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My sister went to college at Tulane University in New Orleans. Each summer she’d come home bragging about the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, a weekend-long, mystical-sounding party of music, games, rides, and, of course, strawberries.

I was always envious of this celebration, but on the plus side I have her to thank for learning about what is now one of my very favorite parts of strawberry season: strawberry beer, specifically Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager.

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Cucumbers are a cool vegetable staple in my kitchen. A crisp, healthy snack and a mainstay in salads, I usually have a few lingering around. Although I have to admit I’ve spent most of my life storing them the wrong way. Turns out the best place to store cucumbers isn’t where I thought it was. How about you? Do you know the right place to keep your cukes?

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Take this salad to a potluck and it will be the talk of the table. It has the familiarity of a classic Cobb salad, balancing the leafy greens and tomatoes with can’t-miss ingredients like crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, blue cheese, and a zippy red wine vinaigrette, along with a fun twist that keeps it feeling fresh. I like to consider it the trifle of the salad world. Like the dessert, you’ll make this salad again and again because it’s a crowd favorite that’s easy to pull together.

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Welcome to a column from The Financial Diet, one of our very favorite sites, dedicated to money and everything it touches. One of the best ways to take charge of your financial life is through food and cooking. This column from TFD founders Chelsea Fagan and Lauren Ver Hage will help you be better with money, thanks to the kitchen.

If you are someone who cares a lot about sticking to a frugal budget — and frankly, everyone should — it can feel really easy to scoff at Whole Foods (or “Whole Paycheck,” as my mother likes to call it) as a concept. Yes, it’s a rather expensive store, and yes, they often stock items so ludicrously unnecessary and laser-targeted on bougie hipsters that it can feel like one big practical joke (I’m looking at you, asparagus water), but there is a lot of good to be found in the aisles of the big W-F. Not only are there certain items that are actually distinctly cheaper to buy at Whole Foods, but there are also things the store just does damn well.

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Watermelon is the perfect summertime treat, but stopping to spit out the seeds can dampen enthusiasm for the fruit. Skittish adults might get nervous about choking on the seeds; kids fear that a rogue seed will cause a watermelon to grow in their stomachs. No need to worry, though! Experts say you should have zero fears — watermelon seeds are perfectly safe to eat.

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Amazon basically wins at everything — and that includes wedding registries. For one, the site’s Universal Registry feature allows you to register for anything on Amazon — plus any other site on the internet. Your loved ones also get free shipping on orders that total more than $35 (even if they’re not Prime members!) and you get 20 percent off a one-time order if you buy yourself items left on your registry after the big day (it’s 10 percent if you’re not Prime). Not bad, right?

Here are some things we suggest adding to the list.

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Not too long ago, I succumbed to all the talk about how all you really need in your cleaning kit is some vinegar, Castile soap, and baking soda. I used up or threw out my chemical cleaners and replaced them with “natural” alternatives. And I will say that, for the most part, they got the job done.

But bleach (and if I’m being 100 percent honest, a few of those other chemical cleaners) has made its way back into my kitchen. Here’s why.

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Open Slideshow

You might think that summer is the time to put your slow cooker away, but you shouldn’t! While I’m quick to rely on my slow cooker all year round, this is the season when it really earns its place in the kitchen. I rely on my slow cooker for lightened-up summertime favorites that keep the oven off.

From veggie-filled ratatouille and the easiest chicken fajitas, to crispy (yes, crispy!) chicken thighs and tender salmon, add these 10 slow cooker recipes to your meal plan now through the end of summer.

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I consider myself an organized gal. My house is fairly tidy, I know just where everything is, and I’ve interviewed dozens of organizing pros over the years and almost always think, yeah, I do that. And when Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up came out, I dutifully purged my closet, thanked a few college sweatshirts for their service, and let them go.

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I have to be honest — I never quite understood what all the fuss was about when it came to classic chopped salad. It doesn’t excite me. This version, however, is in a league all its own with tender chunks of BBQ chicken, crisp fresh corn, crunchy cabbage, and a tangy ranch dressing that ties it all together. It’s packed with flavor, makes enough to serve a crowd, and is definitely worth making a fuss about.

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