With just-as-crispy skin, swap this simple roasted recipe for your go-to fried favorite.

We all get it: It’s summertime and it’s hot and no one, anywhere, wants to go near the stove. Recipes for chilled salads, packed with crisp lettuce, bright fresh fruits and lightly dressed tomatoes, are popping up everywhere with tag lines screaming, “Stay out of the kitchen!” As much as you might dread turning the burners on when temperatures hit their August highs, nothing says summer like a piece of fried chicken. This roasted recipe is so simple, and crispy, you’ll barely notice you’ve turned the oven on at all, and you needn’t worry about standing over a pot of bubbling oil. Perfect for a weekend picnic or a Sunday supper, it makes wonderful leftover chicken salad or a great rustic club sandwich. My favorite part: The simple addition of cumin to the seasoning — a trick an old cooking buddy used when making our restaurant’s staff meals — adds just a hint of exotic flavor to the mix.

Picnic-Perfect Roast Chicken Thighs, Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 11’
6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy duty, non-stick skillet over high heat, and cook until the oil is hot but not smoking. Season both sides of the chicken generously with salt, pepper and cumin and place, skin-side down, in the skillet. Cook for two minutes, then reduce heat to medium-high. Continue cooking, rotating pan and rearranging chicken (leaving skin-side down) to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes longer.

2. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook an additional 13 minutes. Flip the chicken, and continue cooking until the skin is crispy and meat is cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate or cooling rack and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Breathtaking views from the nearby Dunes and impressive restaurants give this Midwest destination the summer seal of approval.

I’ve never been anywhere near Cape Cod, but for some reason, I keep telling people that Traverse City is Michigan’s version of the Northeastern summer town. There must be something about the getaway’s lakeside and bay views, paired with quaint shops decked in vintage camping knickknacks, that makes me imagine couples dressed in seersucker, chomping down lobster rolls. You may not find a clambake this far west, but if you have a few days on your hands, Traverse City makes an excellent summering spot.

And you’ll need at least a few days. Plan to spend three at minimum — you’re actually heading to several peninsulas and bays, all worth their own visit. Add to that travel time; Traverse City is a good six-hour drive from Chicago, or a few-hours flight (into the Cherry Capital Airport) if you’re coming from either coast. But it’s worth the effort when you hit the tree-lined hillsides and shockingly bright blue lake waters that make Michigan the Great Lakes State.

You could easily spend your entire vacation just enjoying the lake, by way of Traverse Bay. On the drive into town, notice signs for boat, jet ski and pontoon rentals — they’re actually fairly affordable and a great way to spend a relaxing morning. If you’d rather stay of the water, catch some rays on the public beaches that line the roads heading into Traverse City and around the nearby Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas.

Charming bed-and-breakfasts also fill the area, but Traverse City offers the most central location (both peninsulas are only each a thirty minute drive away). Hotels and inns dot the highway into town for several miles, including chain lodges and more luxurious options like the Antiquities’ Wellington Inn (230 Wellington St., Traverse City). In town, the Oviatt House (244 E. 8th St., Traverse City), is a charming, affordable bed-and-breakfast only a few blocks from the town’s main street.
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This silky rum cooler is the surest way to beat the summer’s heat.

With the creamy sweetness of dessert, a hint of cinnamon and a good kick of rum, this Mexican-style drink is just the thing to drink alongside grilled sausages or at a summer picnic. It’s fairly low maintenance — just steep the almonds, rice, cinnamon and water overnight, then combine with the milk, cream, sugar and rum. The drink is best made with Mexican cinnamon, a slightly sweeter and more aromatic version. For a sweeter drink, substitute the cream and 1 cup sugar for a can of condensed milk; for a nutty twist, use part coconut milk.

Horchata cooler, serves four
2/3 cup medium- or long-grain rice
1/3 cup toasted, blanched almonds
1 cinnamon stick, toasted, plus extra for garnish
3 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup cream
2 cup sugar
8 ounces dark rum

1. Put the rice, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl. Simmer the water, pour over the ingredients and cool. Cover and let sit for at least five hours, or overnight.

2. Place mixture in a blender and buzz until as smooth as possible. Strain through a cheesecloth lined strainer, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon.

3. Bring a small portion of milk to a simmer and add the sugar. Simmer for several minutes until sugar is melted. Combine the strained liquid, sugar milk, and the rest of milk and cream. Mix well and chill. Add rum to taste and pour into a pitcher or individual glasses. Top glasses with shaved cinnamon.

The last of this season’s strawberries bake into a silky, rich custard-filled pie.

If you’ve read my ramblings for any period of time, you know I like pie. I love the way a simple combination of flour and butter turns into the flakiest crust, enrobing everything from berries to stone fruit to savory delicacies. In fact, I’ve made pie more than any other recipe on my site — Persimmon Pie, Orange Meringue Pie and Mushroom and Speck Tart, just to name a few — and I still pause a moment at the site of a perfectly golden browned crust.

While in Michigan a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but buy the last giant pail of strawberries from a local farm stand. That meant not just one, but two of these delicious treats. My newest favorite, I have a feeling this pie will be around for quite some time: it’s just so easy and so good. A quick custard base is poured on top of the berries, baking into the most beautiful and deliciously creamy pie. I can’t wait to make the recipe with the cherries from last week’s market, or the stone fruit I’m still wishing for. It’s such a simple recipe, try playing around: Swap brown sugar for a caramely undertone with peaches or whisk in a few teaspoons of your favorite liquor for a boozy kick. Even if you don’t make pie as much as I do, you’re sure to love this one!

Strawberry-Custard Pie, makes one 9-inch pie, adapted from Martha Stewart
For the pastry dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups small strawberries, trimmed and cleaned, halved if larger
2 large eggs
3/4 cups sugar
2 ounces butter, melted and cooled
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

1.  Pastry dough: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until walnut size chunks appear. Make a well in the center and pour in half the water. Mix together and add more water until the dough just holds together. Form a ball with the dough, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.

2. On a lightly floured work space, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Fit the dough into a lightly greased 9-inch pie pan and trim, leaving a 1-inch over hang. Fold the trim over and underneath itself. For a fluted edge, pinch the outside of the crust with the thumb and index finger of one hand while pushing in with the index finger of the other hand. Repeat at 1/2 intervals around the entire edge. For another edge, press to seal with tines of a fork. Freeze for 15 minutes while oven is preheating at 375 degrees.

3. Line crust with parchment and fill with baking beans or dried rice. Bake for 20 minutes, remove parchment and weights, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool.

4. For filling: Whisk together the eggs, sugar, melted butter, flour, salt and vanilla in a small bowl. Place the strawberries in the pie shell, completely covering the bottom, then pour the filling on top, using a spatula to smooth evenly. Cut a piece of foil twice the size of the pie, fold in half and cut out a circle large enough to expose the center but cover the edges. Wrap edges to protect from burning.

5. Bake the pie for an additional 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for one hour. Refrigerate, covered, for up to four days.

Lunch at Shake Shack, dinner at Eat and a few pretty butterflies along the way.

I spent a few days in New York City last week, taking in the hot weather, culture and intense life all around me. Every visit I make to this city always brings me new places to explore, or something I haven’t done yet; I may have been there for business, but I couldn’t help stopping at a few food destinations along the way. It’s a wonder I hadn’t been to Shake Shack before, but the creamy milkshake and rich burger made a wonderful sunny lunch in the park. Later I strolled through the nearby Eatly, Mario Batali’s impressive mecca to all things Italy. Heading to the train, I noticed a beautiful window display of live butterflies called Wish for Women. It’s created by Women In Need and Alpina Wish Space, who release a butterfly into the habitat for every wish/donation that is made. The next night, I had a quick dinner at Greenpoint’s Eat, a restaurant dedicated to sustainable, local and delicious foods. The sweet raspberry juice and rustic barley salad, brightened with spicy radish shavings, cucumber and dill, was the perfect bite before I rushed to catch my flight back to Chicago.

Tart green apples and aromatic fennel make for a simple, refreshing salad.

With the dog days of summer in full gear, sometime it’s just too hot to turn on the oven. Instead make use of the last of spring’s fennel — the vegetable’s faint licorice flavor is sure to offer a cool reprieve to the heat. Thinly sliced, it’s a wonderful addition to a Waldorf-like salad: combine tart green apple slices, toasted walnuts and this creamy vinaigrette and top with the fragrant fennel fronds. It’s great alone, on top of fresh leafy greens or thinly sliced into a coleslaw for summer’s favorite lunch, a pulled pork sandwich.

Shaved Apple & Fennel Salad, serves four
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 large green apple
1large fennel bulb with stalks and fronds attached
½ lemon
¼ cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Set the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the walnuts on a small sheet tray, and bake for 5-10 minutes, until toasted to a rich golden brown color. Set aside to cool.

2. Slice the stalks off the fennel bulb and set bulb aside. Pick the fennel fronds(leaves) from the stalks and reserve.

3. Fill a medium-sized bowl with cool water, squeeze the lemon into it and place the lemon in the water. Using a sharp knife or mandolin, thinly slice the apple (julienne into matchstick-sized pieces if you prefer a slaw) and put into water to reduce oxidation. Repeat with the fennel. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and vinegar. Season generously with salt and fresh pepper and slowly pour in the oil, whisking constantly to create a creamy emulsion. Drain the apples and fennel and toss with the vinaigrette. Add in the fennel fronds and walnuts, toss and serve.

Bright and herby, this salsa is a summer must.

The Italian version of green salsa, this blend of herbs, spicy peppers and briny capers is the perfect summer sauce. It pairs wonderfully with any grilled or sauteed fish or meat, can be tossed into an easy summer pasta or potato salad, and makes a great dip for crudité or toasted flat bread.

Unlike the spicier Mexican version of roasted tomatillo and chili, this salsa verde brings a spoonful of fresh herbs and tanginess to any plate. Although the traditional recipe calls for mint, flat-leaf parsley and cilantro, feel free to use the Italian “green sauce” as an herb catchall — chives, curly parsley, fennel fronds (leaves) and even tarragon make great additions. Include the anchovies for a pungent kick, or try diced sun-dried tomatoes or smoked chillies to play around with more subtle flavors. Make sure to chop the herbs with a sharp knife — as tempting as it may be, don’t use the food processor for the herbs, as the blade and motion will cause them to wilt and you can easily over-process them into a pureed mush.

Salsa Verde makes 1 1/2 cups, adapted from Bon Appetit June 2011
6 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
1 red or green jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, minced
4 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Combine garlic and capers in a food processor or mortar until a chunky paste forms. In a medium size bowl, combine with herbs. Wisk in the oil to create a sauce, stir in lemon juice and zest and season to taste with salt. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to develop flavors. Store covered and chilled up to one week.

This quick and easy homemade version beats anything you can buy at the store.

For a simple, refreshing snack, this Mediterranean classic is quickly becoming my go-to favorite. It’s great to bring along for picnics and barbecues, or just to have as an afternoon treat. And because chickpeas are packed full of protein and fiber, and olive oil is full of the good-for-you fats, hummus is actually a pretty healthy snack. For added flavor, use this recipe as a base and toss in whatever extras you want — try sun dried tomatoes, chopped spinach, or pesto. Plus, the extra tahini, which can be found at most high end grocery stores as well as ethnic markets, is a great base for a whole slew of dips. Combined with romesco it makes a creamy, but light spread for sandwiches and can give tuna fish salad an earthy, garlicky tang. For an extra special treat, make your own flat bread. This fail-safe dough is a great addition to a party and freezes wonderfully so you’ll always have a few slices on hand!

Hummus
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 16-oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp cup tahini
2tbsp cup lemon juice
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
fresh parsley
paprika

1. Place the garlic, salt, cumin, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and water in a small food processor and blend until combined but not smooth. Add in half the oil and blend until thoroughly mixed, then add the rest of the oil and blend until hummus is at desired consistency. Season to taste with salt. Roughly chop parsley springs and use for garnish. Sprinkle with paprika.

Flat bread, adapted from Bon Appetit June 2011
1 ¼-oz package of active dry yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus ½ cup for cooking
5 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp kosher salt
Maldon salt

1. Pour two cups of warm water (105 – 115 degrees Fahrenheit) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle in yeast and let sit until the yeast dissolves, around 10 minutes. The mixture should start to foam (if this doesn’t occur, start over). Add in the 1 tbsp olive oil, and then add 5 cups of flour and the kosher salt. Beat using the paddle attachment until the dough forms, about one minute.

2. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth, about five minutes, adding more flour if necessary to create a smooth but slightly tacky dough. Place dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about one hour.

3. After dough has doubled, transfer to a floured work surface and divide into eight equal pieces. Roll these into balls and place on floured sheet trays. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

4. Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the extra oil to lightly brush two sheet trays. Roll one ball at a time out into ¼-inch thickness and place on sheet trays. Flip, sprinkle with maldon salt, and bake for four minutes. Remove from oven, flip, sprinkle with maldon and bake again for three to four minutes, until golden brown. Continue with remaining dough, adding additional oil to trays as needed.

5. Adversely, bread can also be cooked on a grill. Heat grill to medium high, and roll dough out as above. Place on oiled sheet tray, season, and flip. Brush grill rack with oil and place flatbread down on rack. Cook until lightly charred and cooked through, about one to two minutes per side.

6. Slice bread into wedges and enjoy warm with hummus. Bread will keep, in a sealed container for up to four days. Refresh in a toaster oven as needed.

Food blogging has run the gamut from chat forums to Hollywood fame.

Saveur recently held online voting for their second annual Best Food Blogs Awards, and put up this great timeline to go along with it. Looking over the many great cooking blogs out there, I’m reminiscent of my own entry into the blogosphere. Although I knew for many years that I wanted to be a food writer, I spent the first part of my career focused on the food: getting a culinary degree and then heading to some of the best kitchens in LA. But I was antsy to start writing and, inspired by great sites like Orangette and MattBites, my blog was born in mid-Spetmeber of 2007. I was working as a pastry cook at Spago Beverly Hills at the time, and finding a moment to test recipes, take pictures and write posts for La Vita Cucinare seemed a huge task. But slowly I found a focus, improved my photography and writing skills, and made headway in the world wide web.

Starting off in 2007 puts me right in the middle of the food-blog-boom. By this time cooks, chefs and photographers all over the globe had joined in; Chowhound was founded ten years prior! and sites like the Julie/Julia Project and 101 Cookbooks made food-blogging a mainstream term. Now-a-days it seems every big name is putting out a cookbook — Matt Armendiz just published the wonderfully fun On a Stick, and Deb from SmittenKitchen and Aran Goyoaga from Cannelle et Vanille slip coy references to their own forthcoming books into every new post. Bloggers have landed television shows, the James Beard Awards now feature a blogging category, and many food-bloggers, who may also be big name chefs or even celebrities, have become household names.

But I didn’t start La Vita Cucinare to find fame and fortune on the Internet; I just wanted to write and share my love of food with any reader who bothered to stop by. It’s been such a learning process — from (attempting) graphic design to working out my frequency of posts to really understanding photography (which I still struggle with!) — but it’s also been a true labor of love. I’ve met so many interesting people and have had so much encouragement, that I’ll continue posting, no matter where my name lands in the history of blogs. And with that, all I can say is thanks once again to my devoted readers and the many people who help me make La Vita Cuinare the best it can be.

With a burst of fresh fruit, this not-too-sweet crumb cake is the perfect treat for a summer picnic.

Have I mentioned my recent obsession with rhubarb? I couldn’t resist buying another bunch at the market this week, and as Chicago finally heated up on Sunday I pulled this strawberry and rhubarb crumb cake out of the oven — the perfect dessert to bring along for a weekend picnic in the park. Sour cream gives the cake an extra moist crumb, while a combination of strawberries and rhubarb make a sweet, tart filling. And for an extra-easy dessert, double the crumble recipe and store half in the freezer. Bake off as needed, toss with sauteed berries, peaches or plums, and top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumb Cake, makes one 9-inch cake, Modified from Marthastewart.com
For the cake:
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup strawberries, quartered
1 cup rhubarb, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
For the crumble:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 sticks, or 8 oz, butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly brush a 9-inch pan with oil, dust with flour, and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift the 1 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl combine the egg, oil, sour cream, milk and vanilla. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in the fruit and pour into the pan. Set aside on a sheet tray.

2. In a medium bowl combine the remaining flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers, combine the flour with the butter until large crumbs form. Sprinkle crumbs over the batter and place the tray in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Continue baking until a cake tester or thin knife comes out clean— the crumbs should be golden brown.

3. Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and allow the cake to cool completely. Once cooled, remove from pan and, using a serrated knife, cut into squares. Store in an air-tight container for up to three days.