Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

These easy pumpkin muffins are moist, tender, and warmly spiced—the perfect fall treat! Make a batch, and it'll disappear before you know it.

These pumpkin muffins are perfect for fall! They’re soft, super moist, and deliciously spiced—cinnamon, allspice, and more fill them with seasonal flavor. But best of all, they’re so easy to make. You can whip them up in less than an hour with a couple of mixing bowls and a whisk. No mixer required here! I love that these pumpkin muffins taste sweet, but not too sweet, so that they can pass for breakfast or a healthy snack. Enjoy one (or two) in the morning with a cup of coffee, and then grab another for an afternoon pick-me-up. If you have any…

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Hot Toddy

This classic hot toddy recipe is a great way to warm up on a cold night! This soothing drink is easy to make with hot water, whiskey, honey, and lemon.

Learn how to make a hot toddy! Made with hot water, whiskey, honey, and lemon juice, this classic drink is a famous home remedy for a cough or a cold. When Jack has a sore throat, he always makes this hot toddy recipe to soothe it. But you don’t have to be under the weather to enjoy this simple cocktail. Though I’m typically not a whiskey drinker, I love a hot toddy on a cold fall or winter night. Garnished with a cinnamon stick and a slice of lemon, it’s such a cozy way to warm up. Cheers! What’s in…

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Soft Pumpkin Cookies

These pumpkin cookies are soft, moist, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. Enjoy them plain or with cream cheese frosting for a delicious fall treat!

These pumpkin cookies are soft, cakey, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. You can think of them as little pumpkin muffin tops. They’re not chewy like chocolate chip cookies. Instead, they’re airy and moist. I love them plain (especially alongside a cup of coffee), but they’re also delicious with cream cheese frosting. If you need more reasons to love this pumpkin cookie recipe, here’s a big one: you don’t have to chill the cookie dough! When you’re in the mood for fall baking (which for me, lately, has been often), you can quickly whip these cookies up. I hope you…

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Vegetarian Chili

Meet the best vegetarian chili recipe I've tasted! It's thick, hearty, and comforting, filled with flavorful veggies and two types of beans.

This vegetarian chili is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. I make it on repeat throughout the fall and winter because it’s warming, hearty, and flavorful. Made with two types of beans, corn, peppers, and more, it packs in a hefty amount of veggies, but it’s still a hit with meat lovers (just ask Jack!). This easy vegetarian chili recipe calls for a short list of pantry ingredients. To make it, you only need to do a few minutes of hands-on prep. Then, let it simmer away on its own. 30 minutes later, this thick, smoky, spicy veggie chili will…

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Apple Crisp

This apple crisp recipe is a delicious fall dessert. It features juicy cinnamon apples and a brown sugar oat topping. Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Let’s make apple crisp! I love this classic fall dessert because it’s easy, delicious, and full of the flavors of the season. Cinnamon, apples, and brown sugar? Yes, please! I’m sharing my favorite apple crisp recipe below. It features juicy, cinnamon-spiced apples with a buttery brown sugar and oat topping. It’s rich and comforting, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. 🙂 I’ve shared apple crisp and crumble recipes in the past, but never one as simple or as classic as this. What sets it apart from my other recipes is that you don’t have to pre-cook the apples,…

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BEST Hummus

Learn how to make homemade hummus with this easy, 7-ingredient hummus recipe! It comes together in minutes, and it's SUPER smooth and creamy.

Is there anything better than creamy, nutty, velvety homemade hummus? I don’t think so, which is why I make this hummus recipe nearly every week. I’ve shared many hummus variations over the years (including 4 in my first cookbook!), but this recipe is the one I make most often. It’s a classic version of the Middle Eastern chickpea dip, with garbanzo beans and tahini as the key ingredients. The recipe is super simple to make. With just 5 minutes of prep, 7 basic ingredients transform into delicious homemade hummus. It’s lusciously smooth, with a bright lemon flavor and a little…

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Blueberry Muffins

We're head over heels for these homemade blueberry muffins. Moist, fluffy, and studded with juicy berries, they're a delicious quick breakfast or snack!

I’d take these homemade blueberry muffins over ones from a bakery any day. They’re moist and tender in the middle and have a crisp cinnamon-sugar streusel on top. But best of all, they’re loaded with juicy blueberries. You get a hit of sweet-tart berry flavor in every bite. We’ve been lucky enough to go blueberry picking a few times this summer, and I’ve made this easy blueberry muffin recipe after every trip. The muffins disappear quickly around here—paired with a cup of coffee, they’re one of my favorite breakfast treats. Our kiddo loves them too (without the coffee, of course). I’m hoping to…

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Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Make these zucchini boats for an easy summer dinner! They're fresh and filling, stuffed with a delicious mixture of breadcrumbs, herbs, and cheese.

I started making this stuffed zucchini boats recipe a few years back. It’s been a staple in our summer dinner rotation ever since! I love this recipe for several reasons. First, it’s a fantastic way to make the most of a summer stockpile of zucchini. I don’t let any of the squash go to waste here. Instead of tossing the scooped zucchini flesh, I mix it into the zesty filling. Second, it’s full of fresh summer flavor. These zucchini boats feature seasonal veggies like cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs in addition to the zucchini. Lemon zest brightens up the filling…

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Spicy Margarita

Jalapeños give this spicy margarita recipe a delicious kick. Tart and refreshing, it's perfect for a happy hour or summer entertaining.

Meet my go-to spicy margarita recipe! Like a classic margarita, it’s tart and refreshing, but jalapeño peppers give it an extra kick of heat. This spicy margarita recipe is easy to make. You only need 6 simple ingredients, and it comes together quickly in a cocktail shaker. Enjoy it with tortilla chips, guacamole, and/or salsa at a happy hour, Cinco de Mayo, or summer gathering. Cheers! Spicy Margarita Ingredients To make this jalapeño margarita recipe, you need 6 simple ingredients: Tequila – Use any good-quality blanco tequila (aka silver tequila) in this recipe. We like Espolon tequila, but feel free…

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How to Boil Corn on the Cob

Learn how to boil corn on the cob! Sweet, juicy, and golden, it's the BEST summer side dish. Top it with butter, salt, and pepper, and dig in!

I think my love of seasonal cooking comes from all the corn on the cob I ate as a kid. In the summer, my mom served boiled corn on the cob with dinner almost every night. She’d pick it up from a farm stand nearby, so it was always super-sweet and fresh. I couldn’t get enough of it – the juicy, golden kernels coated in butter and sprinkled with salt. To this day, the thought of that summer sweet corn makes my mouth start watering. I’ve posted recipes for steamed corn on the cob and grilled corn on the cob…

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Red Sangria

Learn how to make sangria with this easy recipe! This wine punch is cool, refreshing, and serves a crowd, so it's perfect for summer entertaining.

This red sangria recipe is perfect for summer entertaining! It’s cool, fruity, and refreshing (and it makes a whole pitcher). As cocktails go, it’s inexpensive and easy to make. What better drink to share with friends on a hot day? Red Sangria Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy sangria recipe: Red wine – I use a Spanish red wine such as Tempranillo or Garnacha. Read more about the best wine for sangria in the callout below. Fresh fruit – Oranges, apples, and lemons are the fruits most commonly added to classic red sangria. I sometimes use lime…

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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.