Party Alfresco
What’s harder to pack than a weekender? A picnic basket. We’ve gathered summer essentials that don’t require Mario Batali-style skills to master. So find a spot of grass and get down to brass tacks, er, chicken salad.

Snack Happy
Satiate your sweet, savory, or somewhere-in-between craving with lip-smacking tastemakers. Click through for 75 snacks to get you from morning to midnight.

The Big Cheese
Chips and salsa are overrated. (Yes, we said it.) Switch up your grazing routine with Hill Country chef Elizabeth Karmel’s pimiento cheese.

Dip Right In
Nothing says summer party like dip. Here are three recipes that even the most inexperienced cooks can whip up.

Salad Shakers
Enough with the wilted lettuce wraps and sad ham sandwiches. We asked dinner party planner extraordinaire Tamara Reynolds for quick and simple picnic fare.