August 2020 Better Homes & Gardens Recipes

If the idea of DIY cream cheese Danishes sounds intimidating, make a beeline to the freezer aisle to snag a package of frozen puff pastry. This simple "cheat" is the time-saving secret to these completely customizable pastries.

The trio of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew get equal billing in this fresh side dish salad recipe. An assertive garlic-citrus dressing makes this twist on the usual melon and feta salad unique.

The combination of cantaloupe and peaches is a summer dream team. One sip of this agua fresca recipe will convince you of that. Serve it poured over frozen cantaloupe cubes and/or frozen peach wedges for a pretty presentation that keeps your drink cold without diluting the flavor.

The name of this recipe tells you every ingredient needed. Watermelon, raspberries, and basil blend for a gorgeous, refreshing summer drink even kids will request again and again.

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Don't let the color scare away the veggie adverse. This green drink is all fruit with a dash of sugar, sliced ginger, and sparkling water. The fizz factor gives the drink a mocktail feel for those seeking zero-proof drinks.

Related: 10 Best Immune-Boosting Foods

It may sound like this frozen dessert will have the flavor profile of a popular cocktail, but it's actually named for the lemondrop melon used as its base. No worries if you don't see lemondrop melons at your grocery store, honeydew works fine.

Dress up a simple melon slice with an unexpected oil and vinegar dressing infused with fresh mint. It takes only a handful of ingredients (and less than 10 minutes) to whisk together the drizzle that compliments every type of melon.

Sprinkling salt onto melon is a Southern tradition, and it's no wonder this custom has had staying power. In small doses, salt magnifies melon's natural sweetness. We kicked plain ol' salt up a level with three flavor variations: smoky paprika, wine, and vanilla. Which will become your go-to?

Related: Healthy Watermelon Recipes That Will Make Your Summer

In this flavor-amped recipe blogger Kaleb Wyse uses fresh rosemary, club soda, and a simple syrup infused with almond. You've never tasted a lemonade recipe like it.

Wyse adds his recipe to the many ways to cook shrimp. He tops oven-roasted shrimp with a fresh succotash relish complete with barely cooked vegetables and a vinegary punch.

For this appetizer recipe, Wyse uses up his bumper crop. "Like everyone who grows squash, I end up with too much of it." Here za'atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend with a tinge of citrus, gives the veggie oomph.

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Wyse briefly roasts carrots before finishing them under the broiler. The two-step process ensures a crisp-tender texture and bit of char, which we can never resist. Serve them warm or room temp with his Fennel Aioli.

This fennel-packed dip created by Wyse is perfect for dunking his roasted carrots in or as a spread on any sandwich recipe needing a flavor boost. Only six simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper) are required.

In all his pickled recipes, Wyse puts twists on family favorites. Here, the beans get their flavor from herbs picked in his garden (his grandma relied on dried dillseeds). Use the four-ingredient (plus water) recipe the next time you have more green beans than you know what do with.

Related: Must-Know Water Bath Canning Basics

"I'll pickle just about anything," Wyse says, pointing to this cauliflower recipe as evidence. After the prep and brine are finished, this canning recipe requires only 10 minutes of processing in the canner. The real act of patience comes in waiting for the jars to cool.

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Apple cider vinegar and a bit of sugar in Wyse's pickled peppers lends a bit of bread-and-butter quality to the spicy peppers. Our taste panel couldn't help but think how delicious these would taste on hot dogs.

We loved everything about Wyse's carrot recipe. Paprika adds smokiness, the veggies stay crisp-tender, and the brine is delicious. We wouldn't change a thing.

Tongue-tingling Szechwan peppercorns and strips of orange zest make Wyse's pickled beets stand out from the crowd. Eat them straight from the jar, on salads or sandwiches, or on anything you want to add some zip to.

Related: How to Roast Beets

This lemon-infused bean salad (loosely based on the Middle Eastern dish balilah) is a good base for any raw, roasted, or grilled veggies you have in the fridge. The chickpea and tuna pairing makes a hearty salad with 20 grams protein and 5 grams of fiber to keep you full for hours.

Blending in silken tofu ups the body and richness of this cold soup that takes advantage of summer produce. Any combination of fresh herbs with delicate leaves (parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, and/or dill) work well to add big flavor to the side dish soup.

A quick blitz in the food processor turns pesto and chopped veggies into a giardiniera-like relish you'll soon be spreading on every sandwich recipe. The versatile spread works as a side salad or on top of eggs, grilled meat, or roasted veggies.

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All the best parts of a traditional Cobb salad fill pita pockets in this 25-minute dinner (or lunch) no-cook idea. For an even more flavorful aioli, refrigerate the mayo mixture for 1 hour before assembling so flavors meld.