July/August 2022 Better Homes & Gardens Recipes

Spinach and Bacon Hash With Tomatillo Sauce

Lighten classic potato hash with summery additions of fresh produce. Choose between two perky combos—vegetarian-friendly sweet potato and spinach-bacon—which cook in a single skillet that can double as a serving dish. Serve with the included recipe for a no-cook blender tomatillo sauce. Purchased guacamole also works as a speedier option.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Kabobs

Kabobs are the unsung hero of summer cooking. They're an easy and economical way to feed a crowd. To change up these skewers, recipe developer Danielle Centoni looked to cultures around the world. Here Jufran banana "ketchup," a Filipino condiment, serves as the base for the brushing sauce that gives pork kabobs a sweet-sour flavor and caramelized char.

Chimichurri Kabobs

Traditional Brazilian churrasco—large cuts of beef, chicken, sausage, and vegetables grilled on swords—inspired our mixed grill kabobs. They're tossed in a citrus-garlic marinade, seared over hot coals, then finished with a zippy chimichurri sauce. If you can't find linguiça (a spicy pork sausage popular in Brazil and other countries) any spicy smoked sausage will work.

Red Curry Tofu Skewers

Here's a meatless option to include on your BBQ menu. Tofu, eggplant, and mushrooms soak up the ginger-curry marinade like mini sponges, infusing them with fresh Thai flavors. Serve over a bed of rice cooked in coconut milk, with the easy homemade peanut sauce for dipping.

Kofta Kabobs

Kofta, a ground meat dish seasoned with garlic, herbs, and warming spices, has many variations across the Middle East. Our tribute mixes lamb, beef, and mushrooms. Serve it with cacik, a cooling cucumber tzatziki-like sauce.

Pesto Chicken and Radicchio Skewers

Chicken marinates in a citrus-basil pesto before sharing stick space with purple radicchio. A quick sizzle tempers this Italian chicory's bitter side, as does the mellow Parmesan cream sauce accompaniment.

Test Kitchen Tip: Let the first side get a good sear before trying to turn the kabobs. They'll release easily when ready.

Ice Cream Sandwich "Tiramisu"

Cookbook authors Paul Arguin and Chris Taylor whipped up some dreamy frozen treat recipes featuring store-bought ice cream. In this case, classic tiramisu is reimagined as a super-easy icebox cake using purchased ice cream sandwiches (in place of ladyfingers), chocolate wafer cookies, and a simple coffee-flavored mascarpone cream filling.

Cornbread Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cornbread as a cookie? Yes! Soft, sweet, and a little nutty, these cutout cookies make a tasty match for summery berry ice cream fillings. Use cookie cutters to form any shape you like. Make these ice cream sammies and freeze them up to 2 weeks in advance of your summer party.

Pistachio Gelato Brownie Bars

The classic ice cream sandwich gets a sophisticated upgrade. Thin brownies surround velvety pistachio gelato. The trick to perfectly tidy layers? Dividing the batter and baking it in two pans (rather than halving it after baking) creates crisp edges. Customize the crunchy coating by swapping out nuts for sprinkles or candies.

Confetti Cake and Ice Cream Pops

The iconic duo of cake and ice cream is reinvented as portable pops in these frozen treats that alternate confetti cake layers with swirls of mango and raspberry sorbets. Serve on sticks or as striped slices. Bonus: This layering method works with any combo of cake and ice cream you want.

"Fried" Ice Cream Truffles

The fried ice cream sundaes we enjoyed at Mexican restaurants as kids inspired these perfectly poppable snacks. Roll bite-size scoops of ice cream in crispy panko crumbs flavored with cinnamon, freeze-dried strawberries, or cocoa, then freeze until set. Round out the sundae experience with caramel, fudge, and cinnamon whipped cream for dipping.

Polka-Dot Neapolitan Pie

Something-for-everyone Neapolitan ice cream takes on a new look in a pie with a crunchy sugar cone crust and peekaboo pattern of strawberry and chocolate polka dots. Toasted strawberry meringue crowns the confection.

Test Kitchen Tip: Use a melon baller or tiny cookie scoop to make strawberry and chocolate ice cream polka dots.

Coconut Lime Butter Mochi

As for many Hawaiian dishes, the origins of butter mochi are not easily traced. It evolved from the influences of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Portuguese immigrants who came to the islands in the early 20th century to work on fruit and sugar plantations. This butter mochi recipe by cookbook author Alana Kysar's mom combines cow milk and canned coconut milk. But to make this version extra coconutty, Kysar swaps the dairy for coconut beverage (sold refrigerated). Not a coconut fan? Try the orange-cream or chocolate variations.