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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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

No matter who you're serving, these mashed sweet potatoes are guaranteed to be a hit! They're smooth, creamy, and full of sweet and savory flavor.

If mashed sweet potatoes have never made an appearance on your dinner table, now’s the time to change that. They’re just too delicious to not have in your side dish rotation, especially in the fall. These mashed sweet potatoes have a beautifully smooth and creamy texture, and I season them with garlic, ginger, and rosemary to create a rich, warm flavor that’s part savory, part sweet. But maybe best of all, this mashed sweet potato recipe is SO easy to make! It calls for 8 ingredients, and the oven takes care of most of the work for you. It’s a…

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How to Make A Cheese Board

Learn how to make a perfect cheese board for entertaining! Filled with a fun variety of cheeses, fruits, and spreads, it offers something for everyone.

Whether I’m hosting a dinner party, a happy hour, or a holiday get-together, a cheese board is always my go-to appetizer. It’s my #1 choice for so many reasons – it offers a little something for everyone, it looks so pretty and festive, and it’s easy to put together (no cooking required!). Now, if you’ve never made a cheese board before, it might not seem so easy. What cheeses do you pick? What do you pair with them? I promise that the process really is simple, and to get you started, I’m sharing my favorite way to assemble a cheese…

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

These smashed potatoes are SUCH a tasty side dish or snack! They're crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and packed with savory garlic flavor.

Crispy smashed potatoes? Two, no, three. …Ok, more like four for me, please! I’m a huge fan of potato wedges, roasted potatoes, and even French fries, but these crispy smashed potatoes might just be my favorite potatoes yet. They have glorious crispy skins, comforting creamy middles, and a savory garlic-Parmesan flavor that I’m pretty sure no one could ever get enough of. Conveniently, they’re perfect for a wide variety of occasions. Top them with a drizzle of chipotle sauce, and they’d make a mouthwatering game day snack. Sprinkle them with fresh herbs, and they’d be a crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving side dish.…

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Garlic Knots

We love to make this garlic knots recipe when we're entertaining. The soft, fluffy knots always impress guests, but, secretly, they're super easy to make!

I’m trying to think of something more delicious than warm garlic knots fresh out of the oven. …And I’m giving up. It’s just not possible. Garlic knots deliver everything you love about dinner rolls – soft! fluffy! – plus an extra kick of rich, savory garlic flavor. And because they can pass as an appetizer, snack, or even a side dish with the right meal, there’s never an occasion where they’re out of place. If you want to be the life of the party at any gathering you’re attending this season, my advice to you is simple: make this garlic…

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Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic

This beet salad recipe is a stunning fall or winter side dish! Goat cheese, apples, and arugula fill it with a delightful mix of textures and flavors.

I love all the colors in this roasted beet salad recipe. The vibrant greens, the red and golden beets, the pale pink shallot, and the dots of white cheese. This kind of colorful salad is exactly what I like to serve at a dinner party or holiday meal. It adds some needed freshness to a spread of, say, stuffing and mashed potatoes, and it looks so striking, but it’s delightfully simple to make. You can even prep the components a day or two in advance! Beet Salad Recipe Ingredients To make this beet salad recipe, you can use any variety…

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Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

These Instant Pot mashed potatoes are rich, buttery, smooth, and creamy. Made with just 5 ingredients, they're such an easy, delicious side dish.

When I made these Instant Pot mashed potatoes for the first time, my goal was to earn Jack’s stamp of approval. He’s a devout mashed potato lover, so if these Instant pot mashed potatoes weren’t fluffy or flavorful enough, I knew I could count on him to let me know. After a few tastes and a tweak or two, he began happily scooping himself a bowl. “They’re great!” he said. And I had to agree. I don’t usually consider myself much of a mashed potato person, but at that moment, Jack wasn’t the only one loading up a bowl. I…

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Roasted Vegetables

Learn how to make the BEST oven roasted vegetables! I'm sharing an easy recipe + tips to help you cook tender, flavorful roasted veggies every time.

Roasted Vegetables

Welcome to roasted vegetables 101! Below, I’m sharing my go-to roasted vegetables recipe, plus tips and tricks to help you cook them perfectly every time. Of all the different ways to cook vegetables, roasting is my favorite. I love it because… It’s easy. You can make perfect roasted veggies in under 30 minutes. It works with a variety of vegetables. You can roast bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, and more. It’s delicious. Roasting vegetables in a hot oven brings out their natural sweetness. They come out tender and flavorful with crisp, caramelized edges. They’re so tasty that I often eat them straight…

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Kohlrabi Slaw

Made with toasted hazelnuts, red onions, and apples, this easy kohlrabi slaw is crisp and refreshing. It's a light, lovely side dish for any autumn meal.

If you still have space for one more dish on your Thanksgiving menu, make this kohlrabi slaw recipe! It’s crisp and refreshing – the perfect way to balance out indulgent holiday fare like stuffing and mashed potatoes. Plus, it calls for just 10 ingredients, and it comes together in right around 15 minutes. You can chop the veggies, whisk up the dressing, and have it on the table in the time it takes to warm your dinner rolls or sweet potato casserole in the oven! The recipe comes my friend Andrea‘s new book Local Dirt: Seasonal Recipes for Eating Close to…

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20 Best Thanksgiving Salad Recipes

Brighten your holiday table with these Thanksgiving salad recipes! With grain salads, green salads, and more, you're sure to find one you love.

By now, you probably have a good idea of your Thanksgiving menu. Maybe you’re sticking to classics like turkey, sweet potato casserole, and cranberry sauce, or maybe you’re trying something new. Mashed cauliflower? Mac and cheese? No matter what you’re serving, I hope you’re including a Thanksgiving salad. Why? For one, color! If you’ve been following Love & Lemons for a while, you know that I love highlighting the colors of every season. In the fall, so much colorful produce is at its peak, but it doesn’t always make its way onto our Thanksgiving tables, where mashed potatoes and gravy take…

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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.