Summer

Spatchcocking (or splitting and flattening) this Italian-flavored chicken before grilling helps it cook more quickly and evenly.

This standard diner salad may have petered out in the early '90s, but this version reminds us why it was popular in the first place. Smoky chicken and pork stand in for the typical drab turkey and ham, and the addition of herb-packed chimichurri dressing makes this salad fresh again.

Bacon-wrapped franks, pinto beans, avocado, and mayo are balanced by pickled jalapeños and salsa in this summertime favorite.

Everything about these sandwiches screams "backyard summer party" to me. Simmering vegetables all day really brings out the individual flavors, and I love how I can get so many good-for-you vitamins into such a delicious package.

A pandowdy is a homey American dessert of cooked fruit covered with a piecrust or biscuit crust that is often cut up halfway through baking and pushed into the fruit. We leave the crust whole here for a quicker and easier version.

Coffee-Cherry Simple Syrup lends fruity and floral notes to this refreshing summer cocktail. The name is misleading: the syrup contains neither cherries nor coffee beans. When harvesting coffee, farmers pick coffee cherries, which are shelled for their bean pits. The beans are roasted to become the coffee you know. While the cherries are usually discarded, you can actually steep their husks in hot water for an aromatic tea.

This upgraded version of the classic fish sandwich has a light-as-air tempura batter, punchy tartar sauce, and spicy slaw.

When I put these ingredients in my rice cooker, I knew the flavors would complement each other, but I wondered what the dish would look like. It was lovely! The soft, melting goat cheese mingled with the asparagus and creamy eggs. The frittata makes a great light supper or lunch dish; serve it with a fruit salad.

This is an ode to Spain, a culture totally infatuated with the glories of asparagus. Here the green spears are paired with a classic Basque tomato-pepper relish called pipérade, simple poached eggs, and grits. One of these things has no place in Spain, but you can take the boy out of Georgia but you...well, you know.

Kids and grown-ups alike will love this upgrade on classic fish sticks. And with a cornmeal coating, they're naturally gluten-free. The creamy dipping sauce doubles as a dressing for the salad, so you don't have to mix up two different sauces to get dinner on the table.

If you don't feel like making aioli, use prepared mayonnaise and season it with mustard and garlic.

Squeezing the liquid out of the zucchini is the secret to crisp fritters. (The potato helps, too.)

Choose the best-quality fish for this simple ceviche.