I must confess that weeknight dinners can be a major struggle in my house, which probably seems contradictory coming from someone who writes about food! It's true that my refrigerator is often filled with an eclectic group of ingredients—most of which cannot be transformed into any sort of suitable meal. I often find myself scavenging the pantry for anything I can pass off as adequate, and trust me when I tell you that a starving girl + Nutella does not equal dinner.
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It's been a stifling summer across most of the country, and it's all one can do to try and stay cool. But according to Food Republic, some foods may only make the problem worse. Check out their list of foods to avoid in hot weather, and weigh in with your own experiences: More

Let's just say it. "Wine spritzer" sounds impossibly retro, probably conjuring images of bell-bottom pants and Donna Summer on the radio, but hey — everything old is new again, right? And this low-alcohol refresher is due for a comeback. More

There really isn't any list of right and wrong ways to eat a cherry, but if there were, this one would surely be at the top of the right ways. And when you popped one in your mouth, everything would begin to glow and a large orchestra would suddenly start playing. White chocolate-covered cherries, people — oh my! More

This plum crumble pie has that "upmarket hippie" vibe due to the addition of whole wheat flour. But don't let the wholesome title and ingredient fool you. It's 100% summer food glory! More

On a scorching summer day, you're probably more likely to grab an iced coffee than a steaming cup of joe. But a study has shown that drinking a hot beverage on a hot day actually can cool you down. How? More

All right people -- listen up! Real live summer peaches are just beginning to hit the markets. Have you eaten a ripe peach yet this July? In my opinion, the best way to eat the first sweet and tangy summer peach is all by itself, over the sink, with juice running down your wrist. If you haven't experienced that moment yet, why the delay? It would be a crime to miss the moment.

And in the off chance you need a smidge of extra motivation to enjoy the all-too-brief peach season, here are 15 more reasons to buy a pound of peaches this week -- from a whiskey peach smash, to peach and almond ice cream, to tea-spiced muffins, to gluten-free peach crisp. There's a creamy peach semifreddo, and peach and pecan crumble bars too. More

You know it's a good day when your future father-in-law arrives at your house with a brown paper sack full of ripe Elberta peaches, straight off a farm in rural Georgia. And while it's not the first of the sweet fruit I've enjoyed this year, it is certainly the most. So many, in fact, I had to ask Twitter what to do with them! More

Just after my husband, Mike, was born, his parents bought 40 acres of retired peach orchard in rural Missouri, with a plan to live off the land and build a more pastoral sort of lifestyle for their children. And while that peach orchard may have been retired from the yearly grind of farming, it still put out a crop of peaches every summer. And that's what my husband ate, as a baby and as a toddler: bite after bite of tangy yellow summer peaches. This early diet clearly left an impression. Peaches? He can't get enough of them. More

After years of world travel and dining out in everything from hole-in-the-wall joints in Laos to the finest finery of Paris's restaurants, the real food luxury for me when I travel now is to cook in, using the most simple ingredients, listening to local radio, and serving on the most grandmotherly plates.

Recently while on the road, I made a version of a salad that I love at the height of summer: shaved zucchini with Parmesan and olive oil. When it's too hot to cook and all you have is a vegetable and a hunk of cheese, this is your new go-to dish. More