I’m going to the lake with friends for a week and all we care about is food. What special celebratory meals feel like summer to you?

Question

Becca Blue · Answer

Shawarma Wraps (Love and Lemons): A summer go-to in our house. (We grill some chicken with the spices in the recipe too for our meat eaters.) I cook the chickpeas in a pan with a leetle olive oil instead of turning on the oven. They turn out 🤌🏼

Martha Tesema · Answer

Spring Sugar Snap Pea & Radicchio Chopped Salad (GF, DF, Vegan) — Lily Feeds You: So. Good. So. Fresh. Subscribe to her Patreon, it's worth it!

Juliana · Answer

tiny tomato pasta

Juliana · Answer

nytimes mango soft serve

Chiara · Answer

One Pot Lemon Basil, Corn, and Ricotta Pasta: A corn pasta sounds a bit strange and I was skeptical at first, but this is now one of my summer favorites. Creamy, decadent, and full of summer flavors!

Alexandra · Answer

Ina Garten roasted salmon with green herbs

Maura · Answer

Fruit Pizza: I grew up having this every 4th of July—my absolute favorite summer dessert as a kid, and it’s still appealing, honestly.

Analisa Burns · Answer

Curry-Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kebabs: putting my brother to work this summer!

Brigid · Answer

Mushroom Smash Burger: Perfect for anyone regardless of whether or not they eat meat

Heather M · Answer

Summer Steak with Corn and Tomatoes: The easiest summery meal! Folks who don’t eat meat - the corn salad is worth making on its own

Wynne · Answer

Panzanella Salad:

This is the best food! Like it truly might be the best bite of anything you could put in your mouth. I think I love it even more because you really can only eat it for a few months every year and then you totally need to forget about it (probably obvious but do not attempt this outside of tomato season). To me this is summer (and joy) in a bowl.

JV · Answer

Meet Shrimp Louie: You can make this the easy way, or the hard way, you can really Shrimp Louie however you like.

Not pictured: shrimp on the barbie. I love this dish because it’s so easy to serve family style. The Basics: cooked shrimp, crunchy lettuce, chopped herbs, salty pickles, juicy tomatoes, sliced avocados & creamy dressing…all summer long.

Sarah Cooney · Answer

The Way Life Should Be, or Pasta with Lobster: This is a recipe that screams "summer" to me and there is truly nothing better than coming home after a long day on the water or (dreadfully) of work in the city and sitting down to THIS. The best part is that you can make most of this in advance, or outsource some of it (i.e. poaching the lobster)--it needs to sit in this gorgeous marinade for an hour or two so you can pull it together in the morning and then just make the pasta right before dinner. It's perfection.

Amy · Answer

Classic Smashed Burgers: My husband makes these for me every year on my birthday 😋

Emily D. · Answer

steamed maryland blue crabs: there’s something about hanging/laughing around a table, cracking crabs, sipping on a lager, and feeling the east coast sea breeze that’s PEAK summer to me

MRP · Answer

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos: These + a bowl of homemade guac + chips + crisp beverage of choice!

Cicely · Answer

shrimp rolls: Total crowd pleaser and delicious!

Caroline · Answer

Ina Garten’s Icebox Cake: unbelievably delicious. bonus: you HAVE to make it ahead of time so it will take any stress out of the week. another bonus: no oven required.

Anna Songsong · Answer

Beetroot Flatbread with Griddle Aubergine and Courgette: These are gorgeous and summery, a unique and delightful dish that’s become one of my favorites.

Analisa Burns · Answer

Spicy watermelon: mint, lime, salt & chile! easy on the chile guys- this is a pretty tame crowd

Kenzie Bruder · Answer

grilled peach burrata prosciutto salad: So many yummy summer, fresh flavors and really good paired with a chilled rose!

Ginny Branch · Answer

hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, watermelon! grilled peaches with vanilla ice cream and honey! Rainier cherries!