Though not at a campground, our family cooks and eats outside as much as possible in summer. Food cooked over a fire seems especially satisfying. As much as I like hamburgers and hot dogs, it seems a shame to not take advantage of the opportunity to explore other recipes. I love this week’s meals because they can be cooked in the great outdoors or in the comfort of your own kitchen....

Although chermoula is most often paired with fish, it’s excellent with chicken! Chicken thighs hold their own with this flavorful rub made with parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, lemon, and olive oil. This recipe is an easy one-skillet dish, perfect for a midweek meal. First we brown the thighs on the stovetop, then we slather the thighs with chermoula sauce and pop them in the oven to finish. A cast iron pan works well for this because it easily goes from stovetop to oven....

I have good news! Bread pudding, usually baked in the oven, is a cinch to make at home using a slow cooker. This version uses the decadent dessert, Bananas Foster, as inspiration. Banana puree, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar flavor the bread pudding, and then I finish it with a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce. Making caramel sauce from scratch is so simple. You’ll want to generously drizzle it on top of the pudding (and everything else)....

Sourdough starter adds a unique and nuanced flavor to these pancakes. They’re a surefire way to impress anyone who takes a bite. If you’ve been nurturing a sourdough starter for a while, you’ve probably either amassed or thrown away a lot of it. Making pancakes is one of the most common ways to get rid of excess starter (also known as discard). What Is Discard, and Why Add it to Pancakes?...

Grain-like, but not really a grain, quinoa has a wonderfully nutty flavor. It’s also happily very good for you, being high in protein, fiber, magnesium, calcium, and iron. While quinoa is indigenous to the Andes, not Mexico, it works beautifully with Mexican and Southwestern flavors, and especially well with cheese, in particular farmers cheese, a soft, mild cheese like queso fresco or fresh mozzarella. Southwestern Quinoa Salad This quinoa salad is a quick toss together with canned black beans, fresh garden tomatoes, corn, farmers cheese, jalapeños, red onions, cilantro, and lime....

You could not expect to find phyllo, the paper-thin dough that is the key ingredient, in just any supermarket. In fact, we usually picked up our supply of frozen dough on weekly runs to New York City, the nearest mecca for “foreign” ingredients at the time. Luckily, spanakopita—with its cheesy filling of spinach, feta, scallions, and herbs, all enclosed in layer upon layer of crisp, buttery phyllo—is now a mainstream dish, and the ingredients are easy to find....

Case in point: this Spicy Three-Chile Guacamole went from “Oh, that’s nice,” to “Where has this been all my life?!?!”—all it took was a combination of peppers and one humble spice. While a three-chile guacamole may seem a bit fiery to your taste buds, rest assured, the creaminess of the avocado base and the smokiness that the charring imparts tones down the heat. Flecks of crisp red onion and the brightness of the cilantro round out the flavors in this dip to ensure your guacamole has a kiss of heat that’s not too overwhelming....

So I set my sights on a cobbler, which is much easier to make than a pie. My father and I have now gone through three iterations of versions of strawberry rhubarb cobbler in as many weeks. The first one was too sweet and mushy, though mom loved it. The second one’s crust was dry and tasteless. This version, however, is just perfect. A favorite from the recipe archives. First published 2006....

Luckily, these days there are a number of reliable and wonderful pizza ovens that get very hot and are specifically engineered to give you that brick oven pizza finished product, but without the brick oven. The majority are outdoor only ovens that work off of gas, wood, or charcoal to get hot enough. You definitely want to have an oven that can reach 700 degrees or higher for the perfect Neopolitan pizza....

We researched the features that make for stellar mugs including double-wall insulation for temperature control, leak- and spill-proof lids, and ease of drinking via a push-button, flip top, or straw. We also looked at less expected features like aesthetics and even self-brewing mugs. In the end, the Contigo 20-Ounce Autoseal West Loop Vacuum-Insulated Travel Mug was our favorite for heat-retention and preventing spills. To help you narrow down your choices, here are the best travel coffee mugs to get your morning off to an amazing start....

That’s because bottom freezer refrigerators—particularly the ones with the sliding drawers that help keep things tidy—have a way of bringing to the foreground those forgotten bags of rice, those sticks of butter I bought in, what, 2019? They keep us neat, protect us against our own worst instincts. They also look a little more modern in your kitchen, especially when you add in smart capabilities or flex drawer features. More of these extra features are being added to fridges nowadays—just look at how many bells and whistles our best overall pick, the Samsung 30-Inch Wide 21....

Simply Recipes reader Alton Hoover sent me his favorite recipe for lasagna which he has been cooking since his college days. Alton’s original recipe created enough lasagna for a small army so I halved it. What is posted here will easily serve eight people. Video! How to Make Lasagna The Secret Behind This Classic Lasagna Recipe From what I can tell, the secret behind Alton’s lasagna is the addition of a little sugar to the sauce and using a bit more cheese than most other recipes....

Furthermore, because of their elasticity, silicone spatulas (unlike metal ones) are less likely to scratch your cookware, especially if you’re using coated ones. Plus, the best ones tend to be easier to clean than other types of spatulas. And I’d be remiss not to mention that silicone spatulas come in many fun shapes and colors. But how is one to choose from the many options available? To help you decide, I took into consideration the shapes and sizes of the spatula heads, the feel and length of the handles, and their overall durability, flexibility, and rigidity....

Danielle Bennett, also known as Diva Q, is the author of “Diva Q’s Barbecue: 195 Recipes For Cooking With Family, Friends & Fire” and host of Travel Channel’s BBQ Crawl. When choosing a small grill, Bennett urges us to, “get out of the mindset of inexpensive, disposable grills and see a grill as an investment, an outdoor appliance you will enjoy for many years.” A high-quality grill will have you “feeling like a backyard rockstar all the time,” says Bennett....

I’ll never forget the first time I tasted William Sonoma’s Peppermint Bark. I was working as the social media editor at Real Simple magazine, back when you had to go into the office every day. (Imagine that!) My co-workers and I received all sorts of samples, from food and wine to bras and home decor. It was our job to try things and decide if they were worth writing about for our readers—were the products worthy of your hard-earned money?...

This braising liquid and a hearty amount of garlic, ginger, and scallion creates a dish that is sweet, salty, sour, and savory (combining many tastes in one dish is key to successful Chinese cooking). If you want, you can add Sichuan peppercorns and star anise to develop more depth of flavor and a pleasant, tingly heat.

Here’s an idea for a quick turkey grilled cheese sandwich. We just happened to have some sweet pickled onions in the fridge, and some arugula growing in the garden, hence the throw-together sandwich. We’ve done something a little similar with cranberries and arugula, but this one is a grilled cheese sandwich. I think the onions are essential; I would have piled on more if we weren’t already running out. What’s your favorite leftover turkey sandwich combination?...

The sloppy joes of my youth tended to be either from a can or from a cafeteria, and neither were particularly special. The good news is that we can easily improve on them. The even better news is that kids still love sloppy joes! For this version, I use ground turkey—a riff on classic sloppy joes made with beef. I like turkey because it’s lean, and it also lets the other ingredients (like all those delicious veggies) shine....

In this vegetarian version, while not the same as a traditional bolognese, roasted cauliflower and mushrooms provide every bit as much flavor and texture as the meat version. Serve it over spaghetti, fettuccini, linguine, or pappardelle noodles, and you’ll enjoy a satisfying, filling dinner full of robust roasted vegetable flavors. The process of making this is not a slam-dunk in terms of time, but it does provide cooking therapy. When the steps occupy your mind, you can begin to focus on the moment, a good thing when times are challenging....

Pepper is yang to salt’s yin. When we think of one, we think of the other. Seasoning with pepper may be a conscious choice we make, but the act is so ingrained in our behavior we don’t always stop to consider its function. Salt is an essential nutrient; our bodies need it to survive. Pepper, by contrast, is a preference, there to add flavor and texture to our foods....