Orange Shortbread Cookies

Orange zest gives these classic shortbread cookies a little citrus flair. Enjoy them at the holidays or anytime you're craving a sweet treat.

I don’t do crafty baking very often, but I had so much fun making and decorating these orange shortbread cookies! This orange shortbread cookie recipe is based on the lemon shortbread cookies that I made last year. That recipe is a fan favorite, so I thought I’d do a more festive version of it for Christmas. This time, I cut the cookies into stars and decorated them with orange zest and these cute Supernatural white sequin sprinkles. How to Make Orange Shortbread Want to learn how to make these cookies? Here’s what you need to do: First, cream together the…

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Kitchen Gift Guide + Our (New!) Shop Section

Everything that I use and love in the kitchen! Browse by cookware, kitchen tools, prep/storage, tabletop items, and more!

Happy post-Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a great meal and a relaxing long weekend. Me? I’ve been a busy bee putting the finishing touches on this new “Shop” section of our website so that we could launch it before Black Sunday or Cyber Monday or whatever-the-heck these gift-crazy days are called. I typically write some sort of gift guide post around this time of year, but this time I’m doing things a little bit differently. Here’s why! I get tons and tons of emails about my recommendations for cookware, kitchen tools, storage containers, pretty dishes, what camera we use,…

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2017 Cookbook Gift Guide

My favorite cookbooks from 2017 - all make great gifts!

It’s that time of year again! You’ve gone through your list and checked it twice… yet there are still a few friends and family members left and you don’t know what to get for them. How about a cookbook? I always say this, but I think cookbooks make the best gifts because there’s always one to suit every taste. Or maybe I just say this because I personally love (and love to hoard) cookbooks! Anyway, here are my favorites from this past year. Many I’ve written about before, many you’ll hear more about in the next few months. They’re all…

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Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Side dishes! Vegan and gluten free options too.

It’s Thanksgiving week! I think we’re up to 17 people that are coming over on Thursday, so, um, yikes! Thankfully, everyone is bringing something so the cooking won’t be so difficult. Like always, I’ll be making the salad and a vegetable side dish or two. In case you’re like me – still deciding what to make – here are some of my favorite vegetarian starters and side dishes! Click on the images to go directly to each recipe! Harvest Haven Salad A gorgeous seasonal salad that’s a great light way to start off the meal. Simple Roasted Beets with Citrus…

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A Friends Giving Menu

A non-traditional menu for Thanksgiving with friends (a.k.a Friendsgiving)

Thanksgiving is next week, which means this weekend is for Friendsgiving! What I love about Friendsgiving is that it’s more than ok to change up T-giving traditions – to keep the ones you like and ditch the ones you don’t (bye bye canned green bean casserole!). To celebrate, I’ve put together a menu of some of my personal favorite recipes that I think will be perfect for the occasion. But before we get there, we should always remember that you can’t have a “Friendsgiving” without “giving.” To that end, and to help bring more food to more people this holiday,…

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Orange Peel Black Tea Sangria

Happy Long Weekend! Jack and I are off to the farmers market this morning but I wanted to pop in quickly and share this sangria recipe. I posted it on Instagram awhile back – but I think it’s such a refreshing cocktail for weekend BBQ’s that I wanted to share it here on the blog as well. This combines two of my favorite things in the world – iced tea and wine! Its simple to make – just pour the wine and iced tea into a large pitcher and add the fruit. Chill overnight, so that the flavors will infuse, and serve it…

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Vegetarian Memorial Day Recipes

Memorial Day is coming up next weekend! Whether you’re hosting a gathering or simply bringing a side dish (hi, I’m Jeanine – the family salad maker), here are a few veggie-ful party recipe ideas. Click on the links or directly on the photos to go to the recipes: First up: Instead of meticulously assembling appetizers, you can set out a bunch of ingredients for this Mix & Match Crostini Bar so your guests can assemble their own toppings. Include some gluten free crackers and at least one vegan spread (like the vegan pesto shown above) and you’ll have all of your bases covered. It’s…

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Winter Spiced Moscow Mule

A fun and festive holiday spin on a Moscow Mule - perfect for New Years Eve! This healthier version uses ginger kombucha instead of ginger beer.

Hello from Holiday Vacation-land… aka, my parents house where Jack and I have been spending the week. We flew in just in time to have a white Christmas before the snow melted. Other than spending time with family, we’ve been spending time in the house because we’re really not winter people. I binge-watched Shirley Temple movies; Jack fixed my parents computer. We’ve been eating my mom’s Christmas cookies, and I’ve been working on a few new recipes – spending time in front of the stove is the best way to stay warm around here! All in all, it’s been a much-needed…

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Christmas Morning Recipes

Favorite healthy holiday breakfast and brunch recipes - including Vegan French Toast, Blueberry Baked Oatmeal and more!

And the countdown begins! As a kid, Christmas morning was always the absolute BEST part of the year. For the special morning my family celebrated with one of 2 breakfast rituals – a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls or a box of Entenmann’s chocolate doughnuts. We loved it all – although my sister and I could honestly care less about the food because the morning was all about waking up and waiting sooooo patiently for my parents to get their coffee before we could start opening presents. The recipe suggestions here are a little more homemade, but hey no judgement if you have…

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Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

These vegan gingerbread cookies are perfect for the holidays! Soft, chewy, and deliciously spiced, they're fun to make, fun to decorate, and fun to eat.

These vegan gingerbread cookies might just be my new favorite holiday cookie! They’re so good that I’ve made them quite a few times this month already. We (ahem, Jack) kept devouring batch after batch, so I just had to make them again this weekend so we could snap some photos and share them with all of you! These vegan gingerbread cookies are soft, chewy, and deliciously spiced. If you ask me, they’re just as good as traditional gingerbread, but they’re made with wholesome, plant-based ingredients like coconut sugar, coconut oil, and almond butter – my secret ingredient. It makes these…

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2016 Cookbook Gift Guide

Cookbooks make the best holiday gifts. Here are some of my top picks of 2016!

Like I say year after year – I think cookbooks make the best gifts! Here’s my official 2016 list. Some titles you may recognize because I’ve featured them here throughout the year, and some you’ll likely hear more about very soon. You might also want to check out my 2014 and 2015 lists because there are some favorites on those lists as well. As always, be sure to list your recommendations in the comments – I always love hearing about new books! Click the books in the photo above or in the links below to check them out! The Love & Lemons…

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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.