Ranchero Sauce

This ranchero sauce recipe calls for fresh ingredients like tomato, jalapeño, and onion. Spicy and bright, it's delicious on Mexican and Tex Mex dishes!

This ranchero sauce is zesty, spicy, tangy, and fresh. It’s the star component in my homemade huevos rancheros (recipe coming soon!), but this punchy sauce is good for so much more. Use it to make enchiladas or chilaquiles, or simply scoop it up with tortilla chips! What is ranchero sauce? Ranchero sauce is a spicy tomato-based sauce that originated in Northern Mexico. It shares ingredients like tomatoes, chiles, and garlic with enchilada sauce and salsa roja, but some of its distinguishing features are that It contains fresh hot chiles like jalapeños. It’s always a cooked sauce, not a fresh salsa made…

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Margarita

We'll be making this classic margarita recipe all summer long. With just 5 ingredients, it’s so simple to make—break out the tequila and limes ASAP!

This classic margarita recipe is our favorite cocktail to make at home. We love it for two reasons. First, because it’s so simple—if you have tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur on hand, you can make it in under 5 minutes! Second, because it’s so delicious. The lime juice gives it a tart, refreshing kick, which the sweet orange liqueur (and a touch of agave) balance nicely. On a warm spring or summer evening, there’s nothing I’d rather drink. If you’re new to making cocktails, this recipe is a great place to start. Mix it up for a happy hour,…

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Pico De Gallo

Learn how to make pico de gallo! This easy recipe uses simple, fresh ingredients. Enjoy it as a dip with tortilla chips or on any Mexican dish.

Learn how to make pico de gallo! I’m sharing my classic pico de gallo recipe below, plus tips to give it the best flavor. If you’re new to making salsa, pico de gallo is a great place to start. It gives you a lot of bang for your buck, because even though it’s zesty and flavorful, it’s SO easy. You don’t need any special equipment—just a cutting board and a good knife—and the ingredient list is short and sweet. Try this fresh salsa once, and I think it’ll become a staple in your kitchen. How to Make Pico de Gallo…

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Mint Julep

Learn how to make a mint julep with this easy recipe! The traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby, this bourbon cocktail is aromatic and refreshing.

Have you ever tried a mint julep? If you like fresh mint (like me) or bourbon (like Jack), then you absolutely should. A mint julep is made with four simple ingredients: bourbon, simple syrup, crushed ice, and fresh mint. It’s the traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby, and it might be as important a tradition as the horse race itself. The Kentucky Derby’s website claims that fans consume 125,000 mint juleps at the Churchill Downs racetrack over the race weekend each year! That said, it doesn’t have to be Derby Day for you to enjoy a mint julep. This ice…

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These lemon poppy seed muffins are super moist and bursting with bright citrus flavor. They're delicious plain or with a simple lemon glaze on top!

Let’s make lemon poppy seed muffins! These classic muffins are bursting with fresh citrus flavor, and they have a moist, tender texture that’s punctuated by the poppy seeds’ crunch. I love them plain for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but they’re also wonderful with my quick lemon glaze on top. It makes them a bakery-worthy treat that would be perfect for a special occasion brunch or even dessert. Like all my muffin recipes, these lemon poppy seed muffins are easy to make. You simply stir together the batter in a couple of mixing bowls. No mixer required! Lemon Poppy Seed…

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Blueberry Scones

These blueberry scones are crisp on the outside, moist and buttery in the middle, and bursting with juicy berries. Perfect for breakfast or brunch!

The best scones are buttery, flaky, and moist inside. They’re crisp and crumbly around the edges, perfect for pairing with a cup of coffee or tea. Scones can get a bad rap for being bland or dry (my husband Jack swore he didn’t like them for years), but when they’re prepared well, they shouldn’t be either of those things. I’m sharing my favorite blueberry scones recipe below. It’s easy to make with 10 basic ingredients, and it yields tender, flavorful, bakery-worthy scones every time. If you’re on the fence about scones, I think it’ll win you over. Even Jack will tell…

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Lemon Curd

With its silky smooth texture and sweet/tart lemon flavor, this homemade lemon curd is a delicious treat. Enjoy it on scones, ice cream, and more!

This homemade lemon curd is so delicious that you’ll want to eat it off a spoon. It’s rich, sweet, and delightfully tart, bursting with bright citrus flavor. Imagine if the top of a lemon bar or the middle of a lemon meringue pie became a smooth and creamy spread. That’s this lemon curd. As the world’s biggest fan of anything lemon, I’ve always loved lemon curd. But I didn’t try making my own until recently. I thought it would be fussy and hard to get just right, but I was in for a surprise: Lemon curd is super easy to…

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Lemon Pasta

This lemon pasta recipe is bright, fresh, and ready in 20 minutes! Made with simple ingredients, it's a delicious, satisfying weeknight dinner.

This lemon pasta recipe is my take on Italian pasta al limone. It’s buttery, garlicky, and bright with citrus, and best of all, it’s super easy to make. You can whip it up in 20 minutes using under 10 ingredients. Even though this lemon pasta feels elegant, it’s a perfect weeknight dinner. While many lemon pasta sauces call for heavy cream, I skip it here. Instead, butter, Parmesan, and starchy pasta cooking water create the pasta’s silky sauce. These simple ingredients let the fresh lemon flavor shine through. Citrus fans, get ready—you’re going to love this pasta! Lemon Pasta Ingredients…

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Best Egg Salad

The BEST egg salad recipe! Delicious on a sandwich or straight from the bowl, this easy egg salad is creamy, tangy, and bright. A perfect lunch!

I started making this egg salad recipe as a way to use up hard boiled eggs left over from Easter one spring. I thought it would be a one-and-done lunch—just an easy way to use up my leftovers—but to my surprise, I got hooked. Before long, I was boiling more eggs to make more egg salad. This stuff is seriously good! This egg salad recipe is brighter and fresher than most. In my opinion, it’s what a classic egg salad recipe really wants to be. It’s still rich, creamy, and flavorful, but it uses far less mayo than is traditional. Lemon juice, Dijon mustard,…

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41 Best Carrot Recipes

Looking for new ways to cook carrots? These easy carrot recipes can help! They include fresh salads, cozy soups, the moistest carrot cake, and more.

What are your favorite carrot recipes? If you said classic carrot cake or baby carrots and dip, you’re probably not alone. But I’m sharing 40+ of my best carrot recipes here in the hopes that you’ll try cooking this bright orange vegetable in a new way. They might seem humble, but carrots are insanely versatile. Roasted carrots make a wonderful side dish, for example, and carrot ginger soup is the perfect cozy meal for a cold day. Tangy pickled carrots are great for snacking, while a fresh carrot salad could be the star of your next picnic. Below, you’ll find…

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Spinach Quiche

Learn how to make quiche! This easy spinach quiche recipe has a delicate egg filling and a flaky, buttery crust. It's a delicious breakfast or brunch!

I’m making this spinach quiche recipe for Easter brunch this year, and I’m already looking forward to it. It’s a change from my usual breakfast casserole or frittata, and though it’s (much) more time-intensive, every second is worth it. This spinach quiche is melt-in-your mouth delicious. It has a buttery, flaky crust and a custardy egg filling that’s flecked with tender spinach, green onions, and salty feta cheese. If you’re tempted to try it, you can find my step-by-step guide to how to make quiche below, complete with all my best tips for quiche success. I know that pastry can…

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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.