Having dinner guests is so much easier in the summer: you can light up the barbecue, sit outside, and generally, get away with a more casual (read imperfect!) atmosphere. When it comes to summer entertaining, everyone needs a few go-to recipes that are crowd-pleasers and easy to throw together. Here are a few of mine:

If you’re in a dinner party club, you know the one-upmanship and stress they can create. I’ve been in a dinner party club for the last decade or so. We meet once a quarter and take turns hosting. And while I’m lucky to be part of a group whose members don’t try to outdo each other, I must admit I generally try to outdo myself. I feed off of making people happy with food. Just call me Monica Gellar.

On our series Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag, we often end up with a lot of extra food after doing the taste test with our guest chef. The burning question: what do we do with it all?

We’ve both tried many different cuisines, but if we had to choose just one…

While many foods are considered aphrodisiacs, we’ve heard time and again from our guest chefs on Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag that passion is the most important ingredient in any dish. Whether you’re cooking up a memorable feast for a loved one or for a group of good friends, don’t be afraid to experiment! Here is what we’ll have simmering in our Valentine’s Day kitchen: