On a day where the temperature hits 95 degrees, the last thing most people want to do is cook dinner. But the summer’s long, takeout gets expensive and there are only so many salads one can eat before boredom sits in. So today, New York Times food writer Melissa Clark brings us a whole host of new, exciting, delicious and EASY summer recipes – leafy green salads not included. The best part? None of them require you to turn on the oven.

Share your favorite cold recipes for a hot day and show us what you've made!  Upload your pictures to our Facebook page.

This Fourth of July weekend, a lot of us will be eating hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and hamburgers. But when we’re done feasting on the char-broiled delicacies that have come to represent our nation’s independence, how should we finish it all off?

Bill Yosses has some suggestions. He’s the official White House Pastry Chef, and author, along with Melissa Clark, of a new cookbook called “The Perfect Finish.” Chef Yosses joins us live from the White House, where he gives us the scoop on everything from what he serves official visitors to the first family's favorite sweets.

Below, Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark's red, white and blue berry buttermilk bundt cake with orange glaze.

It's summer time, and what better time to enjoy a fruit pie or the triumph of culinary competition? We're doing both in The Takeaway's summer fruit pie smackdown.

Melissa Clark from the New York Times is ready to rumble with her sour cherry pie. And Deb Perelman of smittenkitchen.com brings her own strawberry rhubarb pie to the competition.

Serving as the judge is Emily Elsen, third-generation pie maker, featured chef on the Cooking Channel's Unique Eats, and owner (along with her sister Melissa Elsen) of Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Shop in Brooklyn, NY.  (recipes after the jump.)

Today, we take our inspiration from the Girl Scouts. Across much of the country, Girl Scout cookie selling (and for some, eating) season is winding down. And if you’re like us, that means you’ve stockpiled boxes and boxes of Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, and Samoas.

Watch a video of the girl scout cookie smackdown!

For this week's food segment, we take our inspiration from proposed sales taxes on sweets that are sweeping the nation — from California to Mississippi and New York. Legislators, government administrators, and others say such taxes like this may help to discourage us from consuming so many 'empty calories,' and to curb the rising problem of obesity throughout the country.

Our question: Are sweets really so bad? And should we be penalized for eating them?

 

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is cracking down on salt in city restaurants. But is salt really that bad for us? In this week's food segment, Marion Nestle, author of "Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety," explains the science and politics of salt. And Melissa Clark, food writer for the New York Times, compares her low-sodium homemade breakfast offerings to those sold at fast food restaurants.

For every Thanksgiving Day grocery shopper procrastinator who hasn't picked up the essentials, Melissa Clark, our food contributor and food writer for The New York Times, offers us wisdom. Where can you best put your money to work for you at the Thanksgiving table? The turkey or the side dishes? (click through for Melissa's tips and her recipe for Spicy Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Hash)

As the winter months approach, we take a moment to explore the warm comfort of chili and the many incarnations it can take. We talk all things con carne (and a few con tempeh) with The Takeaway's food contributor, and New York Times food writer, Melissa Clark, along with Bryant Terry, author of "Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy and Creative African-American Cuisine." They give us their recipes. And we're asking for yours!

Click through for Melissa Clark's and Bryant Terry's chili recipes.

As the weather starts to cool, but summer's harvest is still available, New York Times food writer Melissa Clark has been inspired to bake. But she hasn't been baking sweets — there are a lot of savory items on her fall menu. She joins us with lots of ideas for using the last of the summer tomatoes and the best of the fall harvest.

Click through to read the recipes mentioned this morning, and read Melissa's article, Ripe for Autumn's Hearth, in today's New York Times.

August is typically the month where tomato enthusiasts can count on an abundance of their beloved juicy, red gems. This year, however, a "late blight" is devastating tomato crops across the Northeast. Farmers and consumers alike are mourning a scarcity of summer’s favorite fruit. For a look at what’s behind this year’s blight and what to substitute for tomatoes in the kitchen, we are joined by Dan Barber. He is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. We are also joined by our friend and tomato-lover Melissa Clark. She’s a food writer for the New York Times, and brought a "BLP" (that's bacon, lettuce, and plum) sandwich to share with us. (Check out the recipe for the BLP at the New York Times.)

For more, read Melissa Clark's article, Plums Rescue a Seasonal Favorite, in the New York Times.

The recession could have a silver lining for meat eaters: cheaper steak. USDA prime beef is no longer reserved for high-end steak houses. The economic downturn and surplus of choice beef means such delights as porterhouse and NY strip are turning up in some cost-friendly stores. For a look at where to find bargains and how to prepare this top-notch fare, we are joined by Bob Huskey, a meat buyer for Costco, and our friend Melissa Clark, food writer for The New York Times.

You're staring into the refrigerator, wondering what to serve for dinner, and you see it: leftover meatloaf. Can you proudly offer your guests meatloaf sandwiches? Or do you need to keep your leftovers to yourself, like a dark secret? To discuss the etiquette of leftovers, we are joined by Henry Alford, who has an article in today’s New York Times on the kooky behavior leftovers inspire. And Melissa Clark, our friend and food writer for The New York Times, is here to provide some practical options for reincarnating dinner.

For more, read Henry Alford's article, The Question of Leftovers, Ever Fresh, in The New York Times.

Recipes

Leftover rice or risotto? Try Arancini di Riso

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 cups leftover cooked rice or risotto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups dried Italian-style bread crumbs
2 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt
Pepper

• Pour enough oil in a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

• Stir the eggs, risotto or rice, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs in a large bowl to combine.

• Place the remaining breadcrumbs into a medium bowl.

• Using about 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture for each ball, form 2-inch-diameter balls.

• Insert 1 cube of mozzarella into the center of each ball. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs to coat.

• Working in batches, add the rice balls to the hot oil and cook until brown and heated through, turning them as necessary, approximately 4 minutes.

• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rice balls to paper towels to drain. Season with salt. Let rest 2 minutes. Serve hot.

If you have leftover salmon try Red Flannel Salmon Hash

8 ounces leftover salmon

1 medium-size red beet, roasted or boiled until tender, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 1/2 cups boiled potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 small onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Heat butter in a heavy pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. When melted add olive oil, then onions. Cook onions until soft, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic, and beet and big pinch of salt and pepper. Break up the salmon into large chunks and add to pan. Stir well and press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook until a nice brown crust develops on the bottom. Stir well, press down firmly into the pan and allow mixture to form a crust again. Season with salt and pepper. Top with poached eggs for an easy supper.

As summer hits its stride, the nation’s farmer’s markets are filling up with fresh-from-the-farm produce. Peaches, blueberries, beets, lettuce, and okra are all in season. New York Times food writer Melissa Clark and Taja Sevelle from Urban Farming, a national nonprofit group dedicated to growing food in abandoned spaces, join The Takeaway for a look at the season's most delicious food. Garlic scape pesto anyone?

Want to find a farmers' market near you? Head over to Local Harvest And if you want to find out what's in season in your neck of the woods, check out this Peak Season Map

Chamomile Simple Syrup

Makes about one cup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 big handful rinsed chamomile flowers

Put water and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. Add chamomile flowers. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Let cool. Strain.

Serving suggestions: Brush syrup on pound cake. Add to iced tea. Macerate any type of berry in a few tablespoons of syrup.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Makes about 1 cup

• 10 garlic scapes, finely chopped
•1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
•1/3 cup slivered almonds
•About 1/2 cup olive oil
•Sea salt

Put the scapes, 1/3 cup of the cheese, almonds and half the olive oil in a food processor (or use a blender or a mortar and pestle). Blend all the ingredients. Add the remaining oil and, if you want, more cheese. If you like the texture, start eating. To thin, add more oil, a tablespoon at a time. Season with salt.

You can store the pesto in the refrigerator for up to a week or saved in the freezer for up to two months.

Serving suggestions: Add to pasta. Dress a tomato salad. Brush on toast for bruschetta.

For Part III of our Food in the City series, we’ll be discussing the tricks of cooking in a small kitchen, with food writer Melissa Clark, a frequent contributor to the Wednesday food section of The New York Times and NYTimes.com.
Watch a video of Melissa ...

It's a recipe for frustration. In tough economic times, many people are working too hard to take off for an hour-long lunch. And who wants to leave your desk empty when the threat of layoffs is looming? So we dine "al desko": a sandwich in one hand and the mouse in the other. The culinary cost of "just grabbing a sandwich" everyday quickly adds up. But the task of making lunch the night before can be daunting, and boil-in-bag food can be dull. Is there anything you can do at your desk to prepare or pep up your midday meal? New York Times food writer and friend of The Takeaway Melissa Clark has some tips.

What should be in your food pantry at work? Here are Melissa's suggestions for the must-have items for the cubicle gourmet: Red wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, good olive oil, Tabasco sauce or other Chili Sauce, sharp mustard (no need to refrigerate!), pepper grinder with fresh pepper, good salt (kosher or coarse sea salt), block of good, dark chocolate (much more satisfying than the vending machine - and cheaper, too!), a bag of roasted salted almonds, and peanut sauce.

Have access to your office fridge? Melissa suggests keeping a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, feta or goat cheese for salads, bagged spinach, and jars of olives and anchovies.

Don't forget to store in your pantry a fork and a sharp knife for cutting an avocado, tomato or zucchini (or for fending off lunchroom thieves).

Have your own ideas for eating al desko? Tell us!

Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version.

In 1942, in the middle of World War II and at the start of food rationing, the writer MFK Fisher published How to Cook a Wolf. It's was meant to be a part cookbook part self-help guide to inspire those faced with the “wolf” of hard times to get creative in the kitchen. With today's economic climate, we thought it would be fun to revisit MFK Fisher’s classic book. So we asked New York Times food writer Melissa Clark to give us some tips from this classic.

Trouble viewing this video? Check out the YouTube version.

In 1942, in the middle of World War II and at the start of food rationing, the writer MFK Fisher published How to Cook a Wolf. It's was meant to be a part cookbook part self-help guide to inspire those faced with the “wolf” of hard times to get creative in the kitchen. With today's economic climate, we thought it would be fun to revisit MFK Fisher’s classic book. So we asked New York Times food writer Melissa Clark to give us some tips from this classic.

Want a recipe? Click here!

If you don't know MFK Fisher's work, check out her books and here is a brief introduction to her life and works:

President-elect Barack Obama has taken care to draw parallels between himself and Abraham Lincoln. From appointing a “team of rivals” to choosing to share the same bible for his presidential swearing in and being tall and from Illinois. But did you know that come lunch time tomorrow the 16th and the new 44th president will have shared a meal? Well, not exactly, but the President-elect's first lunch as president is inspired by Lincoln's favorite foods. We are joined by New York Times food writer Melissa Clark who has whipped up some of the recipes from Barack Obama's first lunch as president.

Want to share a meal with Lincoln and Obama? Here are the recipes.

Sundown on Sunday marked the beginning of Hanukkah, a holiday ripe with culture, heritage, family, and, of course, food. Joining us to explain where to get the best tasting gelt and the intricate grease-to-potato ratio in the perfect latke is New York Times food writer Melissa Clark.

In times of economic crisis, rice and beans seem to be the most appropriate menu item, so what is Melissa Clark doing cooking up lobster?