I’ve been a long time fan of Food52 and have so enjoyed watching it become the powerhouse cooking site that it is today. Of all of the columns Genius Recipes is one of my favorites. Kristen’s writing is simultaneously powerful and amusing. She does an amazing job of unearthing truly fantastic recipes that stand head and shoulders above the rest. I am thrilled that she recently took time out of her busy schedule to chat with me about her new book, Food52 Genius Recipes: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook, and answer a few questions!

1) I’ve followed this column since day one and am a huge fan. I’ve always wondered, how do you find the recipes you write about? Do you have a huge stack in your back pocket you dole out to us one by one, or do you come across them in your own kitchen randomly? How do you determine that a recipe is actually “genius”?

First off: Thank you—this means a lot. I find the recipes through all kinds of random pathways: friends and coworkers, Twitter, reading cookbooks. The James Beard Strawberry Shortcakes came from an Instagram Melissa Clark posted at the James Beard Awards a few years ago. But the majority come from tips from the Food52 community, for which I am so grateful. I love getting random emails every week from home cooks about recipes I’d never have heard of otherwise.

I recently wrote a post on Food52 about the most common ways I think a recipe can be genius, but the bottom line is that there is something in them that will change the way you cook for the better—an unusual technique, a surprise ingredient (or surprising lack of ingredients!), a completely wacky step. They’re usually simplifications or shortcuts (I’m a busy, tired person at the end of the day, too), but don’t have to be, if the outcome is worth it.

2) I need a good behind-the-scenes story. Is there a recipe that flip flopped on you when where testing? One that was finicky or caused a big mess when not followed correctly? I know from experience there are always a few tricky ones in the bunch!

My favorite recipes are the ones that look like they’ll be a complete disaster, but then magically turn out—like Rao’s Meatballs that call for 2 whole cups of water, or Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake with its suspiciously runny batter.

But sure, there have been lots of less redemptive moments too. I no longer trust recipes that rely on shutting the oven off to finish cooking, because some modern ovens are so much more efficient and retain a lot more heat than they did decades ago. I learned this the hard way, when some readers with newer ovens (my parents included) had Christmas roasts that weren’t exactly medium rare after following Ann Seranne’s method from 1966.

We’ve been having such a wonderful time in Cooperstown this month. I look forward to this trip more than anything else all year and this summer did not disappoint. Since my little guy is in the super-active-and-I-always-want-your-attention phase I didn’t get as much fruit canning done as last year. But that’s okay, we’ll save it for another time. At least I managed to get a start on my homemade Christmas gifts and discover a new-to-me craft. (More on that soon!)

Though we weren’t preserving our fruits we spent a lot of time eating them. The berries and peaches were incredibly ripe this year and we’ve been eating them like candy. They are so sweet and taste better than any candy bar I’ve ever found!

One afternoon while I was chasing my hooligans around the beach my mother made these delicious peach crumble bars. They are sweet and buttery with a gorgeous soft brown sugar streusel on top. They were straight from Martha Stewart Living which is why I am linking to the recipe instead of reprint it for you. They are honestly as good as they come; the recipe doesn’t need any alterations at all.

We’ve also made a few of our favorite peach treats from years past, a few of which are in my cookbooks!

Roasted Peach Lemonade

Spiced Peach Muffins

Peach Pie for Breakfast

Peach, Tomato & Burrata Salad

Peach Almond Galatte

Are you enjoying any special summer fruits? Please share!

We’ve been cooking up a storm in Cooperstown and having a blast. This salad was a favorite from a dinner last week and I just have to share it. It was inspired by Katie Quinn Davies’s new book, but we gave it our own twist. We used fresh herbs from the garden, cooked farro as the base, tons of slow-roasted tomatoes, and roasted pistachios for crunch. It was every bit as healthy and satisfying as it looks. And, it was a snap to make in advance. Here is a good one for summer and fall. I highly recommend giving it a try while all the good tomatoes are still available!

Hot, buttery, flakey biscuits, saturated with a fresh pat of salty butter, are one of my most favorite things to eat. This is precisely the reason that I don’t make them too often. I could easily eat a whole batch myself and outgrow my pants in a flash while doing so. Instead, I do my best to practice restraint and only make them once in a while.  And when I make them, I make them count.

The key to a good biscuit is quality flour and delicious flavorings. Sometimes I make plain biscuits, but I really love biscuits that are a little sweet and used for shortcakes, or biscuits that are a little savory and used for breakfast or as a side dish at meals. Dressing them up with cheese and herbs is a particular favorite of ours because it lands them somewhere between a biscuit and a gourgére. These also make terrific bookends for eggs and bacon if you want to create a killer breakfast sandwich. Or, you can do what we did, and serve them in a bread basket at Sunday lunch.

We’ve been grilling a lot this summer. For the most part the meals have been really simple so I haven’t been typing them up for individual posts. Instead I’ve been recording them to share with you all at once. Most of the them are so basic they don’t require recipes and can be thrown together with ease. Please share what you’ve been grilling in the comments so we can swap ideas and enjoy the last few weeks of grilling season together!

Grilled Lamb Kebobs: Marinate lamb chunks in lemon, olive oil, and garlic. Place them on a skewer with chunks of pepper and onion and grill.

Citrus Grilled Shrimp with Salad: This simple citrus marinade is from my first cookbook, The Naptime Chef, and it is still a big favorite. I marinate the shrimp during naptime and grill them up in the evening.

Grilled Shrimp with Gazpacho: Make the gazpacho during the day and eat it with last night’s grilled shrimp for lunch!

Steak Chimichurri: Another favorite from The Naptime Chef, a grilled steak with a simple chimichurri is perfect. Serve them with tortillas to make tacos! This is a steak chimichurri we had at a friend’s house.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Kebobs: These easy chicken kebobs are perfect for everyday grilling. The recipe is in my new book, The Family Calendar Cookbook. Marinate the chicken during the day and grill it up for dinner!

Grilled Soy Ginger Peppers: This one of my favorite grilled vegetable dishes. We just marinate the peppers in a soy ginger salad dressing and grill them in a grill basket until softened and charred.

Quick Coffee Rubbed Steak is a perennial favorite!

Grilled Parmesan Asparagus has been our favorite go-to grilled vegetable this summer. Sometimes I just top it with an egg and call it dinner.

Fabulous drink coasters. (August Morgan, $36 set)

A double-hinged corkscrew for easy opening. (Wine Enthusiast, $19.95)

Wine pearls for quick chilling. (Food52, $25)

Shatterproof wine glasses for picnics and such. (via Govino, $22.95 and up)

A champagne cork so the bubbles don’t fade away overnight. (via Amazon, $37.95)

This summer has been a busy one and I haven’t been using the ice cream maker as much as I usually like to. However, last week I did manage to break it out once and whip up this delicious frozen custard to cope with a heat wave. My husband and I love classic malt flavor so I chose to make this because I knew it would be so appreciated while we sweat it out during the day.

The difference between frozen custard and ice cream is that custard contains egg yolks and is thicker and creamier in texture. While make custard-based ice cream is a bit more involved than your regular milk-sugar-cream ice cream, it is really worth it when you are in the mood for a heavy scoop on a cone.

Coffee rubbed steak has become a real favorite of ours this summer. I’ve been using the recipe from my latest cookbook, The Family Calendar Cookbook, and we’ve been loving it. It is simple and can be thrown together in minutes. We like the way the coffee and touch of sugar caramelize in the heat and create a crust around the steak. It keeps the meat moist and tender and gives it a subtly sweet flavor.

Mmm, 25 Tart & Refreshing Lemonade Recipes on Momtastic

Homemade Fruit Juice Slushies with Kids on Babble

Great Grilled Summer Corn on Momtastic

No-Bake S’mores Pudding Pie on Lifetime Moms

In our house weekday mornings are busy year round. From September through June my daughter goes to school fairly early. In the summer both children often have camp or some sort of organized activity every morning. Over the last couple of years I’ve compiled some strategies for making our busy mornings go smoothly. These are things that help me make sure things flow easily so we can get out the door without too much chaos. Here are my favorite tips for making it all work:

1) The Night Before: Bedtime is my favorite time to get things organized for the day ahead. My daughter chooses her outfit for the following day, while I lay out my son’s on his dresser. She also makes sure her backpack is packed and anything special she needs for after school, like a tennis racquet or special book, are by the door. These simple tasks take all of five minutes and eliminate morning tears over outfit choices and ensure nothing special we need for school is left behind during the early morning scramble.