Because that way heuristics show your readers "reading" that bullshit instead of just grabbing the recipe and fucking off, which means advertisers see your site as more likely to drive engagement and pay more for ad space. Those sites exist to be blank banners to shove ads onto, any actual material of worth is incidental.
This doesn't explain why the stories come before the recipe instead of after.
Because that way heuristics show your readers "reading" that bullshit instead of just grabbing the recipe and fucking off, which means advertisers see your site as more likely to drive engagement and pay more for ad space. Those sites exist to be blank banners to shove ads onto, any actual material of worth is incidental.