Liz Vidyarthi

Does your family have a signature dish for entertaining? This one’s been a staple in mine for nearly 20 years. Guests rarely leave without requesting the recipe, and are always surprised to find the rich tomato sauce is so simple.This recipe started as a London Times recipe for shrimp provencal, calling for shrimp to be baked in a tomato-butter sauce. The recipe travelled to Nairobi, where it migrated from the oven to the stovetop and swapped in cilantro for parsley.

Think of this salad as a BLT in a bowl – fresh summer tomatoes with a bright vinaigrette, toasted croutons and crispy bacon. It’s hard to improve on a classic BLT, but this may do the trick. Simple and light, the salad puts the fresh tomatoes front and center. They’re so beautiful this time of year, why limit yourself to a single slice in a sandwich?

Remember the childhood joy of slurping an icy popsicle on a hot day? These pretty pastel pops serve up summer nostalgia with a boozy adult twist. The secret ingredient is Campari, the scarlet Italian aperitif made from herbs, spices, and fruit. It’s traditionally served over ice with soda water and a slice of lime or a splash of juice. A great summer barbecue drink, Campari is refreshing in the heat and mild enough (25 percent alcohol) to sip all afternoon without worries.

If you’ve ever decorated a home on a budget, chances are you’ve braved IKEA, the Swedish temple of cheap housewares and warm cinnamon rolls. We decided to recreate the popular rolls to IKEA standards – a few simple components and easy assembly for breakfast in bed. There’s no shortage of cinnamon roll recipes out there (as well as sticky buns, their doughier, caramel-coated sister). Most require time for dough to rise, which I took in stride with my first batch.

When it comes to gin and tonics, I love the assertive taste of Hendrick’s (and judging by our gin survey, I’m not alone). Adding a slice of cucumber is classic, but throw in a sprig of rosemary to take the gin’s herbal flavors to a whole new level. I’ll admit, I drink enough g&ts in the summer to grow slightly bored with them. How could I take my go-to cocktail up a notch? First step, change up the tonic.

When the temperatures topped 100 in New York this summer, I wanted a snack that was light, quick and cool. These easy mozzarella toasts put a tasty twist on a standard caprese salad, with assertive herbs and capers that balance out the creamy cheese.They’re super simple – just sauté a little garlic and chilis in olive oil, add capers and oregano, and drizzle over fresh mozzarella.

Aguas frescas, or “fresh waters,” are light, cooling fruit drinks so magically refreshing it’s clear why they’re the unofficial thirst-quencher of Latin America. In their purest form, agua frescas are simply blended fruit, water, and a little lime – the essence of summer fruit, sipped through a straw. Adding an herb-infused simple syrup (and maybe a splash of vodka) opens a world of inventive flavor possibilities. The key is to use the ripest fruit you can find.

Green mangoes don’t get near the billing as their juicy, riper cousins. That’s too bad, because their crunch and slight sweetness makes them an ideal base for a refreshing Thai salad.As the name suggests, green mangoes are simply a few days away from peak ripeness. Peeled, they expose a firmer flesh, without the sloppy sweetness that makes ripe mangoes so amazing.

Is there anything better than the smell of a fresh ice cream cone? I always thought you needed a fancy press and shaping tools. Turns out all you need is a baking sheet and a $3 prop from the crafts store!Tuiles are crispy lightweight cookies that can be molded into shapes while hot out of the oven. This version, adapted from Epicurious, uses ground almonds for a delicate, almond-scented cone.

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but who has time to cook a hot one before heading out the door? Make a batch of these mini-quiches; they freeze great and reheat in minutes as hot breakfast bites. The lack of crust makes them a snap. A pinch of grated cheese in the bottom of each mini muffin cup forms a shell, and the eggs and filling set inside.