It's that time of year: berry season. In Seattle, we had early local strawberries, and raspberries and blackberries have been gracing grocery store shelves for a while now. Along with berry season comes decision time: which basket to choose? Thankfully, there's reason enough to grab all three this week. 

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!

We were sharing recipes inspired by travels near and far this week, bringing you the taste of the Pacific in a plate of shrimp tacos and relief from London crowds in a Campari mojito. You also won't want to miss vacation-ready multigrain bread, a cool glass of homemade horchata, our Lebanese savory egg crostata, chocolate hazelnut gelato, or any of the other new recipes from this past week.

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. 

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.

This time last year, we were jumping head first into grilling season with a guide to grilling the perfect juicy burger, tips for grilled pizza, a thai grilled steak salad, and a surprising way to clean your grill. Read about all this — plus truffle-hunting in Tuscany, steps for better pesto, and more! — right here.

We know it's important to conserve space when traveling, particularly if you're flying or backpacking and don't have the space luxury of a car. But that doesn't mean you have to give up the supplies you'd need to take advantage of an impromptu picnic opportunity. These five picnic essentials are small, light, and totally portable, so you can be ready for a picnic whenever, wherever!

Sponge cake is rumored to have been the very first non-yeasted cake. It's created by trapping a good bit of air in the batter while beating the eggs and sugar together, which makes for a light, delicate dessert. If you've had a jellyroll cake or a slice of tiramisu, you've likely had sponge cake. So why do I think it will be a summertime hit this year?

A big slice of pie is always nice in the summer, but sometimes a few small bites is all you need. That's why there's a lot to love about hand pies. They're portable, which makes them a great candidate for summer picnics or impromptu backyard lunches; they're an excellent excuse to buy more summer fruit at the market; and there's a wide variety of interesting flavor combinations you can try!

The taste of a new dish and the inspiration it brings to our kitchens back home are quite possibly the best travel souvenirs we can think of. Even better is convincing a friendly waiter or agreeable host to scribble the recipe down for us. Here are ten of our very favorite recipes gathered from travels around the globe, from stuffed grape leaves in Tel Aviv to a refreshing Pimm's Cup in an English garden.