Make Ahead

By this point in the summer, the mint in most gardens has grown knee-high and is threatening to take over. Don't panic—harvest a few armloads and turn the bounty into a refreshing drink. Plan on making a couple of batches, both with and without alcohol: Adults will swoon over the smooth, bourbon-laced juleps; kids will enjoy the lightly sweetened herbal tea all on its own.

A whole head of roasted garlic lays the foundation for an eggplant spread that's silky and satisfying, while chopped sun-dried tomatoes, fresh parsley, basil, and lemon add a healthy dose of sunshine, brightening its flavor and color. Serve it with thin slices of toasted baguette for a great take on crostini.

In the Greek soup known as avgolemono ("ahv-go-LEH-mo-no"), humble ingredients—chicken broth, lemon juice, eggs, a small amount of rice—morph into a light soup with the consistency of liquid velvet. Although avgolemono is traditionally served hot, it's an especially summery starter when chilled and seasoned with lots of dill.

This riff on classic potato salad will surprise you with its zing. Lemon, both juice and zest, helps lighten the mayonnaise dressing, and plenty of celery adds crunch.

These twice-baked cornmeal crackers—sturdy and delicate all at once—are a great accompaniment to lush avgolemono soup . They're also delicious on their own or with cocktails.

These colorful tartlets are quite simple to put together. One easy custard recipe is the basis for a trio of very different fillings (the ingredients can be doubled or tripled if one is a real favorite).

The alias for this cake might be "Extreme Chocolate." It is particularly rich and fudgy, calling for both bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder and topped with a glaze that is equally indulgent.

As the main ingredient in a sorbet, kiwifruit becomes the belle of the ball.

Scallions are often treated more like a garnish than a vegetable, but they make an excellent side dish when grilled and tossed with a simple vinaigrette.

My friend Melissa McDonnell is finishing up her architectural studies in Texas, but she always finds time to bake her famous ginger cookies. These cookies are chewy, hearty, and totally addictive. The dough does need to chill for an hour, so be sure to prepare accordingly. And keep a close eye on these—my husband is a ginger-cookie addict and stole almost half the batch while they were cooling.

In my house, baking cookies was a cutthroat competition among siblings, with my mother presiding, Iron Chef style, with one baby perched on her hip and the other clamped to her knee. Our approaches varied. Mary increased the sugar in an attempt to up the crunch. Patrick (ever the psycho perfectionist) altered the recipe and portion size teaspoon by teaspoon in pursuit of a product with Mom's thin and crispy edges. Bill made his backwards, just to act rad. It was never my intention to upstage your cookies, Mom—but you should know that I've never claimed a victory as great as when you tasted your first Babycakes NYC cookie and said: "These are better than mine." Slather an exceedingly generous dollop of your favorite frosting between two of these cookies and you've got your newest addiction, the Babycakes NYC cookie sandwich. Try freezing them.

Let's just dive in, shall we? Not only does this produce a thick and creamy vanilla frosting, it also doubles as a whipped topping, and left unrefrigerated it becomes a vanilla sauce to serve with crumbs, shortcakes, or volcanoes. And why stop there? I especially love the sauce on savory bites like corn bread, muffins, and biscuits, where it acts like a decadent sweet butter. If you try to steer clear of soy, replace the liquid and powdered soy with the rice milk variety for both in equal measure—but be advised that the result will taste slightly sweeter. Please note: If it's true frosting you want, be sure to factor in the full six hours for it to chill and set. Editor's note: Use this frosting to top Vanilla Cupcakes or to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches, both from Babycakes.

Freshly ground coffee adds a depth to the spice rub and brings out the flavor of the meat. Be sure to keep the rub recipe handy. The spice rub would also be great on steaks and chicken.

Praline, a southern candy, forms the top of this showstopping cake.

Texans take their barbecue—and their barbecue sauce—seriously. This is a classic central Texas-style sauce, which is a tomato-based mixture that's a little sweet and a little spicy.

The term shell bean generally refers to any bean that has to be removed from the pod before eating.