When I embarked on my trip to Greece last week, I knew I'd be documenting the heck out of it, and when I landed in Athens, the first thing I did was order a Greek salad, take notes, and snap it with my iPhone. It was beautiful: ripe red tomatoes from Crete, substantial chunks of feta cheese, perfectly sweet raw purple onions, and lots of fragrant olive oil and dried oregano. Seemed familiar, and yet I relished in the experience of consuming these simple ingredients on foreign soil. Of course it's better there, I thought to myself.

"I'll document all of the Greek salads I eat!" Spoken like a true American. Then I got to the Island of Kea, my final destination, and met my host, Aglaia Kremezi, who set me straight about What Is a Greek Salad.

Who: Jana Kinsman
What: Bike a Bee
Where: Chicago, Illinois

Whenever I'm lucky enough to see beekeeper Jana Kinsman, she’s always sharing something with me: half her cookie, knowledge about bikes, butter and bees or an adorable, hand-drawn doodle. Jana is an illustrator, beekeeper and graphic designer in Chicago. Her latest project, Bike a Bee, is a reflection of her generosity and aims to contribute local honey to the city’s farmers markets, while also creating community collaboration.

There are perhaps two universal truths that all of us (non-vegetarian) writers at The Kitchn share: a mutual love for flavorful, inexpensive chicken thighs and for rich, hearty braises. When the first is paired with the second, their powers know no bounds. And a braise might sound like more of a cold-weather meal, I really love the savory combination all year round — plus it's an easy one-pot dinner for weeknights. Here I added a plethora of bright bell peppers and sweet red onions to help shout "summer braise" from the rooftops.   

When I first started brewing beer at home, I was a 5-gallon girl — much like most new homebrewers. It's just what you do. But there were drawbacks almost immediately. Brewing this much beer at once meant clearing out a precious coat closet for storing carboys and bottles, always having a buddy on hand to help lift the heavy (and hot!) pot on and off the stove, and drinking my way through a lot of beer — which may not seem like a bad thing at first, but can get tiresome if your beer proves less than stellar. Trust me. 

And then I discovered 1-gallon batches. Like a lightening strike to my brew pot, my life as a homebrewer was transformed overnight, and I ultimately developed all the recipes in my new book True Brews to be 1 gallon or less. Here's why I may never brew another 5-gallon batch of beer again.

"I like my senses to be stimulated," says Lizzie in a recent Apartment Therapy House Tour. When she moved into her (now) husband's Glasgow flat three years ago, she couldn't stand all the beige, so she made some bold color choices that infused the space — particularly the kitchen! — with personality.

Q: My husband and I would like to thank our neighbours for watering our plants while we were on vacation in Italy by cooking an Italian meal. Our guests will be a mom and dad, one 5-year old, one 2-year old and a baby, and the meal must be halal. Any recipe ideas for a family-friendly, pork-free, loosely Italian meal?

Andi's kitchen reno is finally complete. We've been there every step of the way and in this final installment of their Renovation Diary, Andi (and bf Dean) share what they've learned along the way. 

• Andi's Lessons Learned 
  Apartment Therapy

A beautiful wooden tray or platter is an entertaining staple. You can use one to serve appetizers, display glasses alongside a pitcher of cool iced tea, or serve breakfast in bed! I love the look of walnut, too — even more so when it's rimmed in a bright, neon color, like these WUD trays and platters by David Rasmussen. 

Have you ever noticed how on a warm day, it seems like half the scoop of ice cream will melt before you even get the bowl to the table? I hate that! Here's how to prevent ice cream puddles from happening.

We've been showing you glimpses of Emma's new book this week — True Brews, a lovely and colorful guide to fermented beverages of all sorts, including beer, wine, kombucha, homemade sodas, and more! We gave you a peek inside Emma's process of writing the book, and shared a recipe for refreshing homemade ginger ale. And today, we're giving away five copies of True Brews to five lucky readers.