Sweet Potato Casserole

Without question, this is the best sweet potato casserole recipe I've tried! Smooth and creamy sweet potatoes are topped with a savory pecan crumble.

This sweet potato casserole recipe is one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. Instead of topping it with mini marshmallows, I cover it in a crisp pecan crumble. I love how this nutty, savory topping balances the creamy sweet potato filling. It’s delicious…and it tastes like it belongs at dinner, not dessert. 🙂 This recipe is great for the holidays because the ingredients are super simple (ALDI shoppers, you can get all of them there!) and you can make it ahead. Prepare the filling and topping up to 2 days in advance, and store them separately in the fridge until the…

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25 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers

Kick off your holiday feast with these easy Thanksgiving appetizers! They include fun, festive ideas like stuffed mushrooms, baked brie, and more.

If I’ve learned one thing from hosting Thanksgiving over the years, it’s this: Thanksgiving appetizers are essential. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve served a holiday meal 30 minutes or an hour (or two) later than planned because my roasted beets were still rock-hard or the water for my mashed potatoes took longer than expected to boil. In those moments, Thanksgiving appetizers save the big day. They tide over hungry guests until it’s time to sit down to dinner, keeping everyone’s spirits up and the atmosphere light. I’m sharing my 25 best Thanksgiving appetizer ideas below. They include a simple cheese…

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Best Stuffing Recipe

The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based on my family's classic recipe, it's rich and savory, made with fresh herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.

If I told you that a classic stuffing recipe was my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, would you believe me? Well, it’s true! As a kid, I fell in love with my grandma’s stuffing recipe. Made with onion, celery, and dried herbs, it was simple and delicious. It had a crisp, golden layer of bread on top, with a moist and gooey center underneath. Rich, savory flavor filled every bite. My mom still makes this homemade stuffing recipe for my family’s Thanksgiving every year. Because I love it so much, I wanted to develop my own spin to share with…

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The Best Walmart Black Friday Kitchen Deals

Walmart has some great Black Friday deals this year. Find my picks below! They include gorgeous cookware, cute knives, and more.

KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set

‘Tis the season of holiday shopping, and luckily for us, Black Friday deals are finally here! Walmart is currently offering some great Black Friday discounts on all things home and cooking, and I wanted to pop in and share a few of my favorite items that are on sale right now. This list includes gorgeous cookware, the cutest knives, fun kitchen gadgets, and more. Whether you want to get a head start on holiday shopping or make some kitchen upgrades of your own, check them out! You might find some items you love. My 5 Favorite Walmart Black Friday Deals…

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These mashed sweet potatoes are a delicious sweet and savory side dish! Perfect for the holidays, they're easy to make with 7 simple ingredients.

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 creamy texture, and I season them with salt, pepper, and a little maple syrup to create a rich 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 7 ingredients, and the stove takes care of most of the work for you. It’s a…

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Homemade Dinner Rolls

Try these homemade dinner rolls once, and you'll make them forever! Flaky, soft, and buttery, they're an easy, delicious addition to any meal.

These homemade dinner rolls are a perfect addition to almost any meal. Flaky, soft, and buttery, they’re delicious alongside a humble bowl of soup or a full spread of Thanksgiving recipes. We even love them on their own with honey butter or jam! My husband Jack started making these dinner rolls several years ago, and they’ve been a fixture in our rotation ever since. We keep coming back to them because they’re so simple. You only need 7 basic ingredients to make this dinner roll recipe! If you’re new to baking, don’t worry. You can totally pull off these pillowy, golden…

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Cornbread Stuffing

This cornbread stuffing recipe is a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or the holidays. Filled with fresh herbs and aromatics, it's savory and delicious.

This cornbread stuffing recipe is the holiday side dish of my dreams. It’s a delicious mashup of two of my favorite things: homemade cornbread and classic Thanksgiving stuffing. It features lightly sweet cubes of cornbread tossed with savory herbs and aromatics and baked to golden brown perfection. Tell me you’re not tempted to add it to your Thanksgiving menu! Technically, this cornbread stuffing is actually cornbread dressing because it bakes in a casserole dish, not inside the turkey. That means that it’s totally vegetarian and great for making ahead. If you’re ready for a change from classic stuffing this holiday season,…

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Baked Brie

This baked brie recipe is a perfect holiday appetizer. The rich, gooey, melty cheese is guaranteed to wow guests...but it couldn't be simpler to make!

This baked brie recipe is about to become your favorite party appetizer. Rich, gooey, and decked out with flavorful toppings, it looks impressive and tastes delicious. This baked brie will absolutely wow guests. But I’ll let you in on a secret—baked brie is quick and easy to make. It’s as simple as popping a wheel of cheese in the oven and baking until it’s melty and soft…which takes 10 minutes or less! Effortless and elegant, this baked brie recipe is perfect for the holidays or any festive occasion. Put your personal spin on it by playing with the garnishes on top.…

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Love & Lemons Cooking Club – November!

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 November challenge today with our mashed potatoes recipe, and I hope you’ll join in the fun. Here’s how it works: The Prize: A $100 Whole Foods…

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Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Learn how to make the best mashed potatoes with this easy recipe! Rich, creamy, and flavorful, they're always a crowd-pleasing side dish.

I can’t share a mashed potatoes recipe without mentioning my husband Jack. He LOVES homemade mashed potatoes, specifically ones that are rich, creamy, and flavorful. I’ve made plenty that he’s liked in the past (see these garlic mashed potatoes and these Instant Pot mashed potatoes). But last year, I finally made the potatoes he’d been waiting for: ones loaded up with butter, milk, and sour cream. I’m not kidding when I say that these are the best mashed potatoes I’ve tried. They’re ultra-rich and blissfully creamy, and the sour cream gives them a delicious tangy kick. They’re easy to make…

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Roasted Green Beans

Learn how to make oven roasted green beans! Tender, caramelized, and ready in 15 minutes, they're a fresh, easy, and delicious side dish.

Let’s make roasted green beans! These tender, caramelized beauties roast in just 15 minutes in the oven, so they’re a perfect veggie side dish for busy weeknights. Topped with flavorful garnishes like lemon zest, toasted almonds, and/or Parmesan cheese, they fit right in on a holiday table too. To be totally honest, when I have fresh green beans on hand, my first instinct isn’t usually to roast them. Blanched and sautéed green beans are my typical go-tos. But a few weeks back, I was making a frittata for dinner. With the oven already on, I figured I might as well roast…

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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.