A Note From Us

Welcome, Summer! Welcome to long days, to ice cream cones melting down our arms, and to fireflies at sunset. Welcome to easy meals quickly grilled outdoors and eaten while lounging at picnic tables. Welcome to our first ever Simply Recipes digital issue — our tribute to the backyard bash.

A backyard bash is what you make it, we think. There is no prescribed maximum or minimum number of attendees. You're allowed to call it a bash whether it's four friends gathered around a fire pit or a full-fledged 4th of July party with extended family, neighbors, and dozens of children parading underfoot. You can have the grill going, or you can simply lay out a potluck and a stack of plates. You don't even need a backyard, really! Have your bash on your balcony or front stoop or open garage door — as long as you're outdoors, it counts.

Gaby Dalkin, our cover star, knows all about keeping it easy-breezy when it comes to backyard parties. We're so grateful to her for sharing her Mediterranean-inspired menu as well as her philosophy on outdoor entertaining. If you often find yourself cooking for mixed groups of vegetarians and meat-eaters, check out British grill master Genevieve Taylor's deep dive into the omnivore's grill. Do you live for dessert? Baker and cookbook author Cheryl Day shares her memories of summers in the South, plus three desserts for your summer gatherings.

We editors at Simply Recipes have been working on these stories for months, and we're so excited to finally share them with you. Go ahead — kick off your shoes, pour yourself a lemonade, and spend some time with us planning your next backyard bash.