pastas, fresh summer salads, quick grilled meals, and more. These recipes are the meals I make on repeat throughout the summer. I love them because they’re packed with the best produce the season has to offer—tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, basil, and more. Using these fresh ingredients is a simple way to add bold flavor to summer meals. I’ll be cooking with them as often as I can this season, and I hope you…

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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.