As I strolled down the supermarket aisle the other day, I stopped at a package of cookies. But not just any cookies - vanilla sandwich cookies by platine. I've seen them before, but was never willing to shell out the dough for a bag of 6 cookies. This day was different, I could not resist and decided to treat myself. Oh Em Gee. Forget the best beer ever, forget the best sandwich ever, this cookie is beyond description. Now I'm craving sandwich cookies (there might be drool in the corner of my mouth), but it's late and the cookies on my mind are sold in a shop that is currently closed, not to mention they will make my pocketbook wince. Which leads me to this point of finding a replacement recipe that is worthy of the original. So here we are with several decadent sandwich cookies to make at home to go with that patio beer I'm having this summer. - By Macki West

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We've all experienced that familiar cookout culprit: a bowl of warmed-over, slightly soggy fruit salad that's 90% melon. No more! These fruit salad pops are an whimsical way to squeeze in some fruity nutrients between the hot dogs and ice cream. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

Related: 10 Healthy and Delicious Smoothie Recipes to Try

Fruit Salad Ice Pops

1 peach, cut into 1/2-inch slices (1/2 cup)
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3 ounces blueberries (1/2 cup)
4 ounces strawberries, hulled and halved ( 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 to 2 cups 100 percent white-grape juice

1. Arrange some of each fruit in eight 3-ounce ice-pop molds, making sure pieces fit very snugly. Pour enough juice into each mold to just cover fruit. Insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until solid, 6 hours (or up to 2 weeks).

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If you're in search of a more elaborate (and less virtuous) fruity dessert, look no further:

Trust us, you need this on your Memorial Day table. Get

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There are certain labor-intensive recipe phrases that can make the most diligent cook roll her eyes. "Do I really have to do that?" we wonder. Leave your Do I Really Have To Do That? questions in the comments and they shall be answered, saving us all a lot of needless trouble.

Lots of questions come up when we're cooking pasta. How much salt should I add? Should I add a glug of olive oil? Do I really have to reserve some pasta water before draining? We answer all carbohydrate quandaries today with the help of the editors at America's Test Kitchen in our master pasta edition of Do I Really Have to Do That?

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DO use more water than you think you need.
For every pound of pasta, you'll need four quarts of water. "This amount of water may seem excessive to some, but pasta contains tons of starch, and if cooked in too little liquid, the noodles will stick together." Ever had a pot of pasta foam up and boil over? That's a sure sign you didn't use enough water.

DO add

Read More »from Do I Really Have to Do That: The Pasta Edition

by Kerry Acker

Pistachios/CN Digital Studio

Move over, almonds and walnuts, there's a new superstar nut in town! With the California pistachio industry making a big push to turn more Americans on to the wonders of the creamy, buttery, heart-healthy nut (even Snoop Lion is on board, as well as Psy); worldwide consumption of pistachios skyrocketing (with China now the leading importer); and chefs using pistachios in ever more ambitious ways, it seems this humble tree nut is enjoying its moment in the sun. Here, five things you should know about the pistachio, plus loads of sweet and savory recipes:

--The United States is currently the world leader in pistachio production, having surpassed Iran in 2010. And sales are booming, with exports doubling over the past six years from 100 million pounds to almost 270 million pounds.

--Clocking in at about 3 to 4 calories per nut, pistachios--a.k.a. "skinny nuts"--have fewer calories than just about any other nut. (Plus, studies have shown that if you eat

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Without a well-stocked pantry, cooking up an elegant meal to impress a date, the boss, in-laws, neighbors, or even just a few close friends can be difficult. After all, what good is linguine with clams without a bottle of white wine, lamb tagine without cinnamon sticks, or crème brûlée without vanilla beans? But, a pantry without the bare essentials means it's hard to do any cooking at all. It's probably easy to recall an awkward situation that went something like this:

The Canned Tomato Taste Test

Sally and Jane are contemplating spending a night in. They are in Sally's kitchen in her brand-new apartment. Boxes are still strewn across the floor, but most importantly, the television has been unpacked, and the coffee table and sofa are in place.

8 Genius Ways to Store Canned Goods and Spices

Sally: "I don't feel like going out tonight. Why don't we just stay in and watch a movie?"

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Jane: "That's a great idea! I'll make my

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Celebrate with the sweeter side of our favorite foodsWhether you're celebrating a birthday or another momentous event, marking the occasion with a cake has become somewhat customary. Yet, sometimes an ordinary layer cake from the grocery store bakery or Carvel won't do. Consider your father's 50th birthday. He might be one mad burger connoisseur, traveling the nation and eating his way through cities both big and small in search of his dream patty. When it comes time to blow out the candles at his birthday celebration, what sort of cake are you going to wheel out? A burger, of course.

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As food is never off our minds here at The Daily Meal, we were inspired by visions of burgers made with cake and chocolate and have gone in search of some decadent cakes taking the form of our favorite foods - the kind of cake appropriate for any food-lover's birthday, wedding, or other grand occasion.

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By Freya Bellin

If you’re in search of a great picnic dish, look no further. This recipe is summery and herby, while still hearty enough to fill you up. Wheat berries are an unusual grain: dense, chewy, and very nutty. That texture is a great vehicle for pillowy broiled zucchini and rich, creamy pine nuts. Mozzarella adds a nice saltiness (I recommend fresh) and pairs surprisingly well with dill. Just keep in mind that wheat berries can take almost 2 hours to cook, so plan ahead or substitute in another grain in a pinch. This salad tastes great at room temperature—partly what makes it an excellent picnic candidate—but the flavors get a little muddled over time. Just add some fresh dill and cheese to brighten up the dish before serving. Recipe from The Food Matters Cookbook.

Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 20 minutes with cooked grains

Assuming you have some kind of cooked grains in the fridge (always a good idea), this salad comes together quickly. Wheat berries are my first choice because of their unsurpassed chewiness, but even small grains like rice, cracked wheat, quinoa, and whole wheat couscous (or even cut pasta) work just fine. Roasted bell peppers are a tasty and colorful addition, especially ones that you make yourself. And if you’ve got roasted garlic handy, it’s a beautiful change from the raw garlic here.

1⁄4 cup pine nuts

3 or 4 medium zucchini (about 1 1⁄2 pounds), halved lengthwise

1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and black pepper

2 cups cooked wheat berries

1 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste

1⁄2 cup fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried

3 tablespoons sherry or white wine vinegar

1 cup cubed mozzarella, optional

1. Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove from the pan.

2. Turn

Read More »from Mark Bittman: Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Carla Lalli Music


Crispy fish, sans recipeBy day, Carla Lalli Music edits food features for Bon Appetit, but at home she shuns instructions. Here's how she feeds her friends and family while Cooking Without Recipes.

People avoid cooking fish for lots of reasons, including the irrational fear that it will stink up the house. But the main reason people don't cook fish is because they don't know how. There's something to that. A fillet of fish, unlike a piece of meat, is delicate. But that doesn't mean it's not doable.

See more: 8 Essential Kitchen Gadgets

I used to be a cook in a fancy French restaurant, where I stood elbow-to-elbow with the fish chef, six nights a week. From watching her, I learned how to prepare fish with crisp skin and just-cooked-through flesh--and 15 years later she's in my head every time I slide a fillet into a skillet. There's no recipe, of course, but here are the rules:

USE A HOT PAN: Use a heavy-bottomed pan and get it very hot--let it sit over medium-high heat for several minutes before

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