The Fan-Favorite Salad I Make Every Father’s Day

I make this broccoli salad recipe for my family's Father's Day cookout every year. It's a Love & Lemons reader favorite—it has over 400 5-star reviews!

On Mother’s Day, we make brunch. On Father’s Day, we grill! That’s how it is in my family, anyway. While we might sit down to a frittata or Dutch baby on Mother’s Day morning, by the time Father’s Day rolls around, the weather is wayyyyy too nice for an indoor meal. So my family gets together in the late afternoon for a cookout. My brother-in-law Josh is in charge of the mains (thanks, Josh!), and I’m on side dish duty. I like to change up the menu from year to year, but there’s one recipe that I make every single…

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7 Layer Dip

Based on my mom's classic recipe, this 7 layer dip is a perfect party appetizer or game day snack. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping!

7 layer dip might be my favorite party appetizer of all time. If you’re not familiar, this delicious dip combines creamy refried beans with zesty avocado, taco-spiced sour cream, tangy cheddar cheese, and loads of fresh fixings. It’s like bean dip meets guacamole meets pico de gallo and more. I mean, come on—pass the tortilla chips, please! This classic 7 layer dip recipe is based on my mom’s. She made it for every party and gathering when I was growing up, which meant I spent many of those parties and gatherings next to the snack table, piling a little paper plate with…

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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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Love & Lemons Cooking Club – June!

Join the Love & Lemons Cooking Club Challenge this month! It's easy to enter, and one lucky winner will receive a prize. Find all the details below.

Our Cooking Club is a fun way to celebrate the Love & Lemons community of readers. The concept is super simple—each month, I choose a recipe. You make it, and you leave a comment on the recipe’s blog post. At the end of the month, I randomly select one winner to receive a prize. I love the sense of community that comes from so many people cooking one recipe each month. We’re kicking off our June challenge today with our coleslaw recipe, and I hope you’ll join in the fun. Here’s how it works: The Prize: A $100 Whole Foods Gift…

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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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A Creamy, Delicious Slaw to Make This Weekend

This creamy coleslaw is one of our most popular recipes on Memorial Day weekend every year. It's one of my favorite summer side dishes too!

I’ve shared a lot of slaw recipes over the years. There’s this colorful cabbage salad that’s tossed in a lightly creamy peanut dressing and this vinegar coleslaw that features a tangy apple cider vinaigrette. My broccoli slaw has a base of broccoli stem matchsticks (waste not, want not!), and this kohlrabi slaw includes apples for sweetness. I love them all, but this creamy coleslaw will always be my favorite. Here’s why I love this coleslaw recipe: It’s classic and nostalgic. Coleslaw has been one of my favorite cookout side dishes since I was a kid. With its creamy, sweet, and…

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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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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.