Easy Pie Crust

Learn how to make pie crust with this easy pie dough recipe! It yields a flaky, buttery crust that's perfect for using in your favorite homemade pies.

If the prospect of making homemade pie dough intimidates you, you have to try this easy pie crust recipe. As a lover of basically every kind of pie, I’ve experimented with a variety of techniques for making pie dough over the years. I’ve had my fair share of successes, near successes, and all-out failures. But since I’ve started making this pie crust recipe, it’s worked like a charm every time. Made in a food processor using a technique that J. Kenji López-Alt pioneered for Cook’s Illustrated in 2007, it’s far more pliable than a traditional pie dough, which makes it…

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Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

These roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts have a delicious crispy texture and sweet, tangy flavor. You'll want to eat them straight off the baking sheet!

A balsamic Brussels sprouts recipe was one of our first-ever posts on Love & Lemons (10+ years ago now!), so I’ll always have a soft spot for this classic side dish. I wanted to share a new, updated version of it this fall because it’s such a good one to have in your back pocket during the holiday season. Balsamic Brussels sprouts are no harder to make than regular roasted Brussels sprouts, but the addition of the vinegar and a little honey really gives them restaurant-quality flavor. They’re sweet, tangy, caramelized, and crisp around the edges. I love to toss…

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Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Brighten up your plate with these roasted rainbow carrots! Tender, caramelized, and topped with herbs, they're a fresh, festive side dish.

This roasted rainbow carrots recipe lives up to its name. Seriously, how often do you see white, yellow, orange, purple, pink, and green all hanging out in a single dish?! Always, but especially throughout the fall and winter, I aim to add as much color to my meals as I can. These rainbow carrots make it easy! My favorite thing about this recipe (aside from all the colors) is that it uses the carrot tops as well as the carrots themselves. While the roots roast, becoming tender and caramelized in the oven, I use the tops to make a quick…

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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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Instant Pot Rice

So long, rice cooker! This Instant Pot rice comes out perfectly every time. Fluffy and flavorful, it's delicious as a side dish, in grain bowls, and more.

I first tried this Instant Pot rice recipe last fall, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve cooked rice any other way since. Nothing against the stovetop or the rice cooker, of course, but the convenience and reliable results of this Instant Pot rice recipe just can’t be beat. It’s super quick and easy, and the rice comes out tender, fluffy, and flavorful every time. If you have an Instant Pot, you have to try it! How to Make Instant Pot Rice This recipe couldn’t be simpler! To make it, you’ll need two ingredients: White rice Water This recipe…

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Acorn Squash Soup

This acorn squash soup recipe comes together in three easy steps: roast, simmer, and blend. It's creamy, cozy, and flavorful--perfect for a cold night.

I’ve had a stash of this acorn squash soup in my freezer for the last couple of weeks, ready and waiting for the type of cold fall day that necessitates creamy orange soup. Well, last weekend, that day finally came. Saturday arrived, chilly and crisp, and I knew that this acorn squash soup would hit the spot. I heated up a bowl for lunch, and I enjoyed it so much that I polished off the rest on Sunday. This weekend, I’m definitely making more. This acorn squash soup is sublimely creamy (but not from cream!), and it’s deliciously seasoned with…

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Farro Salad

Farro adds delicious chewy texture and nutty flavor to this fresh, versatile salad recipe. Enjoy it for a healthy lunch, or serve it as an easy side dish.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop experimenting with new farro salad recipes. This chewy, nutty grain lends itself well to all sorts of ingredient combinations, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than stumbling across a really good one that I haven’t tried before. I first made this farro salad recipe earlier this fall as a way to use up odds and ends we had on hand in the fridge. Arugula, radicchio, most of an apple… I loved the way the nutty farro played off the bitter greens, the sweet fruit, and some salty, funky pecorino cheese I tossed in at…

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Sweet Potato Hash

I call this sweet potato hash a breakfast recipe, but honestly, we love it for any meal of the day. It's healthy, satisfying, delicious, and SO easy to make!

A good sweet potato hash will always be one of my favorite things to eat. I love the balance of sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors. I love how the tender veggies and sweet potatoes get deliciously crispy on the bottom of the hot skillet. But perhaps most of all, I love that a sweet potato hash is a healthy, one-pan meal that I can easily pull off in 30 minutes. This sweet potato hash recipe is my go-to. It’s nicely spiced with chili powder and packed with veggies like peppers and kale. It’s a great simple meal to have in…

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Instant Pot Chili

If you love recipes that are as simple as they are delicious, then you have to try this Instant Pot chili. It's smoky, spicy, savory, and SO easy to make!

This Instant Pot chili delivers everything you love about regular chili–a smoky tomato broth, tender peppers, and hearty beans–but it has the added bonus of being a set-it-and-forget-it recipe. I won’t argue that regular chili is difficult to make (I call my recipe Easy Vegetarian Chili, after all), but it does require you to stay nearby the kitchen if not in it, close enough to adjust the heat of your stove from time to time to maintain a lively simmer. For most of my life, I loved that aspect of making chili or soup. I wanted to hang out in…

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Instant Pot Pinto Beans

These Instant Pot pinto beans are tender, flavorful, and ready in under an hour, no soaking required! We love them as a side dish or in chili and more.

This Instant Pot pinto beans recipe has become my favorite way to cook pinto beans. It’s faster than simmering them on the stove (no soaking required!), but it still yields beans with a far better texture and flavor than the canned ones have. These Instant Pot pinto beans are tender, creamy, and deliciously seasoned with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and sea salt. They’re so tasty that you can serve them as a side dish on their own, but we love them in other recipes too. Try adding them to chili or soup, or use them to make tacos, refried beans,…

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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.