Victoria Spencer

One of Martha's favorite desserts, lemon bars are a great make-ahead dish suited to just about any occasion.

Maybe you love to bake—but cleaning up isn't your favorite. If so, you're not alone. Unfortunately, many recipes for baked goods require several bowls for measuring and mixing. Cake recipes often call for one bowl for dry ingredients, another for creaming butter and sugar, and sometimes even a third for mixing it all together.  When you want the joy of baking without the hassle of cleanup, try our smart, streamlined recipes for cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, and quick breads. All require just one bowl for mixing—or come together in the food processor or mixer. But just because they're straightforward recipes doesn't mean they scrimp on taste—you'll find plenty of glorious flavors packed into these fuss-free desserts.

You know what we love about cold appetizers? No last-minute baking, sautéing, simmering, or frying. These recipes can be prepared ahead of time, so you can enjoy your party sans stress. Whether you're a Martha-level host or new to entertaining, you'll want to add some of these cold appetizer recipes to your list of party must-makes. Ultimately, having dishes made before a gathering is like having money in the bank—you'll be comfortable knowing that your menu is handled, no heat necessary. Best of all, these light bites are total crowd-pleasers that just might persuade you to prep all your appetizers ahead, or at least the majority (so you have time to focus on that special last-minute dish). Whatever your approach, you can rely on these trusty cold appetizer recipes to delight your loved ones time and again.

With a wide array of fruits and vegetables at their peak during the warmer months, it's easy to put together a summer salad made with fresh ingredients. Whether you pair seasonal produce with cheese or fish or chicken or serve a chopped mix of your favorite vegetables, there are so many ways to make a summertime salad that will appeal to everyone at the table.  When we say salad, we don't always mean leafy greens. The summer salad recipes we've collected here include ones that star corn, cucumber, beets, and summer squash, as well as dishes that celebrate heirloom tomatoes, ripe peaches, juicy watermelon, and other peak-season fruits. These light, bright dishes are refreshing and colorful—and are made with raw ingredients or just a few judiciously chosen cooked elements. From light and tangy to protein-packed and filling, these are our favorite salad recipes for summer.

Trade your usual scoops for a milkshake, sundae, ice cream sandwich, or a celebration bombe. Thanks to store-bought ice cream, they're easy to make and entirely impressive.

Summer often means grilled meals, and while there's nothing wrong with that, one-pan dinners are a good option for warm weather meals, too. Whether made on one sheet pan, in one skillet, a saucepan, or in a Dutch oven, these summer one-pan dinners are lighter and brighter than the casseroles and stews that are our go-tos in fall and winter. They're still filling and nutritious, but feature plenty of summer produce. Don't worry, we're not telling you to put away the grill altogether. We use the grill (or a griddle pan) as our one "pan" in a few recipes. In addition to grilled dinners, you'll find main-dish salads, plenty of pasta, and maybe even a creamy chowder or two. There will also be some broiling, because it's quick and has very tasty results, but we're not as focused as we are in cooler weather on using the stovetop or oven to get dinner on the table.

Whether you're hosting a big backyard barbecue or just want a healthy weeknight dinner with plenty of flavor, these vegetarian grilling recipes deliver. There's plenty of inspiration here for the long summer nights ahead, so get cooking!

This month, we're getting into summer for weeknight dinners and cooking with as many fresh and seasonal ingredients as possible. Summer produce is at its peak and there are Fourth of July parties, backyard barbecues, and weekend getaways on the horizon. What does it all mean? That July is a great month for delicious food.  While weekends are sure to be full of platters of grilled meat, fresh vegetables, and glorious sheet cakes, during the week you need dinner to be fast. We're sharing 20 dinner ideas (one for every weeknight of the month), and all take less than an hour of mostly hands-off time. Some recipes will be much faster than that, and we'll even suggest what you can do to prep ahead and cut down on weeknight work. To create summer weeknight meals that are simple to make, tempting and flavor packed, our strategy is to lean on what's freshest at the market for plant-based meals and also for vegetables that play a stellar supporting role to a protein like chicken or fish in a main-dish salad or a one-pan dinner.

Cauliflower steaks, cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust...we love them all, but there are also plenty of other delicious ways to enjoy this hearty vegetable. Join us as we celebrate the cauliflower renaissance.