Mimosas are the quintessential brunch beverage, and I've yet to meet one person who doesn't love to waste away a morning imbibing this cocktail. The ingredients are simple, with only sparkling wine and juice. OJ is, of course, the classic — but feel free to try other juices, too (pineapple, tangerine, mango, the list goes on. . .)

You don't have to splurge on the bottle of sparkling, but make sure it's of good enough quality where you'd likely drink by itself. I always use Segura Viudas Brut Reserva since the bottle is under ten dollars, and just as tasty served alone.

Traditionally, the ratio for a mimosa is one part sparkling wine and one part orange juice, but I always pour my orange juice into a glass jug and just let my guests make their own so they can have it to their liking, since really there is no wrong way! Get the recipe for this hair of the dog by reading more.

While most of you would rather eat black figs, I love all figs equally and will jump at the chance to try something new with them. This weekend, on a lovely Fall afternoon, I preheated my oven and got to work baking my first fig tart with both Calimyrna and black mission figs.

Making a crust can be a nerve-wracking experience, but this one is incredibly easy. The addition of vanilla extract really enhances the crust's flavor. While it is a simple recipe, it's time-consuming since the crust must be precooked before you assemble the tart.

Once the crust is cooked, just quickly arrange the figs and carefully pour in the fragrant orange blossom custard. If you can't find orange blossom water at your local market, you can order it online, or substitute orange zest. The finished tart is perfect with its flaky crust, creamy custard, and slightly caramelized figs. Fig season is fleeting, so get the recipe now.

What kid doesn't love rainbow sherbet? I know I loved it, but as an adult, I have found the store-bought frozen treat to be much too sweet and artificial. So I've skipped the ice cream aisle and picked up everything for my own homemade mango sherbet instead.

Sherbet is usually thought of as somewhere between ice cream and sorbet. Unlike ice cream, sherbet doesn't have eggs, and unlike sorbet, sherbet does have milk. Sherbet has a creamier texture like ice cream but doesn't take nearly as long to make since you skip making the custard.

Be sure to use ripe mangoes for better texture; to make it even smoother, strain the mango puree before you blend it. This light, tangy, and fruity mango sherbet is the perfect way to end a festive soiree — for both kids and adults alike. If you are ready to try your hand at a simple mango sherbet, keep reading for the recipe.

Pretty much any chocolate and peanut butter concoction means heaven to me and my sweetheart, so a double chocolate cupcake stuffed with a peanut butter center is a must make. These decadent cupcakes are light and moist with a perfect creamy peanut butter center. The sweet can actually be served with no frosting — they're already that delicious — but to take it to the next level, invest a little more time to top these cupcakes with a traditional chocolate frosting or chocolate ganache, then pipe each one of them with a precious peanut butter heart.

Show your sweetheart you care with cute peanut butter hearts on each cupcake, and keep reading for the recipe.

If you're still recovering from a holiday weekend of gluttony, try a little variety on your barbecue by turning to the season's vegetable bounty for a light meatless meal of veggie tacos with grilled guacamole. This recipe, which is packed with fresh produce, calls for bell peppers, zucchini, squash, corn, and eggplant, but feel free to use your favorites, or anything that's on hand at the moment.

Grilling the ingredients for the guacamole creates more complexity, but note that the avocado spread should be cooled before serving, so plan accordingly. If you are short on time, make a more traditional version, or pick up some guacamole from the store.

These flavorful tacos are surprisingly filling; they're guaranteed to satisfy both your vegetarian and meat-loving friends. Keep reading for this colorful and delicious recipe.

If you're going to start exploring British fare, then look to one of our favorite UK chefs, Jamie Oliver, for modern and healthier takes on classic British dishes. At the top of my baking list is a British staple, the Cornish pasty, which is similar in flavor to the American pot pie, except a dish is not required.

Pasties are often served as a main dish, but I opted to make them as the perfect appetizer, so I cut the pastry smaller to make a perfect hand-held starter. You could experiment with other meat and vegetables depending on what is season. While the traditional Cornish pasty is a flaky half-circle of crust stuffed with beef, potatoes, yellow turnips, and onion, this recipe is a lighter with chicken, butternut squash, and carrots.

Can't visit the British Isles? Don't worry. Just bring them to you with this easy and comforting recipe.

Every feast needs dessert, and a light, tart lemon curd cake is the perfect way to finish an evening. The flavor of the cake is reminiscent of Madeleine cookies, and it's layered with a sweet and slightly sour lemon curd, then topped off with a simple zesty frosting. If you've never made curd, don't fear: it's surprisingly hands off. For the ultimate lemon flavor, pick up aromatic Meyer lemons (if you wanted to get creative, you could use other citrus, such as limes or grapefruit, too). Serve this cake for British afternoon tea or as a final dish of your Olympics viewing party. Indulge in this zingy cake when you keep reading for the recipe.

Pizza on the barbecue makes a great Summer meal: it's fast and easily customizable to your guests — and, let's be honest, who doesn't love pizza fresh off the grill? So after your guests have finished their savory pizza pie, satisfy everyone's sweet tooth with a strawberry and chocolate pizza à la mode.

To make it easy, pick up premade pizza dough at your local market and chocolate chips since they melt so easily. Right before grilling your pizza, intensify the flavor of the strawberries by lightly sautéing them in a pan with a pat of butter.

Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and watch everyone gobble up this delicious treat. If you're feeling even more adventurous, let your guests select their topping like peaches, nectarines, or other berries, and try Nutella or other varieties of chocolate chips for your pizza topping.

Grill up your pizza dinner and save a little dough for this indulgent sweet pizza pie.

I love that a classic Caesar can be whipped up in a pinch, and now that we've hit grilling season, I experimented a little by charring lettuce leaves directly on the grill.

By quickly grilling the romaine lettuce, I imparted a charred flavor that's irresistible with a creamy Caesar salad dressing.

Of course, every Caesar salad needs croutons, so I lightly coated slices of bread in olive oil before grilling them alongside romaine lettuce. I wasn't able to source fresh anchovies but picked up salted whole anchovies, which I rinsed and lightly grilled for a boost of fish flavor.

The result? A salad that makes for a great first course for any barbecue party — or, with grilled chicken, a complete Summer meal. Heat up the barbeque and get to grilling this Summer Caesar salad.

Everyone's enjoyed a pesto made with basil, but there's no reason to limit your knowledge of the condiment: you actually can make it with a variety of greens like spinach, arugula, and mint or other herbs such as cilantro or parsley. One of my favorites is spinach pesto; it works great on pasta, pizza, and as a spread for sandwiches.

The ingredients are simple: spinach, roasted pine nuts (although other nuts will work), and a little bit of grated Parmesan. The key here, though, is a really great olive oil; I use Sciabica's Mission Spring Harvest for its light, slightly buttery flavor. First, add all of the solid ingredients to a food processor on low, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

Keep your pesto in the fridge and use it over the next couple weeks in a wide range of delicious pesto recipes (if you won't be using all of the pesto, just place it in a jar and cover the top in olive oil to avoid oxidation). Still worried you won't use it all? Freeze it in an ice-cube tray for even smaller easy-to-use servings. Don't just limit your pesto to basil and keep reading for this incredibly easy recipe.

Michelle Obama's cookbook is slated to hit bookstores this week, so here's another taste of what you might find in the book: a simple, easy-to-throw-together broccoli soup. If you want to skip out on blanching the broccoli, you could easily precook the florets in the microwave for a few minutes. To puree the ingredients, use your blender or, for an even creamier texture, use a food mill.

While this White House soup didn't initially call for any toppings, I added a dollop of light sour cream and a drizzle of jalapeño olive oil to boost the soup's body and flavor. Serve this with a spring salad, French bread, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for a fresh and veggie-filled dinner. Get this simple recipe and read more.

Fresh green peas are the first sign for Spring and since they have a short season, I always get my fill before they disappear come Summer. And just in the nick of time, I spotted a new recipe from Michelle Obama's upcoming book, American Grown.

The First Lady's pea salad calls for peas, shallots, leeks, and mint, all tossed together with a healthy cream dressing.
After shelling the peas, they are quickly blanched and immediately soaked in an ice bath after cooking to ensure they don't end up mushy. The whole process, which might sound a bit complicated, actually takes just a few minutes. Michelle's recipe originally called for adding puréed peas into the salad, but since I already had my blender out, I opted to add the lemon juice and olive oil in with the pea purée for an even smoother dressing. The result was a spring salad that'd be great to bring along to a seasonal party, since it can be made ahead, and the flavor only gets better with time.

My advice: run to the farmers market before all the year's peas are gone, then make this spring pea salad recipe.

Every child has a food that's an absolute no. It varies by kid; my niece loves everything from asparagus to calamari to brussels sprouts, but she'll turn her nose up at mushrooms every time, no matter how they're prepared.

When I was growing up, I was a pretty adventurous eater, but I despised frozen peas — so much that I made up an elaborate story about them being my doll's favorite thing on the entire planet and got away with passing along my helping to her whenever the vegetable was served at dinner. For most of my life, I continued my disdain of peas of all kinds: frozen, canned, and fresh. Then one Spring, I popped open one of those English pea pods at the farmers market and fell in love. Now, whenever this time of year rolls around, I can't wait to shell fresh peas.

I'm curious to know your stories: what foods did you hate as a kid that you've since learned to love?

Photo: Lauren Hendrickson

How does your garden grow? Now that the weather in California's started to warm, all of the vegetables in mine have finally started to grow! Nothing's quite large enough to pick yet, except for a few nasturtium plants, which are growing like weeds.

When life gives you nasturtium leaves, make nasturtium pesto! I used the traditional ingredients in a basil pesto, but substituted the basil with a big bowl of hand-picked nasturtiums.

See what I topped with this condiment, then make your own version of this fresh pesto.

A crunchy coating on soft and flaky fish always takes me back to my childhood and those frozen boxes of fish sticks. That's why a recipe for fresh baked cornflake-crusted snapper seemed like the perfect way to re-create the nostalgic dish with a little more adult flair.

Set up stations for the flour, egg white, and cornflakes, and your family will be sitting down for dinner in about a half hour. To keep the meal healthy, I served it with a simple side salad. However, if you're in the mood for a nutritious variation on fish and chips, why not offer it with oven-baked sweet potatoes?

Pull out the box of cereal at dinner to get started on this easy seafood dish.

Everyone's had potato hash browns — either in patty form at McDonald's, from a mother's stove, or in an American diner where the dish is served up around the clock. One Sunday morning, I awoke with a hankering for hash browns, but I didn't have any potatoes on hand, only sweet potatoes. I figured sweet potatoes make great fries, so why not hash browns?

If you want to pay homage to your grandmother, you can grate the potatoes manually on a grater; for me, my trusty food processor made the job much easier. And with it already out, finely chopping my onions in it left me with less tears too.
With those two ingredients prepped, the cooking process was pretty simple. Don't be tempted to turn them over constantly: if you love a crispy hash brown, just let them sit. Once they start to turn golden brown, carefully flip them over in one pancakelike, solid piece to cook the other side. Since sweet potatoes have more sugar than conventional potatoes, I added ground pepper and thinly sliced chives to cut some of the sweetness. If you're a spicy and sweet fan, add a dash of hot sauce for a bit more kick. Serve alongside your favorite style of fried egg and oven-baked bacon for a perfect Sunday breakfast. Keep reading for this incredibly easy recipe.

A whole roast chicken is one the easiest weekend meals to prepare; it's pretty hands-off, requires minimal cleanup, and usually yields plenty of leftovers for the rest of the work week. During the Winter, I keep this recipe pretty simple with potatoes and onions but once Spring has sprung, I love to add carrots, radishes, bell pepper, and even asparagus.
To season the chicken, coat it in a mixture of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil. Place the squeezed lemon rinds inside the cavity of the chicken for even more zest. Of course, a whole chicken will take longer to cook than those delicate Spring veggies, so I always start the chicken with baby potatoes and onions. As the chicken roasts, I add the other vegetables depending on their thickness and cook time. Carrots and radishes can take the heat but sliced bell pepper and asparagus should go nearly at the end. Serve your succulent chicken and Spring vegetables with some crusty French bread and white wine for a perfect weekend meal. Feast on your Spring chicken once you get the recipe.

Creating the perfect black and tan can be hard. If you've never tried to make one, be sure to try it out at home first with no guests to serve. Once you have the technique down, you'll have no trouble trying to re-create this layered beverage for your friends.

There are two different techniques to build the perfect black and tan; I recommend trying both out to see which works best for you.

Pull out your pint glass and slowly pour in the Bass by titling the glass to avoid too much foam. Once the glass is half full, open the Guinness and once again tilt the glass. With a steady hand, pour the Guinness down the side of the glass verrrry slowly.

Another great technique is to pour the Bass into the glass with little to no foam, just like before. Hold a large spoon upside down over the glass and very slowly pour the Guinness over the back of it. Pouring Guinness over the back of a spoon slows the flow of the beer.

Voilà: two ways to pour the perfect black and tan. Still not sure you have it down? Just keep reading for more tips!