If you’ve ever wondered how to make spicy mayo yourself at home, wonder no more, my friend! This is the BEST homemade spicy mayo recipe – and it doesn’t just stop at mixing hot sauce with mayonnaise. We’re using chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and even lime juice for an amazingly flavorful spicy mayo from scratch. It’s PACKED with umami and spice, it only takes 5 minutes to make, and you can use it on sandwiches, for sushi, on tacos, as a french fry dip, and for so many other things!

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve likely seen spicy mayo out in the wild. Over the past decade or so it’s become widely popular, often served dolloped on top of sushi, in poke bowls, or served as a spread on sandwiches. I’m a huge fan of dipping steamed broccoli in it and serving it with seared ahi tuna steaks.

You can, of course, buy spicy mayo already made at the store. But I’m telling you… it’s not great. I’m all about shortcuts, but this is a great example of where you want to take a few extra minutes to mix up your own – I promise it’s worth it!

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade Spicy Mayo (for sandwiches, sushi, fries, and more)!

Pimento cheese is such a delicious Southern dish, used commonly as a dip for crackers and crudité or spread between two slices of bread for an easy sandwich! Cheddar cheese is mixed with – you guessed it – pimentos (which are a type of roasted red pepper that comes in a jar). This recipe uses whipped cream cheese. This will make it super spreadable, even straight from the fridge. We’ll also add pickled jalapeños for a tangy zing. You’ll love this easy 5-minute recipe!

First off, if you’ve never had pimento cheese, welcome to your new favorite thing to eat! This is a delicious and versatile recipe commonly enjoyed in the South in the United States. A blend of grated cheddar cheese, pimentos (you know, the little chopped red peppers that you sometimes find in the hole of a green olive?), cream cheese, mayo, and spices.

Sometimes, a jalapeño is added for a little extra crunch and spice. For this version, I opted to use pickled jalapeños instead of a fresh one, which added a nice sweet and tangy flavor (I used my favorite Hot & Sweet Jalapeños from Trader Joe’s).

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Here’s the perfect way to use those juicy, ripe, end-of-summer tomatoes – Fresh Tomato and Basil sauce for pasta, meatballs, pizza and flatbreads, and more! Using a little tomato paste enhances the flavor and texture, while grating the tomatoes is an easy way to simultaneously remove the skins and crush them – no need for blanching. Garlic flavor is subtly infused throughout, with fresh basil leaves and some (optional) butter added at the end for a wonderfully simple, rich, from-scratch tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes.

I realize I’m “supposed” to be posting apple and pumpkin recipes since it’s “September” and I’m a “food blogger” but alas, the weather and my garden disagrees. It’s 90 degrees and wicked humid and I have a huge pile of ripe tomatoes beckoning to fulfill their delicious destiny. So here’s one more summer recipe to close out the season!

I’ve been on the search for a great from-scratch tomato sauce for pasta made with fresh tomatoes. Regular tomatoes – heirloom, slicing, etc. – not specifically San Marzano. This fresh tomato sauce is a wonderful solution for using any medium to large tomato. In fact, I think it’s better than Rao’s *gasp!* and my husband wholeheartedly agreed.

...GET THE RECIPE for Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil and Garlic!

Green Goddess Dressing / Dip is packed with flavor from fresh herbs. Traditionally made with mayonnaise, this healthy Green Goddess dressing instead uses a base of Greek yogurt, avocado, and olive oil, adding a boost of protein and healthy fats while still being luxuriously creamy. It’s also vegetarian, using capers instead of traditional anchovies for a briny, salty punch, and even has some kale thrown in there! Best of all? It only takes about 5 minutes to blitz together in your food processor!

If you’re like me, you have a ton of herbs growing right now. Herbs are something I always feel I HAVE to grow every year – they’re so easy to grow, and add so much flavor to so many dishes! And I love the money saving and environmentally friendly aspect of growing them myself.

But even if you don’t have an herb garden, this recipe is flexible, so you can use any store bought herbs you want.

This Green Goddess Dressing is so healthy for you, with a base of Greek yogurt, adding protein and probiotics, olive oil and avocado, for some healthy fats, and even some kale for a nutritious boost.

...GET THE RECIPE for Healthy Green Goddess Dressing / Dip!

It’s so easy to make homemade bread crumbs out of almost any leftover bread you have – a crusty sourdough loaf, hot dog or hamburger buns, dinner rolls, sandwich bread, and more! Don’t let those bread ends or leftover stale bread go to waste. Just cube it up, blitz it in the food processor, and you have fresh bread crumbs! Want dried bread crumbs? Just bake them in the oven for a few minutes and you’re good to go.

Once you realize how fast it is to make your own homemade bread crumbs, you many never go back to store bought again. In mere minutes you can have fresh bread crumbs ready to go. And with only a few more minutes, you’ll have homemade dried bread crumbs that will stay good for a couple weeks in the pantry!

And you only need ONE ingredient – you guessed it! Bread, of almost any kind.

Why you should make your own bread crumbs

Whenever I make something I can easily buy at the store from scratch, I always weigh the pros and cons. Is it worth it for a busy person such as yourself to make your own bread crumbs at home?

...GET THE RECIPE for How to Make Bread Crumbs (Fresh or Dried)!

This is the BEST recipe for homemade tartar sauce, perfect for serving with fried seafood, crab cakes, salmon burgers, fish sandwiches, and more! This tartar sauce features chopped dill pickles (and pickle juice instead of lemon), honey for a touch of sweetness, soy sauce for a punch of umami, and freshness from dill and green onions.

I celebrated my second vaccination dose (YAY!) this week with my first fried clams of the year. They were great, but boy was the tartar sauce lacking. Too thick to dip, and it tasted like straight up mayo without any depth of flavor. And I realized: I haven’t shared a homemade tartar sauce recipe yet!

Homemade tartar sauce is SO much better than what you’ll usually find at restaurants or in a bottle. This version is packed with interesting flavor and texture. It’s the perfect thickness for dipping, but not so thin that you can’t spread it thickly on a fish sandwich or salmon burger.

Sweet relish is often used in tartar sauce, but I opted instead for chopped dill pickles (which are nice and crunchy!) and added honey for sweetness (prepared relish often has lots of preservatives and added sugars).

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade Tartar Sauce!

This Butternut Squash Fettuccini Alfredo with Brown Butter and Rosemary is the ultimate fall recipe. A rich, aromatic, thick, creamy sauce (with 65% fewer calories than traditional Alfredo!) smothers every piece of pasta. It’s a great way to “hide” veggies! And best of all- you can freeze the sauce for later.

Ever have one of those meals that you just can’t get out of your head? Like a movie with such a great ending that you keep thinking about it for the rest of the day? This Butternut Squash Fettuccini Alfredo with Brown Butter and Rosemary is that meal. 

Butternut squash, brown butter, and fresh rosemary. Three of my greatest (food) loves of all time combine to form the creamiest, most aromatic, and potentially most delicious pasta sauce you will ever have.

The Butternut Alfredo sauce is so easy to make. It uses only one pot. It’s ready in under 30 minutes. AND it’s make-ahead friendly: make the sauce and freeze or refrigerate until you want to use it.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Fettuccini – or any other pasta shape or type you prefer (gluten-free, whole wheat, chickpea, etc.

...GET THE RECIPE for Butternut Squash Alfredo with Brown Butter and Rosemary!

Making Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix is not only tastier and cheaper than buying the store-bought stuff – it only takes 5 minutes, and you probably already have the 5 ingredients you need! Use this homemade pumpkin spice recipe for pies, cookies, oatmeal, lattes, or even chili.

I love using pumpkin pie spice mix in the fall, and if I’m being honest, year-round! But those tiny, overpriced jars of pumpkin pie spice you buy at the store are easy to go through quickly.

Making your own homemade pumpkin pie spice mix can save you money, and is also good for the environment (no tearing through all those tiny plastic containers!). And this pumpkin spice mix has 5 ingredients – all warm, aromatic, fragrant spices that are the perfect thing to elevate any fall-inspired recipe.

Ingredients in Pumpkin Pie Spice

• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Allspice
• Cloves

All of these spices should be ground, but you can grind them yourself if you prefer (see more about this below).

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix!

Homemade BBQ Sauce takes only 5 minutes to make with pantry ingredients you probably already have, so it’s a great way to save money, and it’s absolutely delicious! This thick barbecue sauce recipe has tang from apple cider vinegar and mustard, sweetness from brown sugar, with a base of ketchup and a secret ingredient for a salty, savory punch. Use it as a dip or in any favorite BBQ recipe!

OK I’ll just tell you- the secret ingredient is soy sauce! Many recipes use Worcestershire sauce in homemade BBQ sauces, but I never have any around, so I used soy sauce instead.

The soy sauce is used instead of salt, and it’s a great vegetarian substitute for Worcestershire sauce in barbecue sauce (Worcestershire has anchovies, so it’s not vegetarian). So you can rest assured this homemade BBQ sauce recipe is vegetarian (vegan, too!).

Use this BBQ sauce when making oven baked bbq chicken or oven bbq salmon, or as a dip with homemade chicken nuggets. You can even use it as a pizza sauce on bbq chicken pizza!

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade BBQ Sauce!

This Homemade Salsa recipe comes together in 5 minutes with the simplest, healthy ingredients. This Texas Mexican restaurant style salsa has the perfect consistency that’s not too chunky and not too thin- perfect for dipping chips, serving on tacos, or using in your other favorite Tex-Mex recipes!

Mexican restaurants in Texas do salsa really well. It flows freely (both in quantity and the fact that it costs nothing!) with fresh tortilla chips. It’s always packed with fresh flavor and has the perfect consistency.

So here’s how to make your over own Texas restaurant-style red salsa in only 5 minutes with the help of a food processor!

This recipe uses canned whole tomatoes, rather than fresh. It’s a shortcut that doesn’t skimp on flavor and, in my opinion, is actually better than using fresh tomatoes.

You can enjoy this low calorie, healthy, fat free salsa with tortilla chips, on tacos, in burritos, spooned on top of scrambled eggs… or any other way you use salsa!

Ingredients and substitutions

• Canned whole, peeled tomatoes – you may substitute diced in a pinch (drain them first as indicated in the recipe) but I think whole are best for the texture of this salsa.

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade Salsa!

Making your own Homemade Taco Seasoning takes only 5 minutes and you probably already have the spices needed in your pantry! It’s so much cheaper than buying a pre-made mix, and it’s a great way to add healthy, low-calorie flavor to your favorite Mexican-inspired recipes.

This DIY taco seasoning mix is perfect to add to chicken, beef, or shrimp in tacos or enchiladas. Or, you can add it to any Mexican-inspired pasta, rice, or other dish. It’s a versatile way to add healthy flavor to food!

When you use lots of spices, you can pump up the flavor of food without the need for too much added fat.

And it’s so nice to have a few go-to spice mixes ready to go in your pantry so you can whip up recipes in a jiffy without the need for measuring each and every spice.

This taco seasoning recipe includes salt, which means you won’t need to add much, or any, salt to the recipe you’re making. You can always leave the salt out of the mix if you prefer to control it on a case by case basis.

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade Taco Seasoning!

Making Homemade Quick Pickled Jalapeños is so fast, easy, and delicious, you’ll never want to buy store-bought again! These are sweet and spicy, flavor-packed from garlic and oregano, and you only need 10 minutes of hands-on time.

Whether you have a bunch of jalapeños growing in your (or your neighbor’s) garden, or you find a bulk package at Trader Joe’s, one of the best things you can do with them is pickle them.

This recipe doesn’t require any canning or preserving– it’s an easy way to pickle jalapeño peppers quickly, and they’ll last for months in your fridge!

You can use them on tacos, on sandwiches or burgers, on nachos, or in any number of recipes. But honestly, they’re so delicious, you may just want to eat them straight from the jar!

In this post I’ll explain how to make quick pickled jalapeños, tips for making them less spicy, and give recipe suggestions for how to use them.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Jalapeño peppers – you can use this pickling method for other pepper varieties, like Serranos or other chiles.

...GET THE RECIPE for Quick Pickled Jalapeños!

Ever wonder how to make a homemade honey mustard sauce? It’s so easy with only four ingredients and 5 minutes! This honey mustard can be used as a dipping sauce, salad dressing, sandwich spread, or even a marinade.

You probably already have everything you need to make this easy recipe. A little mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and vinegar and you’ve got yourself a homemade, better than chick-fil-a honey mustard sauce!

I love that this version doesn’t have any preservatives or additives, like many store-bought or fast food honey mustards.

This honey mustard is perfect as a dip for homemade chicken nuggets or oven-baked chicken tenders, but it’s also a great sandwich spread, salad dressing, or marinade for grilled chicken or pork.

It stays good in the fridge for weeks, and you can use any kind of mustard you want!

How to make homemade honey mustard sauce

Just whisk some mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl. That’s it!

You could also mix it right up in a jar, to save on dishes, and store the covered jar right in your fridge.

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce/Dressing!

This recipe for Quick Pickled Red Onions is easy to make and perfect for tacos, sandwiches, pasta salads, sandwiches, and more! They’re cheap, and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, with all the “bite” from raw red onions completely removed. And you only need a few ingredients and 5 minutes of prep!

I love how fast and easy these pickled red onions are to make- just add some ingredients to a jar, shake, and refrigerate. That’s it!

They’ll last for weeks in the fridge, if you somehow experience the miracle of not eating them all within a few hours. They’re addicting, added to any number of recipes, and frankly eaten plain out of the jar.

I wouldn’t THINK of popping a piece of raw red onion into my mouth for a snack, but it’s different when they’re pickled! Quick pickling the red onions takes all the bite out of them, creating a delicious sweet and tangy flavor with a soft outside and crunchy inside.

These pickled red onions first appeared on a Bowl of Delicious recipe for crispy brussels sprouts with pickled red onions.

...GET THE RECIPE for Quick Pickled Red Onions!

These oven-baked carrot fries are a healthier alternative to traditional fries. They’re lower in carbs, packed with nutrients… oh, and did I mention they’re DELICIOUS? Especially when dunked in the spicy creamy lime dipping sauce made with mayonnaise. You’re going to LOVE this versatile side dish!

I may never go back to regular old potato fries again.

OK that’s a lie, because I love fries. But boy, was I pleased with the result of these carrot fries! My toddlers both gobbled them up (and kept asking for more sauce). They were perfect for an easy dinner with frozen veggie burgers the other night.

Carrot fries are the perfect thing to make if you find yourself with heaps of carrots. I always love keeping a big bag of carrots in my fridge because they can last for months. And I had all the ingredients for the dipping sauce – mayo, hot sauce, and lime juice – all ready to go!

Here’s how to make oven-baked carrot fries, sauce alternative suggestions, as well as some tips and tricks for pumping up the crispiness.

...GET THE RECIPE for Carrot Fries with Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce!

This Easy Dill Dip is packed with fresh herbs– dill, cilantro, and green onions- plus lime juice and zest for a unique, fresh flavor. It’s the perfect creamy dip for veggies or potato chips, or as a fun spread on a sandwich. The base is sour cream, but you can easily substitute Greek yogurt for a healthier version!

Dill dip is so easy to make in only 5 minutes with 5 ingredients. It’s the perfect thing to make ahead of time for an easy dip for an appetizer at a party, served with crudités, pita chips, or ruffled potato chips.

This fresh, creamy dip has lots of fresh herbs but it’s flexible- you can leave some out or substitute with others.

I like to keep a batch of this in my fridge along with prepped, cut up raw vegges. When I’m feeling like a snack, it’s easy to enjoy the healthy raw veggies with this delicious dip!

Here’s how to make (and use) this super simple dill dip.

How to make dill dip

1. First, chop up a bunch of fresh dill, cilantro, and green onion.

...GET THE RECIPE for Easy Dill Dip!

What’s better than a super simple homemade kale pesto packed with parmesan cheese, pumpkin seeds, fresh parsley and a little crushed red pepper? How about the fact that it only takes FIVE MINUTES to make? You HAVE to try this easy, fresh, healthy, versatile sauce recipe!

Around this time of year I always begin to crave fresh, healthy, green foods. That’s what springtime is all about! And while it may be warmer here in Texas than other parts of the country, this delicious kale pesto is good year-round used any number of ways.

Whether you’re serving the pesto on pasta, using it as a spread on a panini, stirring it into a soup, or using it to season chicken or fish, this kale pesto is a fun, unique alternative to the basil pesto you’re probably used to.

Kale itself doesn’t have much flavor to it, but it adds an earthy, slightly bitter taste to this recipe that’s balanced out beautifully with fresh lemon juice, plenty of parmesan cheese, a little crushed red pepper, and fresh parsley.

The other unique thing about this is that it’s made without nuts – it uses pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas), making it a nut-free pesto recipe!

...GET THE RECIPE for Kale Pesto!

Once you discover how EASY it is to whip up a thick, rich homemade pizza sauce that tastes like it’s been simmering for hours in only 10 MINUTES, you’ll never go back to buying store-bought again! Garlic, herbs, red wine, and tomato paste pump up the flavor in this easy, freezable recipe.

Pizza has to be my favorite food of all time. Sometimes I eat it two night in a row. And I’ve been known to eat it cold from the refrigerator for breakfast.

And to me, what makes a pizza is its sauce.

I prefer a pizza with red sauce (as opposed to a white pizza), and love when the sauce is rich and tomatoey, slightly sweet, and full of garlic and herb flavor. Lucky for me, I have the perfect recipe for this! And best of all, you only need about 10 minutes to make it.

Why is homemade pizza sauce better than store-bought?

Sure, you can buy pizza sauce at the store. But making it is so much better. Here’s why:

• It’s cheaper. This recipe makes enough sauce for 3-4 full size pizzas (freeze or can the rest of it!) and costs only about $3 to make the whole thing!

...GET THE RECIPE for 10-Minute Homemade Pizza Sauce!

It’s so easy to make homemade cranberry sauce in only 15 minutes! This four-ingredient recipe for fresh cranberry sauce is spiced with cinnamon and flavored with orange juice, with brown sugar and a pinch of salt for more complex flavor than other whole cranberry sauce recipes. You’ll want to eat it with a spoon!

I’ve honestly always been just “meh” about cranberry sauce. While it’s a staple as a Thanksgiving side, I always find that I take a small spoonful out of obligation rather than for its deliciousness.

UNTIL NOW.

This fresh homemade cranberry sauce recipe is different. I find many other recipes lacking in complex flavor, making it just kind of sweet and tart and “meh.”

THIS cranberry sauce recipe uses cinnamon for spice, orange juice for added bright flavor and sweetness, brown sugar instead of white for a rich, molasses-like taste, and a pinch of salt to help balance everything out! A little fresh orange zest is an optional but colorful and flavorful addition.

You’re going to have a hard time not piling this high on your Thanksgiving plate, or spreading a generous amount on a dinner roll with butter.

...GET THE RECIPE for Spiced Orange Cranberry Sauce!

It’s so easy to make homemade enchilada sauce from scratch, and this chipotle enchilada sauce version is deliciously spicy and smoky! This recipe makes enough for 3-4 batches of enchiladas, so you can stock your freezer with this healthy, vegan recipe. It’s thick and luxurious, from using crushed tomatoes.

Similar to making homemade marinara sauce, this homemade enchilada sauce uses crushed tomatoes as a base. This helps make the texture luxuriously thick, and will work well with almost any enchilada recipe that requires red sauce!

It’s also spicy, but this can be tempered a bit by adding fewer chipotle peppers. But what I love about this recipe is that it uses a WHOLE can of chipotle peppers and adobo, meaning you don’t have to think of a use for the leftover chipotle chiles!

And it’s SO easy to make.

How to make homemade chipotle enchilada sauce

Just sauté some onions and garlic, add some crushed tomatoes, stock, spices, and chipotle chiles, simmer, and blend together!

Here are some tips for success.

1. The longer you simmer, the deeper the flavors will be.

...GET THE RECIPE for Homemade Enchilada Sauce with Chipotle Peppers!

These Salmon Patties (or salmon cakes, or salmon croquettes) are such a simple, frugal 20-minute recipe packed with healthy ingredients! Whatever you call them, they’re sure to be a win with your entire family, especially when served with a cool, creamy lemon sauce.

Salmon is one of my favorite ways to get LOTS of bang for your buck in terms of nutrition in a short amount of time. But sometimes salmon is really expensive, which makes it harder to eat frequently.

Enter: CANNED SALMON. It’s always wild caught, it’s super cheap (around $3 a can!), and it’s already cooked, just like canned tuna.

My kids (age 1 and 2) are hit or miss when it comes to tuna, so I was a bit apprehensive to serve this to them, but I am pleased to report that they LOVED these salmon patties. Woo hoo! It’s such a healthy, economical meal that’s perfect for the whole family.

And the SAUCE. These salmon patties are served with a cool, creamy, simple lemon sour cream sauce that’s potentially my new favorite sauce ever.

...GET THE RECIPE for Salmon Patties (aka Salmon Cakes or Croquettes)!

This pineapple salsa is fresh and easy to whip up in only five minutes! Use it as a topping on fish tacos, pork chops, grilled chicken, or as a dip with your favorite tortilla chips. This is a recipe for all you sweet and spicy lovers, and is perfect for a spring or summer party.

I love using fresh, seasonal fruit in salsa recipes. It’s a great way to enjoy the fresh, sweet tastes of warm weather in a more savory way.

This pineapple salsa is packed with yummy ingredients, including ripe fresh pineapple.

In this post, I’ll show you how to tackle dicing a fresh pineapple (it’s easy! promise) and show you how easy it is to make this pineapple salsa in your food processor so it’s the PERFECT consistency- not too thin, and not too chunky.

Just the right amount of stick-to-your-tortilla-chips thickness, which is the mark of a good salsa, if you ask me.

How to cut a fresh pineapple

It’s SO easy to cut up a fresh pineapple, albiet a bit sticky.

Just cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, then slice down the sides in order to take off the peel.

...GET THE RECIPE for 5 Minute Pineapple Salsa!

This avocado sauce is packed with flavor from tons of fresh herbs and garlic, creaminess from avocado and olive oil, and a pesto-like crunch from pumpkin seeds. It comes together in five minutes in your food processor, with no pre-chopping required.

You can use this sauce for almost ANYTHING.

Top grilled chicken, steak, fish, or shrimp with it. Add it to tacos or fajitas. Use it as the sauce in a pasta salad. Spread it on a sandwich. Add it to a grain bowl.

The possibilities are endless.

Of course, if you’re like me, you’ll have a hard time saving it to use with anything since you’ll be diving into the food processor directly with a spoon eating almost the whole batch!

Seriously, taking photos of this avocado sauce and just sitting there NOT eating it was one of my biggest challenges I’ve ever faced.

But I persevered.

And then I feasted.

I mixed this sauce into a pasta salad with rotini, chopped tomatoes, and grilled chicken. It was a simple, fast, healthy dinner that had the taste of warm weather and sunshine, even during these cold and cloudy February days.

...GET THE RECIPE for Five Minute Avocado Sauce!

Homemade Turkey Gravy made from the drippings of roast turkey is an absolute MUST at my Thanksgiving table. It’s easy to whip up a batch of classic turkey gravy in only 15 minutes, and it tastes SO much better than store-bought!

I like to think of all the parts of the Thanksgiving meal as vehicles with which to eat gravy. I smother my turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing with it, and I always make sure to mix a little cranberry sauce in each bite too.

And of course, I make a “gravy lake” in my mashed potatoes by creating a hole in the center and filling it with gravy. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it!

You really only need two ingredients for turkey gravy: flour and turkey drippings.

And some salt and pepper, for seasoning.

I always find that I have at least two-three cups of drippings at the bottom of my roasting pan after cooking the turkey. This recipe is for 2 cups of gravy, but let’s be serious: you’re going to need more than that.

So you may have to supplement with some butter and homemade turkey stock in order to double triple quadruple this recipe.

...GET THE RECIPE for How to Make Classic Turkey Gravy from Drippings!