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August is the perfect time to curl up with a good book. This hot-and-steamy month is, appropriately, Read-a-Romance Month, 31 days dedicated to swooning and melting, yearning and burning. We asked Bobbi Dumas, founder of this homage to romance novels, to pick her favorite book each week. Naturally, we’ll be complementing her suggestions with something to snack on. And since you’re likely to get hot and bothered, we decided to go with food pairings to help cool you down.

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Mini Fruit Pizzas

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Sugar cookies may be plain, but they’re far from boring. In fact, their simplicity is exactly what makes them great: You can taste all the butter and sugar without anything getting in the way. That simplicity also means that the dough can be transformed into a number of different desserts beyond cookies. Here are five great ideas to try.

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How To Make Crunchy Granola in the Slow Cooker

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You might think the slow cooker is an appliance made for the fall and winter months, when you’re craving heavy soups, stews, and braises, but it can be just as useful in the summer for many reasons. One, it doesn’t heat up your kitchen. Yes, you can cook a full roasted chicken without having to suffer through hours of a sweltering kitchen. Second, who wants to spend time inside during the summer?

We’d rather spend our weekends on the back patio or exploring our hometowns in the sunshine instead of standing over the stove thinking about what’s for dinner. The slow cooker gives you that freedom and makes plenty of summer-friendly dishes. Here are our top 15 summer slow-cooker recipes — from a granola we’re putting on ice cream and yogurt to a pulled pork we’re folding into sandwiches.

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Tomato storage can be quite controversial. Many hold on to the belief that tomatoes should under no circumstance be stored in the refrigerator. Some have never heard such advice. Some keep their garden tomatoes on a kitchen windowsill and, while it is incredibly charming, it might not be the best way to store whole tomatoes. The best way depends a bit on temperature and timing.

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Unlike, say, French, Italian, or even Mexican food, Brazilian food is a little more uncharted for many. You may simply think steak when you hear Brazil, but the country has a whole lot more going for it from a culinary standpoint. So before you begin your next culinary adventure, get acquainted with the pronunciation of some of Brazil’s most beloved dishes.

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Grilled cheese with fresh tomato always seems like a really satisfying sandwich — until you sit down and eat one, that is. The problem is that melty cheese and wet tomatoes make for a very unstable sandwich. By making an open-faced grilled cheese and adding fresh tomatoes that have been patted dry, we can avoid many of the pitfalls that plague what should be a perfect pair.

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It’s easy to get carried away this time of year and overdo it with your tomato purchasing. I am particularly guilty — my shopping list says that I only need two tomatoes, but then I inevitably get lured in by all the pretty tomato varieties and buy far more than I can handle. And after a few days of nothing but tomato salads and sandwiches, they begin to get a little too soft and wrinkly. Luckily there are still a handful of ways to use those overripe tomatoes.

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While it’s true that you can find Vichyssoise (that delightfully cool, velvety potato soup) offered year-round, most cold soups are pretty much only served in summer. So if you haven’t had the chance to treat yourself to a refreshing cold soup, do so soon before it’s too late! And if you don’t think you like cold soups, read on.

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