Simple Cooking

Take care with these little shrimp: They'll cook through quickly.

Jason Cobler, the lead bartender of Harvest in Louisville, Kentucky, shared this recipe with Epicurious. Inspired by the Mint Julep, this is a lighter cocktail that will get you going the day after the Kentucky Derby.

This fresh take on fruit salad combines spring's favorite sweet-and-sour duo, plus hazelnuts and mint to round things out.

Throw this spread together a day in advance—the flavors will meld and intensify as it sits.

You can substitute whitefish or hot-smoked salmon for the trout.

The weeknight, veggie-heavy, nothing-in-the-house-to-eat dinner. Top with a fried egg if you're feeling peckish.

Like a cinnamon-sugar doughnut in muffin form. You've been warned.

All the flavors of a steak sandwich on rye, but in salad form.

This revelatory sauce starts with a dry caramel, meaning no water is added to the sugar. It will take on color quickly and is less likely to crystallize.

A little bit of sweetness makes these especially appealing to pint-size palates.

Amaro and sweet vermouth are relatively low in alcohol, making for a quaffable, refreshing drink (go ahead, have two).

No disrespect to the frozen tots these are based on, but making your own is way more fun than opening a bag (and they taste better, too).

To make your own baharat spice blend, mix one teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin with half a teaspoon each of cinnamon and paprika.

Cooking the potatoes in vinegar seasons them from within, and a final drizzle boosts the flavor.

You could use any melting cheese in this recipe, such as a sharp cheddar, fontina, or Gruyère—in which case, just call them "Cheesy Grits."

You can make zuppa inglese with all sorts of readymade cookies or cakes. Here it's made with colomba, Italy's traditional Easter cake. I love colomba's soft yeasty cake texture and fabulous buttery aroma. My favorite part is the top of the cake, which has a crisp, sweet almond crust. In Italy, the day after Easter is called Pasquetta, "Little Easter," or Il Lunedi dell'Angelo, "Angel's Monday." Italians traditionally go on a picnic that day, the first outdoor excursion since the start of winter. Dessert includes all the leftover Easter sweets like pastiera, colomba cake, or Easter eggs.