Ahh, one of our favorite dishes in the summer; fresh tomatoes, buffala mozzarella, and fresh basil layered together, and then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. More

This is one of those versatile recipes that can serve more than one purpose — dip, sandwich filling, pasta sauce — and it makes use of all those beautiful eggplants that are in season... More

Folks, I have a serious squirrel problem in my backyard, and my tomato crop has suffered greatly. It's a daily race to beat the critters to the newly red tomatoes, so maybe instead I'll just make this pie and enjoy the fruits of my labor before the tomatoes ripen. More

Earlier this week we tipped you off to what Slate calls the "ideal ingredient to complement watermelon" — feta. It's true: the salty creaminess of good feta turns watermelon from a simple treat into something dressed for a dinner party. It's still very simple — here's how I like to make my own watermelon and feta salad. More

Throughout the summer, our CSA membership has pushed my culinary prowess to extremes. Finding ways to continually interpret items such as spinach, Swiss chard and summer squash into new and exciting versions has been trying to say the least. Canning and preserving have eased the plethora of said veggies, and incorporating herbs and berries into Happy Hour has been advantageous — not to mention delicious. Here's the latest: sparkling watermelon sangria. Here's the story. More

Got tomatoes? Maybe your garden is rolling in them, or you just couldn't resist buying an entire flat at the farmers' market. Here's a delicious (and space-efficient) way to preserve their flavor for later: Make tomato paste. Yes, the stuff that comes in cans. Yes, this is better. Much better. More

What should you pack in your picnic basket? Yes, a few leftovers, a quick tossed salad, a baguette and some cheese will make anyone happy, but with just slightly more planning you can develop a flexible picnic menu that'll work for you every time. Mark Bittman has a system for this which he divides into four categories: dips, poached food, raw or pickled food and beverages. More

I'm not one to fight the pull of a national food holiday, especially one as bright and refreshing as National Lemonade Day! As summer rolls into its sunset weeks, why not try a new variation before the season is over? How about sweet basil lemonade, or roasted peach? I have a giant watermelon in my fridge right now, so I'm leaning towards the watermelon mint variation. See all 10 lemonade recipes below: More

I get really excited when I see berries growing on the side of the road. I inherited this obsession from my mother who, during our vacation each summer in northern Idaho, would go on a walk with a big bag and not allow herself to return until she had picked a thousand huckleberries. We'd make dozens of jars of jam, huckleberry pancakes, and frozen kiddie drinks. I don't remember us ever looking at a recipe. More

"Faith! It's the cocktail of the summer," said my colleague Janel last week when she was visiting me in Columbus. On our way to dinner we were chatting about our cocktails of choice, and Janel quite handily talked me into trying a Gold Rush for myself. Well, it wasn't that difficult. Do you know this drink? You should. More