Keeps Well

Editor’s Note: If you’ve cooked this beloved recipe before, it might look a little different these days! We recently improved it to make it even easier to follow and more delicious.If you love apple pie, you’ve got to make these salted caramel apple pie bars. With three impressive layers, plus a double dose of caramel sauce, they are the dessert of fall.

Easier than apple pie.

Chocolate chips in every bite.

A thick layer of buttery, sweet crumbs crowns the top.

Like the boxed stuff, but so much better.

Did we mention the herb butter?

Don’t sleep on this.

They have the most incredible soft, tender texture.

Yes, you really only need one pot. And no, you don't need to drain the pasta!

Plus, two ingredients not normally found in chili.

It's summer in a bowl.

Hot mulled cider is a must-have at all our fall and winter shindigs. It’s a great non-alcoholic drink option for holidays like Thanksgiving — guests of all ages never seem to turn down a mug, but grown-ups can also take the opportunity to do a little self-spiking and mix with their alcohol of choice. Slow-cooker mulled cider is the easiest way to serve a crowd.

It's bright, fresh, and a breeze to whip together.

And you only need four ingredients.

It's ready in 20 minutes and doesn't require turning on the oven.

It uses 2 pounds of zucchini.

A chipotle marinade makes the chicken extra-flavorful.

It's tangy, it's sweet, and it pops (literally).

We found the best cookie for the job.

Just when you thought cheesecake couldn’t get any better.

Lasagna is perhaps the quintessential feed-a-crowd casserole. There are many ways to make lasagna, but here is my own method for making it. I was so intimidated by lasagna before I first tried it. It looked like a process that would eat up my whole day. While that it is not true, it is definitely more time-consuming than spaghetti with meat sauce — but it’s oh-so-worth-it. This recipe is a hybrid of a full-on, totally from-scratch lasagna recipe and one that uses pre-made components.

It tastes like fall in every bite.

The most delicious leftover sandwich starts here.

It’s just creamy enough.

It's a must before summer's over.

No filler fruit to be found.

Sipping icy-cold sweet lemonade on a blazing-hot summer day is one of life’s finest pleasures, which is why we think making lemonade from scratch should be the easiest drink you make this summer. After all, it is just three ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, and water. To make this lemonade-from-scratch recipe, juice the lemons and strain them, use the lemon juice to dissolve the sugar, then add cold water to taste. It’s that simple.

It’s bound to become an instant classic.

The cinnamon-walnut streusel is a game-changer.

Cool, briny pickles straight from the fridge are one of the simplest pleasures of summer. Quick pickling is also a brilliant solution for preserving a plethora of summer vegetables from the market or your garden. Quick pickling doesn’t require canning or a bushel of vegetables. Best of all, you can adapt this simple formula for any fresh vegetables; try a mixture of vinegars and spices for a truly custom pickle pleasure. Here’s how to make these easy quick pickles in just 20 minutes.

If there’s a food that’s not improved by grilling, I’ve yet to find it. The open flame and sizzling grill grates add flavor, complexity, and gorgeous grill marks to meat, veggies, fruit, and extra-firm tofu (what we’re talking about today!). With just a few smart steps — including dredging the planks in a simple spice rub and finishing them with a punchy herb sauce — tofu can be one of the most flavorful foods to come off the grill.

Meant to bee.

My grandmother kept a tidy little vegetable garden outside her New England home. While she did a decent job of growing summer squash, cucumbers, and some tomatoes, her best results always came out of her snap bean plants. This also meant my annual August trips to visit her were filled by snapping beans on her porch (a job reserved strictly for grandchildren) and putting jars of quick-pickled green beans in her refrigerator.

Bonus: a zippy lemon frosting!

It's the no-cook dish of my dreams.

This basic chicken breast technique gets meal prep done faster!

It takes just 15 minutes to prep.

It’s sweet, tart, and so creamy.

For all the times I have ordered chicken lettuce wraps at restaurants like P.F. Chang’s, inhaled entire “appetizers” by myself, and sighed with happiness while licking sticky sauce from my fingers, it never once occurred to me to try making this dish at home. Partly, lettuce wraps have always felt like an indulgence that needed restriction to restaurant visits only.

Cool and crunchy, delightfully sour and capable of going from a quick snack to a crunchy addition to a hearty sandwich without a hitch — that’s what I call a good pickle. Did you know they’re a cinch to make at home? You don’t even need to set aside the afternoon; you can make a few pint jars in less than 30 minutes. Here’s everything you need to know to make your own batch of homemade dill pickles right now.

And it’s ready in just 20 minutes.

The humble banana gets the spotlight.

Five layers of buttery, brown-sugar, chocolate chip cookie delight.

Have you ever sipped a shrub? Not the bush out in your front lawn, but a fruit syrup, preserved with vinegar and mixed with water or alcohol to make a tangy, refreshing beverage. An old-fashioned favorite, shrubs have steadily made a comeback in the last several years — especially on cocktail menus — but they aren’t solely the province of mixologists.

It’s the best.

Move over, granola.

It’s no secret that McDonald’s Big Macs are beloved all over the world, primarily for the sweet and tangy sauce that’s slathered onto the burger buns. And while there have been plenty of rumors suggesting the special sauce is simply Thousand Island dressing in disguise, McDonald’s says otherwise.

Bright and refreshing.

This is our favorite method.

It's the only version I make.

Given the opportunity, my 6-year-old would eat hot dogs every single day. And I can’t blame him. These snappy, savory sausages packed into squishy buns are satisfying and delicious. There are so many ways to cook hot dogs, too. While he and his neighborhood crew would settle for a boiled dog, I miss the sizzle of a skillet-seared, air-fried, or grilled hot dog. Now, when I’m feeding a crowd of hungry kids (and kids at heart!), I skip the simmer and click on the oven instead.

I have to admit an unpopular opinion: I am just not into mayonnaise-based summer salads. When it is hot out, I want to eat light and refreshing salads, not thick and creamy ones. So when I say this is the best pasta salad ever, it’s with that opinion in mind. But a mayo-free pasta salad can still come with a degree of creaminess. In this case it’s by way of an olive oil-rich vinaigrette and a sprinkling of flavorful soft cheese.

This salad has everything — except lettuce.

Five layers of chocolate-peanut butter perfection.

So much more than a dip.

It takes just 20 minutes to prep.

Homemade noodles take it to the next level.

Is there a more quintessential warm-weather side dish than cold pasta salad? This cool salad keeps well, and it’s the perfect make-ahead lunch that you can pack throughout the week. Just about everyone in your family, from your kids to your mother-in-law, will eat it! This recipe is truly as simple as boiling water and tossing in a few key pasta salad ingredients.

Classic condiments take this barbecue side to the next level.