My kids are surely among the last in the country to get out of school for summer break: Their year ended on Thursday, June 26. That, along with some cool, rainy days that dampened the mood mid-June, meant that when summer vacation did finally come, it arrived with a big bang of watermelon, sweet corn, ice pops and pie. I’ve now had several grilled burgers and even more margaritas; we even set off fireworks in the yard one night (apologies to my very nice neighbors).
Summer eating can be exuberant like that. If you’re in need of seasonal inspiration, we’ve got it right here for you in our Summer 100: 100 bright, easy recipes for right now. I’ve got five dinners from the list for you below, a taste of what you’ll find at that link.
July 4 is coming up, too, and we have all the recipes you need. I usually make a pie — maybe sour cherry? Blueberry? (Frozen blueberries are a dream in pie, by the way. I like to buy the small wild ones, which are also great in pancakes.)
Speaking of baking, I’m excited to spread the word about “Cookies,” our latest New York Times Cooking cookbook, which is arriving in late October. It’s written by Vaughn Vreeland and packed with 100 brilliant recipes for anytime treats. You can preorder your copy here. No one would be mad if you showed up at the barbecue with these pitch-perfect Rice Krispies treats, peanut butter-miso cookies or — bringing it back around to margs — these salted margarita bars, which Vaughn describes as “Key lime pie’s boozier, saltier cousin.”
Ideas for me? Requests? Email me anytime at [email protected]. I love to hear from you.
I’m also making:
Rhubarb compote; crispy gnocchi with tomato and red onion; Greek salad; steamed clams.
1. Oven-Seared Salmon With Corn and Tomatoes
Summer on a platter: It’s a beautiful sight. Ali Slagle uses a short list of ingredients, a broiler and a sheet pan to make this magic, all of it geared toward letting salmon, corn and tomatoes shine.
2. Chicken Gyro Chopped Salad
Kia Damon uses marinated seared chicken breasts in this main-course salad, an ode to classic gyros that you can easily make at home for dinner. The creamy tzatziki-like dressing, made with dill and yogurt, is especially satisfying.
3. Chilled Tofu With Gochujang Sauce
Please take Eric Kim’s advice and double the sauce in this recipe, which is chile-powered by gochujang, tangy from a tablespoon of vinegar and sweet from a sprinkling of brown sugar. He spoons it over cold silken tofu for a no-cook meal, but it’s delicious on cucumbers, cooked broccoli and other vegetables, too.
4. Crispy Gnocchi With Spinach and Feta
Hetty Lui McKinnon takes one of my favorite fast ingredients, shelf-stable gnocchi, and makes it the base of a spanakopita-inspired dinner, with baby spinach, feta and big handfuls of herbs. Toasting the gnocchi in a pan rather than boiling it delivers crisp, chewy dumplings that I can’t stop eating.
5. Grilled Hasselback Kielbasa With Jalapeño Honey
“Hasselback” should be a verb, right? Let’s just make that happen. In this five-star recipe, Ali hasselbacks kielbasa, cutting slits in the sausage. Those cuts create a beautiful end product, but more important, ridges that crisp up on the grill and nooks that capture the sweet-hot glaze.
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Emily Weinstein is the editor in chief of New York Times Cooking and Food. She also writes the popular NYT Cooking newsletter Five Weeknight Dishes.
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