This time of year, our Kitchn inbox starts filling with desperate pleas for vacation meal ideas. The gatherings are big and small — a beach house family reunion, a group of ten friends renting a cabin, two families with kids sharing a lake-side apartment for the week — but the need for crowd-pleasing dinners made with minimal fuss after a day of vacation fun is the same. Without further ado, here are our top ten meals that fit the bill!

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If you asked me ten years ago after feasting at a trattoria in Florence on fiocchetti alle pere con salsa di taleggio e asparagi that one day I would be able to replicate the experience, I would have laughed in your face. Back then the only thing I knew how to make was frozen pizza. But time has a way of changing us, and that trip to Florence changed me too. Here I am ten years later, recreating that meal of a lifetime. 

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I've heard it said that curry powder — that deep yellow blend of spices you can find premixed and on offer in almost any grocery store's spice rack — is not for serious cooks. And there's some truth to that. Curries are a complex category of dishes, and a true curry will have a specific blend of spices to match the ingredients and methods used. There are thousands of curries and to apply one generic powder to all of them is frankly insulting. That said, I still keep a small jar of the generic curry powder in my spice cabinet and I feel it has its place, but just not in most curries!

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Q: I am preparing to take an all-day exam and will have to bring enough food to get me through eight hours of testing without the need for refrigeration or a microwave. Also, I need to avoid feeling sluggish or sleepy. Do your readers have good ideas for food that can be eaten at room temperature and keep my brain energized all day? 

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Do you ever wish that you could have a little genie on your shoulder who would just tell you what to make for dinner? Me, too. I think this book Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute Meals is that genie. It's a straight-shooting cookbook full of the kinds of quick, no-fuss recipes that we crave on any given weeknight.

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I'm sure you've noticed that strawberry season has arrived. There are flats of strawberries at the farmers' market and pints upon pints at the grocery store. Maybe you're even lucky enough to have a few peeking out from your garden (I wasn't brave enough to plant any myself this year). While strawberry shortcake is often the go-to summertime dessert, here are a few ways to spin it so it remains interesting and exciting for you and your guests this season. 

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The deep love of a G&T continually proves strong, not just in the summer and most definitely not just stateside — the New York Times called 2013 the Year of the Gin and Tonic and Europeans love this little cocktail just as much as we do. Yet, on a recent trip to Portugal, I found their G&Ts to be quite different than what I was used to sipping. That’s when a local bartender dropped some knowledge on me.

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Do you love horchata?  This sweet, creamy, rice-and-almond-based drink is not to be missed, especially now that summer is here and a cool, refreshing drink is always appreciated.  While traditional horchata contains milk and sugar, it can also be made without dairy and lends itself well to sugar alternatives such as agave or dates.  Read on for our classic Mexican horchata recipe with some extra ideas for non-dairy and sugar-free alternatives.

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Even if you don't have any international travel plans this summer, these ten refreshing drink recipes will give you a taste of far-off places and keep you cool as the weather warms up. Try tangy papaya lassi from India, Mexican watermelon-lime agua fresca, fun (and chewy!) bubble tea from Taiwan, Italian caffè shakerato, or another of these ten non-alcoholic sips from around the world.

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I haven't traveled abroad in almost two years now — life just gets in the way sometimes. But my partner and I have been saving for a trip (hopefully this fall). While we both have different tastes in travel locations and haven't nailed down anything yet, I do know one thing for sure: there will be peanut butter. This is a lesson that's taken me many years to learn. 

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