Easy Fruit Salad

This easy fruit salad recipe is a perfect summer side dish! Kids and adults love this one—it's made with colorful fruit and a bright honey-lime dressing.

This classic fruit salad recipe has become one of our go-to summer side dishes. It’s fresh, it’s colorful, and—best of all—it’s kid-friendly. Our kiddo has always loved fresh fruit, so when I want to bring a dish to a gathering that I know he’ll go for, fruit salad wins every time. I call for a vibrant blend of pineapple, mandarin oranges, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and kiwi in this recipe, but I want to say up front that this fruit salad is super flexible. I’m sharing some of my go-to subs and swaps below, but honestly, almost any fruit tastes delicious with…

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Caprese Pasta Salad

This Caprese pasta salad recipe is perfect for summer picnics! It's super bright and fresh, filled with tomatoes, basil, and a light balsamic dressing.

This Caprese pasta salad recipe is practically summer in a bowl! As you can probably tell from its name, it’s a delicious fusion of two summer favorites: pasta salad and Italian Caprese salad. If you ask me, it’s a match made in heaven. A classic Caprese salad is bursting with fresh summer flavor, thanks to the famous combination of creamy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and aromatic basil. But it isn’t as packable as pasta salad, a staple at picnics and potlucks. This easy Caprese pasta salad recipe combines the best of both. You get all the fresh flavor of a Caprese…

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Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Love chocolate? Love ice cream? You HAVE to try this homemade chocolate ice cream recipe! It has a smooth, creamy texture and rich chocolate flavor.

Warning: this chocolate ice cream recipe is insanely delicious. If you try it once, there’s a good chance you’ll have it on repeat all summer long! I shared this vanilla ice cream recipe a few years ago, and it’s become SO popular that I knew I had to share a chocolate version too. After lots of testing and tweaking (read: eating lots of chocolate ice cream), I’m happy to report that this recipe makes some of the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever tasted, homemade or otherwise. It’s luxuriously creamy and super chocolatey. I’ve eaten it straight out of my ice…

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How to Make Iced Coffee

Learn how to make iced coffee at home! Easy to customize with any milk or sweetener, this recipe is just as delicious as iced coffee from a coffee shop.

Iced coffee is my favorite way to start a warm spring or summer day. Sorry, hot coffee—when the temps are high enough, only the iced stuff will do. In the last few years, iced coffee drinks have exploded in popularity. But I find that people often get them at coffee shops instead of making them at home. This iced coffee recipe is here to change that! It’s SO simple, you can customize it with your favorite milk or sweetener, and it’s more affordable than ordering iced coffee out. If you’re an iced coffee fan, give it a try. I think you’ll…

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Easy Fruit Dip

This fruit dip is creamy, flavorful, and lightly sweet. Easy to make with 5 ingredients, it's perfect for parties, picnics, and as a healthy snack!

Meet our new favorite fruit dip recipe! I’m firmly of the mind that there are very few ways to improve fresh fruit (it’s already delicious!), but this fruit dip might be one of them. I first started making it for my son Ollie, but it didn’t take long for me to start making it for myself too. I think it’s a perfect healthy snack. It’s fairly satisfying, thanks to a base of Greek yogurt and peanut butter, and it’s also delicious, with a smooth, creamy texture and sweet, nutty flavor. Since we’re heading into summer, I’ll also mention that this…

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Negroni

This Negroni recipe is easy to make with equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. It's a delicious, classic cocktail—bitter, citrusy, and sweet.

A Negroni is one of Jack’s favorite summer cocktails. If I’m sipping an Aperol spritz or a glass of white wine (or even better, rosé), there’s a good chance he’s enjoying this classic Italian drink. He’s not the only one who’s a fan—the Negroni cocktail became a bit of a (ok, a major) trend in the last few years, so I thought it was about time we shared a recipe here, especially now that we’re heading into summer. You can find our go-to Negroni recipe below. This classic recipe is easy to make with 4 ingredients, and it has a boozy,…

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35 Easy Memorial Day Recipes

Our best Memorial Day recipes! We've rounded up summer salads, sides, dips, desserts, and more—everything you need for a delicious cookout.

The unofficial start of summer is just a few days away—it’s time to plan your Memorial Day menu! I’ve rounded up our best Memorial Day recipes below. They include fresh appetizers, salads, side dishes, drinks, desserts, and more. They’d all be perfect for a Memorial Day cookout…and cookouts all summer long. I know I’ll have many of these recipes on repeat this summer. I hope you also find some you love! Memorial Day Appetizer Recipes Antipasto Platter Bring an Italian vacation to your own backyard with this aperitivo-inspired platter! It’s loaded with marinated mozzarella balls, gigante beans, olives, and more.…

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Easy Bruschetta

Learn how to make bruschetta! This classic Italian appetizer is simple and delicious. Fresh tomatoes and basil top crisp slices of toasted bread.

This bruschetta recipe is simple and classic. Topped with juicy tomatoes, ribbons of basil, garlic, and a touch of balsamic, it’s a delicious reminder that the best way to enjoy peak-season produce is often the simplest. It’s one of my favorite appetizers to make when I’m entertaining in the summer. It’s SO easy, so flavorful, and so fresh. If bruschetta isn’t already in your summer rotation, it should be! Keep reading to learn how to make it. Tomato Bruschetta Ingredients You only need a handful of ingredients to make this bruschetta recipe, so quality counts. You’ll really taste each one! Good…

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Blondies Recipe

We can't get enough of this easy blondie recipe! Made with brown butter, the blondies have a rich, caramel-like taste and perfect chewy texture.

This blondie recipe is one of my new favorite desserts! No offense to brownies, but I might like these blondies…better? They have a dense and chewy texture and a warm, butterscotch-y flavor from brown butter, brown sugar, and a generous splash of vanilla. White chocolate chips give them creamy pockets of sweetness, and walnuts add delicious crunch. These blondies are super simple to make (1 bowl! 8 ingredients!), so they’re a great dessert to whip up whenever you’re in the mood for something sweet. I’m also planning to make them for picnics and potlucks throughout the summer. They’re nice and…

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How To Brown Butter

What's better than regular butter? Brown butter! Its toasty, nutty flavor adds delicious depth to baked goods. Learn how to make it with this simple guide!

Learn how to brown butter! I’m always a fan of simplicity when it comes to baking. But for the right recipe, even I will admit that pulling out an extra pan and taking a few minutes to brown butter is worth it. Brown butter has a rich, nutty scent and toasty flavor—think butterscotch. When you add it to baked goods like chocolate chip cookies and blondies, it packs in all that toasty, nutty goodness, making your treats taste extra-delicious and complex. Browning butter intimidated me for years, but with the right equipment (a light-colored pan is KEY!), it’s actually super easy.…

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Dutch Baby

This Dutch baby recipe starts with a simple batter that's easy to make in the blender. It bakes into a big, puffy, golden brown pancake in the oven!

This Dutch baby pancake is for you if 1) you love popovers, 2) you love crepes, and/or 3) you want making brunch to be as easy as possible. This recipe couldn’t be simpler! Unlike stovetop pancakes, a Dutch baby bakes in a hot skillet in the oven. As it cooks, its eggy batter puffs up (think popovers) and turns a gorgeous golden brown. The custardy slices taste a lot like crepes, and they’re a delicious vehicle for toppings like fresh fruit. I shared a raspberry lemon Dutch baby recipe in my first cookbook, but I’ve never shared one here. With…

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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.