This is my version of Korean-style fried soy-ginger wings. But instead of frying, we’re going to do something easier: We’re going to bake the wings and baste them with a glaze to give the wings their crispiness. The goal is to give you really munchable, bomb-ass wings that you can take to any party and satisfy any wing craving. If you have an air fryer, you can always air-fry these instead. And if you want these spicy, add the chili garlic sauce to the marinade.

Juicy pork tenderloin slowly grilled with an intriguingly smoky spice rub until a delicious crust forms. Caramelized grilled pineapple, sweet red onion, and just spicy enough poblano, tossed with cooling cilantro and dressed with bright lime.

R: I’ve loved baked blintzes since I was a kid, when my parents would bring home a box of them from Snowdon Deli. My dad would warm them up in the microwave and top them with a quick mix of sour cream, vanilla, and sugar. It was so delicious.
A: You know, we could say a blintz is sort of like a hot Jewish cannoli wrapped in a crêpe.
R: What a disgusting way to describe it.
A: Well, that’s what it is.
R: Definitely not.

What happens when you combine chai-like ingredients and a tres leches cake? This recipe! (Minus one of the leches 😊.) There is a sweet, caffeinated punch to this drink, almost like that of a liquid dessert, which calls for a slow, intentional sip. This recipe gives White Russian cocktail vibes but makes it millennial.

What if a Paloma and a Radler had a love child? Meet that drink. Isn’t it darling? The former is a combination of agave spirit and grapefruit juice, and the latter is a beer cocktail that typically pairs light-and medium-bodied beers with citrus juice, often lemonade. The center of their Venn diagram is a combination of smoky, savory mezcal and citrus ale.

The Dogfish Head bottling recommended here is practically a Radler on its own—juicy with lots of grapefruit-peel zing, making it a believable stand-in for citrus. This is a drink that backyard barbecues didn’t know they needed.

As an American expat living in London, I’d be remiss not to include a James Bond–inspired cocktail in this book. The Vesper Martini, named after Bond’s love interest, double agent Vesper Lynd, first appeared in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale in 1953.
 

My Casino Royale draws the line at shaking the martini—proper martini drinkers would never. Instead, I stir a premium Konik’s Tail vodka with a quintessential London dry gin, a pair of vermouths for balanced sweetness, a dash of orange bitters, and a dash of florality and citrus notes from a barspoon of the luxurious Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto aperitif. Embrace your inner bontvivant and raise a glass to Bond as you enjoy this little luxury.

This recipe is a great way to fancy up a bag of salted kettle chips. The cast of fresh, herby, tangy, salty, and creamy characters might seem odd, but they add just the right balance of flavors to plain crunchy chips. It’s perfect for putting out as an appetizer as your friends arrive or during a friendly game of cribbage or cards.