Last August, I spent a relaxing week vacationing on North Carolina's Outer Banks with a friend (and fellow personal chef) and our husbands. Away from our work kitchen and surrounded by fresh seafood and summer's best produce, cooking was a real joy instead of part of the daily grind. No complicated menus, no stress, just a week of straightforward, satisfying meals made from scratch. The vacation kitchen is where easy-to-memorize recipes like this classic blue cheese dressing really shine.

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This is a salad to put in your back pocket and come back to all summer long. It goes from weekend picnic to make-ahead weekday lunch in the snap of a finger, and it's full of satisfying nibbly, crunchy, chewy bits. The grapes are my favorite part — an unexpected burst of sweet in the middle of a bite. A tangy mustard vinaigrette adds the finishing touch and brings it all together.

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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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Grilling can seem like a lot of hard work if you are not in-the-know. Growing up in the South, I spent most of my youth presuming it was a man's activity — all of those 'secrets' and 'rituals' seemed best left alone by the ladies. And while, yes, when it comes to charcoal grills, smokers, and Big Green Eggs, there can be a certain amount of finesse involved, the actual act of cooking over fire doesn't have to be engulfed in a shroud of mystery. With this fabulous chicken recipe, grilling can be for everyone!

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I had only been living in the Bay Area for a few weeks — boxes still unpacked, favorite shoes still missing — when I boarded a puddle-jumper plane bound for San Diego to be with an old and dear friend while she got married. She met me at the airport with two other friends, and before heading to the hotel, before diving into pre-wedding prep, and before even catching our breath, we were off to get tacos.

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Ah, the dilemma of dinner during the busy week before a trip out of town. You don't want to blow your budget before the vacation even starts by eating out every night. But if you cook, you want to make the most of your time in the kitchen without generating too many leftovers that you won't be able to finish before you leave. Here is a five-day dinner plan that calls for a some extra kitchen time on Sunday to give a head start on a week's worth of quick and healthy meals. You'll be ready to hit the road on Friday with a clean fridge and no guilt about splurging a little on your vacation.

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Here is what's awesome about making your own dumplings at home: they will taste better than anything you buy in the store (promise), you will have a freezer full of ready-made meals for the next several weeks (depending on your rate of dumpling consumption), and you will feel like a rock star when you gaze upon your dumpling bounty. Better yet, gather some friends for a dumpling-making fest and divvy up the profits. Everyone is a rock star! Want in on the action? Here's what to do.

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This might sound shocking, but I have to say it: potstickers might be my favorite food. They are my go-to meal when I'm home alone for dinner and my favorite crowd-pleasing appetizer. I even eat them cold for airplane meals. On top of this, you can fill them with anything under the sun and freeze them for handy weeknight meals. This particular combination of rich shiitake mushrooms, chewy baked tofu, and silky cabbage is like an old and very dear friend, one that I never tire of seeing.

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A forceful kick from behind you sends the chair launching forward. Another blow immediately follows, and somewhere a child starts to scream. You feel the anger swelling inside of you as you start to plot your revenge. The hunger is taking control...

This may sound like the beginning of a horror movie, but in reality it's just another day on a plane. Travel can do a number on anyone's diet: airports are littered with fast food, pubs, and ice cream stores. On the plane it is even worse. Complimentary peanuts are little more than a joke, and $20 "snack packs" featuring processed cheese spread and Oreos are just plain offensive.

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