The Crowd-Pleasing Dinner I Make Every August

I’ve been making this eggplant Parmesan every August for almost 15 years! Based on my mom’s recipe, it’s always a hit—saucy, cheesy, and delicious.

Everyone goes crazy for corn and tomatoes in August, but there’s one unsung veggie that’s at its peak right now too… Eggplant! I’m planning to cook with it as much as I can this month, starting by making my all-time favorite eggplant recipe: this eggplant Parmesan. The recipe is based on my mom’s, and it brings back all the memories I have of her eggplant Parmesan as a kid. Smelling the rich, cheesy aroma as she pulled it out of the oven, digging into the tender eggplant at the table next to my sister. I’ve been making this recipe in…

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No-Bake Protein Balls

This no-bake protein balls recipe is one of my favorite healthy snacks! It's easy to make with simple ingredients like peanut butter, oats, and flax.

When I need an afternoon energy boost, these protein balls are the perfect bite-size snack! Made with peanut butter, honey, and mini chocolate chips, they’re lightly sweet, nutty, and delicious. They’re super satisfying too—oats and ground flaxseed add plenty of fiber, and a couple scoops of protein powder give them a nice protein bump. They’re similar to the energy balls I’ve shared in the past, but with one key difference: you don’t need a food processor to make them. You can just stir together the ingredients in a bowl before shaping the mixture into balls. So easy! I always get requests for…

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Pasta Puttanesca

This pasta puttanesca recipe stars a flavorful tomato sauce packed with garlic, olives, and capers. Perfect for weeknights, it's ready in 30 minutes!

Pasta puttanesca is a perfect example of what I love about Italian cooking. This Southern Italian dish features a garlicky tomato sauce spiked with briny olives, capers, and anchovies. It requires simple ingredients and minimal prep, but it still delivers rich, bold flavor. I shared a puttanesca recipe with zucchini noodles in Love & Lemons Every Day, but since this classic pasta is one of my weeknight favorites, I thought it was about time I shared a more traditional recipe too. It calls for 10 ingredients, cooks in under 30 minutes, and is absolutely delicious. I hope you love it as…

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Homemade Salsa

Break out the tortilla chips! This homemade salsa recipe is zesty, fresh, and super easy to make. Enjoy it as a dip, or pile it onto tacos, nachos, and more.

appetizers / cooking basics

If I learned one thing from living in Austin, it’s that homemade salsa is infinitely better than any kind in a jar. I loved sampling salsas at restaurants and taco trucks. Each one was different—some were made with roasted ingredients, others got a smoky, spicy kick from dried chiles, and still others were nice and fresh. This variety inspired me to start experimenting with making homemade salsa. I might pull out dried chiles in the winter, when good tomatoes are hard to find, or roast tomatillos if I see them at the farmers market. But on hot summer days, this…

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Corn Salsa

This corn salsa recipe is easy to make with fresh corn, peppers, cilantro, and lime. Zesty, sweet, and spicy, it's delicious on tacos, burritos, and more!

This corn salsa recipe is full of fresh summer flavor! Sweet, juicy corn kernels play off crisp bell peppers and red onion, spicy jalapeños, cilantro, and zesty lime. I love to serve it as a summer appetizer with tortilla chips, and it’s also great on burrito bowls, taco salads, and more. Think Chipotle’s corn salsa, but better. Like many of my favorite summer recipes, this corn salsa is easy to make. Simply dice up the veggies, chop the corn kernels off the cob, and stir everything together. If you’re doing the math, that means that I use raw corn in…

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30 Best Summer Vegetable Recipes

These summer vegetable recipes star veggies like corn, tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini. Try one to make the most of the season's best produce!

These summer vegetable recipes are my unofficial summer cooking bucket list. They’re the dishes I come back to every July and August, when zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, corn, and more are in full swing and I want to make the most of them. If you’re looking for ways to use your latest farmers market haul or garden bounty, I think you’ll love these summer vegetable recipes too. Most of them are super simple—think quick sautés and salads you can throw together on a weeknight. A few are a little more involved (looking at you, tomato galette), but I think they’re well…

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Affogato

An affogato is an Italian dessert made with two simple ingredients: hot espresso and cold gelato. It's the perfect easy, delicious treat for a hot day!

Let’s make an affogato! This classic Italian dessert is a delicious marriage of two simple ingredients: espresso and gelato or ice cream. You barely need a recipe to make one (it’s as easy as pouring hot espresso over cold ice cream). But because I think an affogato is the best way to enjoy coffee on a hot day, I couldn’t resist sharing this simple affogato recipe—my preferred ratios and variations included. I hope you’ll take it as an invitation to enjoy this delightful Italian treat for the rest of the summer, no trip to Italy required! How to Make an Affogato…

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Air Fryer Corn on the Cob

Air fryer corn on the cob is the fastest, easiest way to cook corn! It's ready in minutes, and it comes out tender, juicy, and flavorful every time.

Air fryer corn on the cob has been a total game changer for me. It’s the quickest, easiest way I know to cook corn on the cob! This recipe takes just 10 minutes from start to finish, and it yields perfectly cooked, tender sweet corn. Bonus: it doesn’t heat up your kitchen in the process. I won’t lie—I still make boiled corn on the cob and grilled corn on the cob for summer cookouts and BBQs. But when I want to make a small batch in as little time as possible, this air fryer method can’t be beat. It’s perfect…

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This Fresh, Fruity Latte Is My Drink of the Summer

I'm making this iced strawberry matcha latte on repeat this summer! With vibrant layers of strawberries and matcha tea, it's fruity and refreshing.

Hot days call for cold drinks! This summer, my iced strawberry matcha latte is the one I’m making on repeat. I first fell in love with this ultra-refreshing drink last August, and after Jack, Ollie, and I went strawberry picking a few weeks ago, it quickly re-entered my cold beverage rotation. Here’s why I love this iced strawberry matcha latte: It combines two of my favorite things: grassy, energizing matcha and peak-season summer berries. They make a surprisingly great pair. The strawberries add a tangy, fruity sweetness that perfectly balances the bitter notes of the matcha. It’s SO gorgeous. I…

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Cucumber Tomato Salad

This cucumber tomato salad is a refreshing summer side dish! A tangy vinaigrette brightens juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, onions, and herbs.

summer / salads

This cucumber tomato salad recipe is the simplest summer side dish! Making it is as easy as tossing sliced cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, crisp onions, and herbs with a tangy 5-ingredient dressing. I make some version of it every week in the summer, changing up the herbs to use what looks best in my garden or tossing in fun add-ins like avocado or cheese. Bright and refreshing, it pairs well with almost any meal, from fresh summer pastas to veggie burgers off the grill. Whether you make it as written or make it your own, this recipe is a great one…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.