banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon buttercream

these are the best cupcakes jason has ever had. better than red velvet, butterfinger topped with ganache buttercream, brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter icing, dr. pepper cake, and the most shocking - better than classic chocolate with peanut butter icing. these banana cupcakes aren't just banana bread, dished out in individual portions topped with buttercream. they're soft and light, everything you would expect from a good cake, spiced up perfectly with cinnamon and nutmeg, and topped with one of my favorite buttercreams.

secret recipe club: minted lemon ice

for this month's secret recipe club, i chose something incredibly simple - in ingredients, time, and method - and refreshing, since our thermostat has been wavering between hot & humid and obnoxiously hot and humid, from no reason needed. it's no surprise that frozen lemonade and lemon italian ice are two of jason's favorite hot weather treats, since he loves the tartness of lemons. this time - as i did last summer with this minted pineapple lime agua fresca - i added some fresh mint to kick up the freshness. i loved it. with the tartness of the lemon, freshness of the mint, and sweetness from simple syrup, it's a perfect mid afternoon treat to beat the heat.

jason's pasta primavera

below is the third installment from jason, my taste tester, who - since his macaroni and cheese success and egg sandwich experiment - has decided cooking isn't really too hard. he has occasional food projects, just like me, that he wants to share. here's his method for pasta primavera.

With my friend visiting from out of town, I wanted to make a good meal that he would like. He told me that he likes pasta primavera, a dish I've never made before and have eaten only a couple of times -- rare enough I couldn't remember what the dish was. Basically, pasta primavera is a pasta focused on vegetables, and sometimes has meat.

strawberry vanilla scones

i've professed my love of scones many times before, so i'll keep this one short and sweet. these scones combine two of my favorites - strawberry and vanilla. and just like tuesday's strawberry cupcakes were a great way to use up super ripe berries, so are these scones. they bake up perfectly sweet, moist, and full of vanilla flavor.

fourth of july roundup

putting the finishing touches on your fourth of july spread? here are some of my favorites from the archives, perfect for any picnic.

drinks

electric lemonade, blackberry sangria, strawberry mojitos