Instant Pot Brown Rice

Learn how to cook brown rice in the Instant Pot! The process is almost entirely hands-off, and the rice comes out tender and fluffy every time.

If there’s one recipe that made me an Instant Pot convert, it was this Instant Pot brown rice. Let’s be honest: cooking brown rice on the stove is no one’s favorite thing to do. It requires 40+ minutes of hovering nearby, nudging the heat up and down to keep the pot at a lively simmer. But this Instant Pot brown rice recipe is almost entirely hands-off. Once you get it going, you can focus on making the rest of your meal without giving the rice a second thought, knowing that it’ll come out fluffy, tender, and perfectly cooked. Try it…

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15 Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes

These healthy salad dressing recipes are fresh, flavorful, and easy to make. Try just one, and you'll never reach for the store-bought stuff again!

My simplest tip for anyone who wants to eat more vegetables – and enjoy them! – is to start making a healthy salad dressing at home. Made with a base of extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or Greek yogurt, it’ll be more nutritious than any bottled dressing you can find at the store. But that’s not all – it’ll taste better, too. Unlike most store-bought dressings, a homemade healthy salad dressing isn’t designed to keep for months on end. That means that it can be made with fresh ingredients like herbs, garlic, and avocado. They may not last for weeks…

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Curry Lentil Soup

Packed with fiber and protein, this curry lentil soup is a delicious one-pot meal. Fresh ginger, coconut milk, and spices fill it with rich flavor.

The first night that I made this curry lentil soup, my family came over for dinner. Every time I’ve seen my mom since, she’s asked, “Where is that curry lentil soup recipe?” That says a lot about this soup, because my mom has very strict criteria for recipes that make it into her rotation. They have to have minimal prep, they have to be easy enough to eventually memorize (because cooking goes faster that way), and they have to be either batch-able or freezer-friendly so that she can eat them for multiple meals. This curry lentil soup recipe checks all…

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Roasted Pecans

Nutty and rich, these roasted pecans are an addictive appetizer or snack. My recipe has two variations - one savory and one sweet. Both are delicious!

A few weeks ago, I made a double batch of these roasted pecans. I felt ridiculous when they all came out of the oven. We had jar after jar of roasted pecans sitting on our counter. I thought we’d be eating them for weeks! But, as it turns out, these roasted pecans are such a tasty snack that as soon as Jack or I polished off one handful, we’d inevitably circle back for more. Two days later, there wasn’t a pecan in sight. If you’re looking for an easy, festive treat to bring to a party or get-together this week,…

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25 Crowd-Pleasing Party Food Ideas

These crowd-pleasing party food ideas will be a hit at any celebration! They include tempting cheese boards, finger foods, delicious dips, and more.

The best party food ideas are fun. Not too fussy, not too formal. Not bland or boring. They catch your eye and draw you in, making you think, “I want to try THAT!” And when you do try it, good party food doesn’t disappoint. Even if it’s a tiny, one-bite finger food, it packs a punch of flavor. You’ll find my best party food ideas in the post below. They include impressive platters, tasty finger foods, delicious dips, and more. They’re the recipes I make time and time again for holiday parties, cookouts, and birthday celebrations, and each one is…

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Homemade Waffle Recipe

On a weekend morning, nothing hits the spot like these homemade waffles. They're light, fluffy, and crisp around the edges. Pass the maple syrup!

Break out your waffle maker! It’s Sunday morning, the holidays are right around the corner, and, if I had to guess, I’d say you have all the ingredients to this easy waffle recipe in your pantry already. Come on, let’s kick back and enjoy a lazy weekend breakfast! In our house, Jack will be on coffee (and kid!) duty while I make the waffles. I love this waffle recipe in particular because it’s super simple and fairly wholesome, made with whole wheat flour and maple syrup. But most importantly, the waffles are delicious. They have perfect crisp edges and light…

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Hot Toddy

This hot toddy recipe is perfect for cold nights! It's cozy, warming, and bright, made with whiskey, lemon juice, ginger tea, and maple syrup.

How cute is this hot toddy?! It’s one of our favorite cocktails to make throughout the holiday season. Dressed up with orange slices, pomegranate seeds, and fresh thyme, it’s warming, festive, and bright. Mix one together, put on some smooth holiday jazz, light a candle or turn on your Christmas tree. You have the perfect recipe for a cozy night in! Hot Toddy Recipe Ingredients A famous cure for a sore throat or the sniffles, a classic hot toddy is made with hot water, whiskey, honey, and lemon juice. To elevate mine from home remedy to fun cocktail, I add…

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Best Garlic Bread Recipe

This homemade garlic bread recipe is easy to make and SO delicious. The crispy, buttery slices are topped with flavorful garlic and fresh herbs.

What’s better than homemade garlic bread? If you ask me, not much. Crisp around the edges, soft and buttery in the middle, and packed with rich flavor from garlic and herbs, this Italian-American staple is comforting and delicious. It’s also very easy to make. I’m sharing my best garlic bread recipe below, along with tips for storing it and making it ahead. If you’re used to eating garlic bread from the grocery store, get ready—this homemade version is on another level. Serve it as a side dish with your favorite pasta recipes, or devour it warm from the baking sheet.…

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Garlic Butter

Learn how to make garlic butter with just 4 ingredients! Creamy, savory, and rich, it's a delicious topping for potatoes, dinner rolls, noodles, and more.

What’s better than regular butter? Garlic butter! This spread is rich and, well, buttery, brimming with savory garlic flavor. It’s quick to stir together, and it lasts for days in the fridge. Keep it on hand for slathering onto bagels and toast, tossing with noodles, dotting onto baked potatoes, and more. It’s such an easy way to amp up the flavor in simple, everyday meals. How to Make Garlic Butter This homemade garlic butter recipe has to be one of the simplest on the blog. It only calls for 4 basic ingredients: Unsalted butter, garlic, finely chopped fresh parsley or…

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Stuffed Shells

These stuffed shells are saucy, cheesy comfort food at its best! They're filled with a creamy, flavorful mix of fresh spinach, lemon zest, and ricotta cheese.

These stuffed shells are saucy, cheesy comfort food at its best. I love the contrast of the chewy pasta with the creamy ricotta filling, and marinara – store-bought or homemade – is the perfect tangy accent for both. After I eat one helping, I always find myself back in the kitchen, unable to resist the allure of seconds. These stuffed shells are just that good! This stuffed shells recipe is easy to make (and make ahead!), and it’s great for serving a group. If you’re hosting a dinner party or get-together this season, it would be a fantastic dish to…

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Our 2021 Kitchen Gift Guide

Shopping for someone who loves to cook? These kitchen gifts are a great place to start. They include must-have appliances, cookbooks, and more!

Happy holidays, friends! If you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone who loves to cook (and that someone can totally be you!), you’re in the right place. Below, I’ve rounded up my favorite cooking gifts of the year. They include gorgeous cookbooks, impressive appliances, stunning serving dishes, and more. I can vouch for all of them – they’re some of the most-loved and most-used items in my kitchen. No matter what you pick, I promise, it’ll be a wonderful gift for whoever’s on your list. Now, to our favorite kitchen gifts: Our Cookbooks! The perfect gifts for the veggie…

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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.