Blog Posts by Food52

Inspiration for tonight's dinner? Getting back to balance for goodness sake (especially necessary after last week's pancakes and milkshakes for dinner)! This week's meal brings balance, but certainly not boredom.

On top of it all, this meal comes together with zero stovetop time, and minimal broiler time, making it perfect for the steamy days ahead.

The Menu

Provencal Tuna Melt by boulangere

1 6-ounce can tuna packed in olive oil
1/4 of a red bell pepper, 1/4" dice
Green parts of 2 scallions, 1/4" dice
2 teaspoons capers, drained, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
2 tablespoons mayo
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 slices good bread
Olive oil
Slices of soft cheese; use as much as you like

1. Scrape the tuna and around half of the oil into a mixing bowl; the oil will provide a lovely silkiness. Add the peppers to the bowl.

2. Slice the scallions and add them to the bowl. Roughly chop the capers (you're just

We may not be able to help give you a long weekend, but we can help when it comes to cooking over an open flame. If you're tired of conventional, familiar Fourth of July fare, (pasta salads, chicken, pasta salads with chicken), here are five new dishes you never thought would work well with smoke. This Independence Day, go rogue: grill what no one else is grilling.

• See 7 Burgers for Summer to round out your meal.

• Check out our 8 Summery Barbecue Sides.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The FOOD52 Hotline is here to help!

Though it's hard to make a box of blueberries last for more than a couple of minutes here at FOOD52, there's nothing like blueberry filled pancakes, tarts, muffins, and more. So, if you're like us and you find yourself scarfing down a punnet of ripe blueberries before the morning is even over, be sure to save some for your kitchen, because we've got seven blueberry recipes you'll be craving all summer long

•Find more blueberry recipes on FOOD52.

•Browse our recipes for strawberries.

•Have a question? Ask the Hotline!

Inspiration for dinner tonight: a fun treat to celebrate two very celebration-worthy things, blueberries and summer vacation!

If you happen to be over the age of 18 and can't remember the complete and utter freedom that summer break represented, the total silliness and why-not nature of this dinner will hopefully help you recapture a least a little taste of those endless blue skies. And for those household members actually on summer break? Well, this is just because. This meal is pretty kids-helping-out friendly, too, so why not put those idle little hands to work?

The Menu

Lemony Cream Cheese Pancakes with Blueberries by ENunn

Serves 6

1 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
6 ounces cream cheese, cut up
3 teaspoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of one large lemon
1

Nothing should have to be confusing about corn.

But your mom may have told you to boil it for ten minutes; your mother-in-law, for seven. Your dad may have let it roll on the stove until he remembered it. There's been an age-old debate on the best way to cook corn on the cob - and, at the center, how long to boil it.

>>RELATED: Check out our video on the best way to de-kernel corn.

Get this: we don't boil it at all.

Instead, we boil water on it's own, then toss in the corn. Once the water gets back up to a boil, we simply shut off the heat. You can let the corn hang out in the pot for a few minutes, or until dinner's ready, or until you just can't resist the promise of its perfection.

>>RELATED: Browse through our corn recipes on FOOD52.

So no need to worry about timing; no need to worry about wrinkly kernels; no need to worry about upsetting the family tradition. The best way to cook corn turns out to be the easiest.

>>RELATED: See our 7

Every week FOOD52.com gets Down & Dirty, where we break down our favorite seasonal fruits, vegetables, and more by the numbers.

Strawberries are nuts! Actually, they're fruit -- and despite the name, they're not berries. Whether you're eating them plain or with clotted cream, stacking them sky-high with meringues, or using them to top a spinach salad, here's everything you need to know about buying, storing, and eating everyone's favorite all-American fruit (literally -- the Pilgrims had them at the first Thanksgiving) that's versatile, delicious, and as good for snacking as it is for sherbet, ricotta, or roasting.

1. Seedy business: Let's get technical: the reason that a strawberry is not, in fact, a berry is because true berries have their seeds on the inside. According to the California Strawberry Commission, there are on average 200 seeds on every strawberry!

2. Color Theory: As America's Test Kitchen tells us, the strawberries that you see at the store may be

Summer has officially arrived, and with it the season's heavy heat has settled in. So, it's time for easy-to-throw-together meals that can serve one or an entire beach house full of guests. These seven summery pastas will do the trick. From corn to tomatoes and zucchini, they showcase the best that summer has to offer. Brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.

• Find more summery pasta recipes on FOOD52.

• Check out our 7 Sea-Inspired Pasta Dishes.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The FOOD52 Hotline is here to help!

Inspiration for tonight's dinner? Two schools of heat-beating combine forces for an ultimate summer meal.

In the fight-heat-with-heat corner, we've got hot and spicy grilled shrimp, which take just a few minutes on the grill and really couldn't be simpler. Helen even says you can serve them on a toothpick. So Mermaids-esque! In the cold-foods-fight-heat corner, dymnyno's lightly creamy zuccaghetti (tangled shreds of zucchini masquerading as pasta).

Together? A very summery study in coolness and contrast.

The Menu

Spicy Shrimp by Helen

Serves a bunch of shrimp

1/3 cup Sriracha
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 count), peeled and deveined

1. Mix together the Sriracha, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, cilantro, and sugar. Season aggressively with salt