Summer

Everyone will demand seconds.

Before my fellow Southerners read this and start thinking, “Are you kidding me? Who doesn’t know how to make sweet tea?” — hear me out. I am Florida-born and Georgia-raised, but when I moved to California, one of the first things I noticed was that no one drinks sweet tea out here! I always keep a pitcher ready in my fridge, and my friends inevitably ask me, “How do you make this?” Today you’re going to find out how.

Summer rolls, also known as fresh spring rolls, are one of my favorite things to order at a restaurant. They are made from rice paper wrappers rolled around fresh crunchy vegetables partnered with cold proteins, fresh herbs, and sometimes noodles. Gỏi cuốn are Vietnamese in origin (along with chả giò, which are fried spring rolls) but there are countless variations of fillings made with an assortment of veggies and proteins.Summer rolls are also easy to make at home!

The moment we’ve waited all-year long for has finally returned: welcome to strawberry season! Endless tables at the market stacked high with those blue or green pint containers of sweet, fresh strawberries are a defining quality of delicious late spring and early summer. The first order of business at the start of the season is to savor fresh strawberries piece by piece, or maybe lightly macerated in sugar and spooned over some homemade whipped cream.

It makes me actually excited to eat salad.

Like strawberry shortcake — but better.

If you’re a savory breakfast person like me, a Scotch egg is a perfect food. The U.K. dish consists of a boiled egg that’s been peeled, covered in breakfast sausage, then breaded and deep-fried. It’s the perfect high-protein breakfast or snack. The roots of this dish are murky. Scotch eggs seem to have been around since the 1700s, with some claiming it was an Indian export due to its similarities to a dish called nargisi kofta.

The sauce is everything.

This vegetable jambalaya is faster and just as good, in my opinion, as traditional jambalaya (which typically has andouille sausage, chicken and/or seafood). With the “holy trinity” of vegetables, juicy tomatoes, and long-grain rice, this is a fantastic main dish (with some optional add-ins, if you want) or a hearty side dish to serve alongside your favorite main.

I love everything about chocolate-covered strawberries. I love the crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth shell and the cool, sweet strawberry beneath. I love giving them as homemade food gifts, and I love receiving them equally as much (especially for Valentine’s Day dessert!). But what I love most is how easy they are to make at home. It’s an afternoon fun cooking project with a result that looks fancy no matter your candy-making skills (or lack thereof)!

Meet your new favorite party recipe: slow cooker baked beans. Long loved for their sweet, tangy flavor and tender, creamy texture, baked beans for backyard barbecues, summer cookouts, and game day parties used to mean heating up the whole house to slowly cook the dried beans for hours upon hours. Here the slow cooker saves the day by doing all the work and keeping you cool at the same time.

It doesn’t use any canned milks.

A marinade is like an insurance policy for your grilled steak.

Crab cakes should be all about the crab — no questions asked. They should be crispy on the outside, moist and flaky on the inside, and taste exclusively of fresh, delicious crab. No fillers or excess spices getting in the way. If you agree, you’ve come to the right place. Our crab cake recipe is intentionally unfussy. We’ve put crab meat at the center of the equation, and thrown in just enough extras to hold the patties together.

You've never had creamed corn like this.

Bubbly water makes it so refreshing.

Fresh corn might be one of the best things about summer. We’ll take all the hot nights, sunburns, and sweaty commutes just so long as we get plenty of fresh corn — either on or off the cob. We’re firm believers that corn can be enjoyed for any meal of the day — including breakfast. So here are five tasty ways to start your day that include our favorite kernel.

The simplest and most delicious ways to make veggies the star of the dinner table.

Anytime you're cooking on vacation, the name of the game is easy as can be.

You'll quickly fall in love with these sweet and savory spreads.

From roasted broccoli to sautéed bok choy and everything in-between.

Classic corn on the cob is just the beginning.

These salads, savory tarts, and more are a welcome addition to the spread.

You definitely have time to make a one-minute tomato sandwich.

For those times when a crisp, refreshing salad just won't cut it.

Whether you want a recipe that can be made a full day ahead or just an hour ahead, there's something here for you.

If you've never made ceviche before, this is the recipe you need.

You can adapt this simple formula for any fresh vegetables; try a mixture of vinegars and spices for a truly custom pickle pleasure.

This is the best way to cook corn for a crowd.

These 19 recipes prove the grill isn't just for burgers and hot dogs.

From juicy burgers to flag cake, we've got you covered.

They can even be frozen.

Garlic butter salmon, anyone?

It's how I do quick cooking without heating up the kitchen.

Fried cornbread slathered with salted butter? Sign us up.

The best kind of kitchen magic we know.

In the winter, a baked potato (with the works!) is something my family enjoys on a regular basis. We oil and season the potatoes and roast them directly on the oven rack, then load up the steaming spuds with all the accoutrements our hearts desire. When summer approaches and we turn our attention to the grill, our baked potato habit typically comes to a halt. But this year, it’s only just ramping up.

Doing this one extra step for the sauce makes all the difference.

It turned me from a grape skeptic into a voracious grape eater. 

It's like eating a giant cheesy, corn-filled cloud.

No grill, no problem.

Just stick to this simple formula.

Sweet kernels simmered in butter and cream — yes, please.

We love number 7.

Today, let's pare it down to the basics and talk about how to make an easy, classic, all-American potato salad.

It comes together in just 5 minutes.

The only late-summer appetizer you need.

It uses the leaked secret spice blend from KFC.

Sweet, creamy, and ridiculously refreshing.

Freeze it now, enjoy great lasagna later.

When cherries are in season you may want to pick up bags of dark, sweet berries at the market and eat them all fresh. But make sure you save a pint or two to bake with. What’s your favorite cherry recipe? Here are 24 recipes, from pie bars, to a frangipane galette, chocolate-covered cherries, cherry sangria, cherry dump cake, and more … And if cherries aren’t in season where you are, we fully endorse using frozen.

Tomato purée is a cooking essential you might be missing. Simpler and a bit thicker than its flavorful cousin, tomato sauce, tomato purée is a fast way to quickly prepare and freeze a bushel of fresh tomatoes for future cooking. Plum or Roma tomatoes are best for purée because they are generally grown for preserving. Paste, oven-dried tomatoes, and sauce are all made from these varieties — they are low in water content and rich in flavor.

It's the secret to a perfectly crisp coating.

Sticky, spicy sauce and all.

Who doesn't love Hawaiian rolls?

It's as rich and creamy as you could ever hope for.

The icebox cake needs no cooking or baking, and yet it yields what you would swear are slices of tender cake layers, filled with airy whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Can you slice vegetables and boil brine? Then you can make refrigerator pickles.