Joan Osborne, Recipe Tester

After trying this Southern good-luck charm of black-eyed peas, we say forget the luck. Just pass more of these peas, please.

Green beans? Check. Creamy mushroomy sauce? Check. Can opener? Uh…no thank you. Not this time.

This flour-free fried bird is contrary to everything we know about fried chicken. Or think we know. That’s exactly what makes it so darn genius.

These corn bread batons bake up crisp on the outside, with a fine crumb on the inside, and ready to sop up as much butter or gravy as you wish.

Stop your scoffing. This may not be conventional chili, but it’s no sissy imposter. It’s just a little subtler, soupier, and smokier.

This anything-but-boring bird borrows its Peruvian accent from a technicolor dream coat of paprika, lemon, garlic, and cumin.

A nifty little ooh- and aah-inducing riff on the classic croque madame that’s perfect to assemble ahead of time for big batch brunches.

This irresistible scoop of the milkiest chocolate ice cream is like having a bar of fine Swiss chocolate on a spoon.

You don’t have to be Greek for this amalgam of tomatoes, green beans, red onion, and feta to taste like home.

Summer at its simplest, not to mention its most splendid. Five minutes of effort yield a meal that rivals round-trip tickets to Italy.