Summer babies, it’s your time to celebrate! Blow out the candles on these birthday cake recipes that are sweet, fruit-filled and vibrant.
My mom’s favorite cake is tres leches, a butter cake soaked in three kinds of milk. I developed a no-fuss version that’s rich and tender. —Marina Castle Kelley, Canyon Country, California
“Recipes for everything from spritz cookies to bûche de Noël . . . shatters the assumption that if you can’t eat wheat, you can’t eat well during the holidays.” —San Jose Mercury News
The holidays are a time to celebrate and indulge in baked goods warm from the oven. Unfortunately for the gluten-sensitive, seasonal pleasures such as sugar cookies and mincemeat tarts have been off-limits. Not anymore!
Jeanne Sauvage, author of the popular blog Art of Gluten-Free Baking, has perfected 60 gluten-free recipes with all the flavors of their wheat-filled counterparts. Also included are tips on how wheat-free ingredients work and Jeanne’s own gluten-free flour mix. With favorites like apple pie, plum pudding, rugelach, bûche de Noël—even a gingerbread house—everyone can pull up a chair to the holiday table with comfort and joy.
“Her cookies and cakes and other treats (and I have reached for many a second helping at various Seattle events over the years) are reliably the best on the table even when they’re up against traditional gluten-full baked goods.” —Seattle Times
Hearty, tasty and filling, cheesy ham and potato soup is the ideal meal on cold winter nights. This soup is also truly easy to make. Everything comes together quickly in two saucepans, so you’ll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. Just be prepared to not have leftovers—because you’ll find that everyone adores cheesy potato and ham soup.
Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home
Save the bowls of ice cream for busy weeknights. For a party or potluck, bring on the ice cream desserts! If you’re short on time, use a trusted cookie recipe to make ice cream sandwiches. Want to show off? Serve a showstopping creation like a baked Alaska!
Some of our ice cream desserts need an ice cream maker, but most rely on store-bought ice cream, cookies and ice cream toppings. That makes them a cinch to put together. Let’s start scooping—it’s time to make an ice cream work of art.
In the hot summer months, traditional cake—no matter how moist and fluffy—can sometimes feel too heavy for dessert. The solution? An ice cream cake. This cool, layered dessert looks and cuts like a cake, but tastes like the ice cream dessert of our dreams.
You’ve likely indulged in a piece or two of Dairy Queen’s famous ice cream cake over the years. While those cakes are still available at DQ, believe it or not, you can DIY a better ice cream cake at home. This copycat Dairy Queen ice cream cake recipe is made with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, chocolate ganache and a thick layer of chocolate cookie crumbles—just like the original.
Summer’s quickly slipping away, don’t let its long hot days pass by without taking full advantage! This means lots of picnics, BBQs, and days at the beach, as well as making sure that even your mundane weeknight dinners are as summery as possible. We think there are a few must-haves to make a perfect summer meal: one, it’s gotta be quick and easy to make, and two, it’s gotta showcase all the best summer ingredients, from fruits and veggies to seafood. These 90 summer dinner recipes hit the mark.
When it’s hot out, the last thing you want to do is spend more time in a balmy kitchen. To help keep you cool, we’ve included a ton of recipes that use only one pot or pan (it isn’t fun to do lots of dishes in the summer either), and some that skip the oven altogether. Try our egg roll bowls, our summer bowtie pasta & chicken sausage skillet, our Peruvian-style chicken with green sauce, and more—they’re all super quick to come together, so you can spend more time enjoying the sunshine. Of course, it’s not summer if you’re not grilling as many of your meals as possible. That means burgers, hot dogs, and grilled vegetables, but also tons of other creative options too, like our grilled pizza, our grilled cod with romesco sauce, our grilled chicken salad, or our grilled pork tenderloin.
Nothing tastes better than a ripe, in-season piece of produce, and that’s never more true than during the summer. Tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and fruit like pineapples and peaches are truly mind-blowing this time of year, so we’ve highlighted some recipes to showcase their deliciousness. Looking for something protein heavy to fuel all your summer fun? The sweet-savory flavor combinations in our peach balsamic grilled chicken, our jerk shrimp & pineapple bowls, or our strawberry jalapeño chicken are just the thing. Looking for a pasta dish that’ll please the whole family? Try our mac & cheese zucchini boats, our caramelized lemon & zucchini pasta, our creamy corn pasta, or our cherry tomato pasta.
For more ways to avoid your kitchen this summer, check out our Instant Pot and air fryer dinner ideas, as well as our favorite weeknight dinners on the grill (including foil packs!). And don’t forget about summer cocktails and summer desserts too.
Chinese coleslaw may not be traditional, but our recipe gives a slight nod to Chinese pickled cabbage and other salad-like dishes. The main ingredient is crisp, mild-flavored and slightly sweet napa or Chinese cabbage, which is more tender than typical green cabbage. The large, oblong-shaped heads feature tightly packed, crinkly, ruffled, pale green leaves on thick, wide, white stems. The inner leaves are a pale yellow.
When tossed with shredded carrots, water chestnuts, green onions, and a sweet and vinegary dressing that’s punched up with ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil, Chinese coleslaw is a perfect complement to burgers or barbecue ribs. Along with a swipe of Sriracha mayo, it makes a perfect topper on fried chicken sandwiches.
Stop thinking of beans as a basic pantry staple and start thinking of them as a go-to ingredient. Black bean burgers, homemade hummus, vegetarian tacos and even brownies — beans can do so much more than just bulk up soups and salads!
Test Kitchen TipsAsk your butcher for well-marbled country-style ribs to ensure they stay beautifully moist during this longer cook time. Leaner cuts tend to dry out. Make a big batch of this dry rub and keep a canister in your cabinet for spur-of-the-moment grilling. It also tastes great on chicken. Get creative with your sauce; it’s very flexible. Love mustard? Increase it. If you’re a fan of fruity sauce, add some cherry or apricot jam. Or kick up the spice. The possibilities are endless.
Want to be called the king of the BBQ, the master of the grill, the backyard hostess with the mostest? Achieve holiday greatness this Memorial Day with all our favorite grilling and picnic recipes. Our trick for really taking your celebration to the next level? Don’t forget the sides and salads! We’ve all been there, paying too much attention to our hamburger meat and hot dog buns, and not enough to what other options our guests will have to eat. This year, do things differently—check out our list of 33 Memorial Day salads for ideas.
The best way to make a salad in the summer is to simply rely on the bounty of produce available. During the warm weather months, that means greens like arugula and baby romaine, herbs like basil and mint, and fruit and vegetables like tomatoes, peaches, and corn.
We’ve highlighted a number of those in these bright and fresh salad recipes: Try our Greek salad, our grilled corn salad, or our broccoli salad if you’re looking for something fresh without a ton of greens, or our tomato salad or our strawberry spinach salad if you’re all about them. Are you the type of person who’s really only into a salad as a vehicle for delicious dressing or a perfect protein? We feel ya. Our grilled steak salad, our grilled romaine wedge, or our chicken Caesar pasta salad are for you.
Speaking of, it’s not ALL leafy greens either. Warm weather is the perfect excuse for potato, pasta, and bean salads that’ll help add something cool and creamy to your BBQ spread. One way to keep things fresh is to add unexpected flavors to your standby recipes. Here we’ve got a tzatziki potato salad, a Thai peanut chicken pasta salad, a gnocchi antipasto salad, and a Tuscan tortellini salad that do just that. Feel free to play around with you and your family’s own preferred flavors too. You might just discover a new favorite.
Don’t stop at Memorial Day—you can make these salads all summer long. For more summertime inspiration, check out our favorite summer side dishes, summer desserts, and summer dinners too.
Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let's Eat! 