A Classic Combination: Warm sausage and lentils meld perfectly in a salad tossed with a balsamic-based vinaigrette and fortified with a little bacon.

Zucchini and Chicken Salad: Robin Bellinger grows to love zucchini when it's slivered with a mandolin and tossed with a lemony dressing, like in this zucchini and chicken salad. Sprinkled with fresh mint and Parmesan and stuffed into a pita, it makes for a great portable lunch.

Bruschetta for Dessert: Showcase beautiful summer fruit atop bruschetta dolce. Amanda Clarke tops hers with cherry, hazelnuts and nutella; or black raspberries, nectarines and ricotta.

Soul-Satisfying Soup: Turn sweet corn, rich lobster, and plenty of heavy cream into a luscious summertime meal with a pot of corn and lobster soup.

Salad for a Scorching Day: Shrimp, jicama, and mango salad is crunchy, sweet, and involves almost no cooking.

Addictive, Awesome, Nutty Cookies: Peanut butter cookies are unmistakably heavenly.