(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

If making frozen treats is on your summer bucket list and you’ve had a long list of excuses — no time, no ice cream maker, or no Popsicle molds — let me introduce you to granita. Granita is a frozen fruit dessert made from fresh fruit and water, blended and frozen until icy, flaked with a fork and frozen again. The result is a delightfully crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth fruit ice, perfect eating all on its own. When served on everything from yogurt to cocktails, it becomes a complete game-changer.

This three-ingredient dessert can be made with any fruit in nearly any kitchen. Here are the basics you’ll need to know for making granita with any fruit at home.

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(Image credit: Faith Durand)

A golden, pan-seared chicken breast is a weeknight savior. A staple in many a dinner rotation, its versatility means you can turn to it for countless meals without getting sick of it — as long as you dress it up. Sometimes, that’s as simple as changing up the toppings. Here’s how to give chicken breast a fresh and flavorful upgrade in every color of the rainbow.

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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Put away your canning equipment and bags of sugar, my friends. There’s a new jam in town this summer, and its name is chia. Yes, by using the gelling power of these tiny little seeds we can transform a few cups of ripe fruit into a low-sugar, spreadable, spoonable jam in about 20 minutes. Here is what to do!

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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. Although they are Vietnamese in origin, variations abound on the web (and in restaurants).

Summer rolls are also surprisingly easy to make at home. Yes, you should probably sit down and read through the directions before you start, and maybe the first roll or two will be a bit flimsy (but no less tasty), but soon you’ll be filling rice paper wrappers with cool and fresh fillings before every summer cookout.

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Farm stands and farmers markets are the grocery stores of summer, when the produce is so ripe and flavorful you don’t need to do much to take it from your canvas tote to the plate. But while we tend to lump the two together — and it’s true that you can buy many of the same fruits and veggies at both — farm stands and farmers market are actually different.

Here, we look at the difference to you and to the farmer in terms of cost, labor, and quality of produce.

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(Image credit: Maria Midoes)

My dad was one of eight children, and his mother and father owned a general store and deli after escaping the New Jersey suburbs for a small town in Vermont, which is just to say — my grandmother knew how to make a big sandwich for a crowd.

I spent many summers in her kitchen preparing picnic lunches for two or three aunts and a circus of cousins to take to the lake. These large sandwiches became a staple of summer. They were filling, could be made well in advance, and traveled well. Over those summers I learned my grandmother’s tricks for making a hearty sandwich for a crowd.

This sandwich for a crowd is not your typical party sub sandwich. It isn’t built on a hoagie roll or baguette. A sub sandwich has its place at a party, but it doesn’t pack well for a picnic, hike, or trip to the beach. Instead we’re using a whole round bread loaf to build a sandwich that is protected by the bread and condiments themselves.

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(Image credit: Christine Han)

I don’t just like asparagus — I love it! It’s a bit of an obsession for me. I’ll eat it broiled, roasted, steamed, baked, and even raw. To that roster of preparations is the recent addition of oven-baked asparagus fries in all their golden, crispy-brown glory.

With the help of a breadcrumb trick that you can make use of beyond this recipe, I present the crispiest, crunchiest, tastiest asparagus I’ve made to date — and folks, it’s all done in the oven.

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(Image credit: maria midoes)

Eggplant is a nightshade often used as a substitute for meat in a number of dishes — from bolognese to burgers — so it only seems natural that we try our hand at transforming it into bacon. We’re taking eggplant back to the skillet, seasoning it for bacon success, and frying it up — just like the real stuff.

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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Have you ever had a scotcheroo? Where I grew up in Minnesota, no backyard cookout, birthday party, or post-Little League pizza dinner was complete without a plate piled high with these squares. Imagine if Rice Krispies treats had a run-in with a jar of peanut butter and then got doused in a melted medley of chocolate and butterscotch chips. An improbable combination? Perhaps. Insanely good? You betcha.

If you didn’t grow up with these, you must — I repeat, must — try them this summer. Making a batch big enough to feed the whole neighborhood takes just a few pantry ingredients and about 15 minutes, so no excuses. Here’s what to do.

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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

There are few things better than summer sweet corn. Of course I could say that about many things this time of year, but there really is something special about corn on the cob, served steaming hot and slathered in butter, don’t you think?

Here are three ways to cook corn perfectly every time.

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