Summer Food & Entertaining

Summer cooking rewards restraint. When produce is at its peak and the heat makes anyone reluctant to stand over a stove, the best dishes tend to be the simplest — a few good ingredients handled well, served cold or barely cooked. This is the season for no-cook meals, bright dressings, grilling, and drinks built to sweat a glass.

The recipes and stories gathered here cover the full arc of a summer table: refreshing cocktails and coolers, make-ahead salads that travel to a picnic without wilting, grilling ideas, and the kind of low-effort desserts that come together while the oven stays off. Whether you're feeding a crowd or just trying to eat well when it's ninety degrees, the goal is the same — maximum flavor, minimum fuss.

Browse the collection below for warm-weather cooking and entertaining, from the first of the season's produce through the last long evening of the year.