Trying new things is a great way to discover new favorites and keep your baking and cooking creativity flowing. These three recipes are certain to provide an entertaining menu for you and your friends.

Apple & Cheese Caprese is a fresh, crisp layered appetizer with apples and chives instead of the traditional tomato and basil. Portabella Pesto Toasts are toasted brown and bubbly with mozzarella, and rich with the flavors of mushroom, basil and garlic. For an unusual mini dessert, offer Double Chocolate Cinnamon Mini Cupcakes—creamy cinnamon-chocolate frosting adds delightful flavor atop a buttermilk chocolate cupcake.

Homemade peanut butter cookies tend to be a crisper variety. Three tips from the Test Kitchen might help:

• First, measure your flour carefully. Use a spoon to lightly scoop flour into your measuring cup, and level the cup with a straight edge to ensure it's not packed too tightly. Too much flour makes cookies hard.
• Second, mix in the dry ingredients just until moistened. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and makes for a tough, hard cookie.
• Third, beware of overbaking. Cookies continue to set as they cool, so take them out according to the recipe time. If you already do that, try baking them a minute or two less.

If none of these tips help, try another recipe! Peanut Butter, Cherry & Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with dried fruit and oatmeal, which makes a softer, chewy cookie. Or, try Apple of My Eye Cookies—a fun roll-out cookie that is soft and delicious. If you love chocolate, try Divine Moments—this cookie is soft because it contains very little flour.

Happy baking!

How amazing that you've kept up with your pen pal for 40 years! And what a treat that she is coming to visit. We love your idea of a picnic — try the three recipes below for the best of American summertime fare, with a few extra touches to make the meal special.

Start with a classic, Double Onion Hamburgers, grilled alongside Corn-On-the-Cob with Seasoned Butters. For the grand finale, top off your meal with red, white and blue Star Spangled Shortcakes — buttery shortcakes filled with fresh berries and topped with whipped cream.

Have a wonderful time!

One can never have too many fresh strawberries, though they do tend to arrive all at once! We are here to help, and our web site is bursting with ideas that can be found by simply typing “strawberry” into the search box.

Below you'll see three of our favorites that use lots of strawberries. Try an elegant yet easy Asian Napoleon, or a rich Strawberry Cheesecake Tart mounded with fresh strawberries. I'd also suggest trying this Summertime Minted Trifle which is pretty much like summertime in a bowl. Inviting friends over or delivering a dessert next door are two other ways to solve the delightful dilemma of strawberry abundance.

Enjoy!

Weddings are for celebrating, and cookies are a wonderful bite-size treat for all the friends and family to enjoy as they mingle and honor the new couple.

If cake is your centerpiece dessert, choose a cookie that complements the look and flavor of your cake. Cinnamon Honey Almond Triangles, with their nutty crunch and pretty shape, pair well with chocolate or vanilla cake. A cake with fruit or jam fillings would look lovely surrounded by platters of delicate, crisp Lemon Pecan Snowdrops. If it’s chocolate you must have, try elegant melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Buttercream Meltaways.

Congratulations to the bride and groom.

What a great way to start the day. You'll find these three recipes as portable as they are pleasing.

Wake up to the fresh taste of a delicious Deep Dish Breakfast Pizza. It’s somewhere between a quiche and a pizza, and even easier to make. Listen to the birds chirp while you enjoy hearty herbed Italian Omelet Sandwiches — wrapped in foil so they stay warm from oven to outdoors. Or keep it simple with coffee, fruit and unique Maple French Toast Muffins, the sweet taste of French toast in a muffin you can enjoy anywhere.

Throwing a party is so much more fun when you can do the prep work ahead of time. Try one or all three of these great recipes and you’ll be well prepared and Try one or all three of these great recipes and you’ll be well prepared able to enjoy your party as much as everyone else.

Capture guests’ attention with fanciful Pesto Lasagna Roll-Ups, a delicious entrèe that practically serves itself. For heartier fare, serve a saucy Chicken Salsa Verde stew — keep it warm in a slow cooker with tortillas or corn chips on the side. Or, offer our sensational Turkey Cobb Salad Sandwich on ciabatta bread — a cold sandwich as colorful as it is tasty.

Enjoy your party!

Celebrating a graduation is a great way to end one journey and to begin another. Skip the expensive bakery treats and make your party special with one or more of these easy-to-make desserts, sure to be crowd pleasers for all ages.

You can’t go wrong with Celebration Cupcakes, classic—cupcakes decorated with colored frosting and confetti sprinkles. Or keep it simple with an irresistible Mocha Almond Sheet Cake, made easy with cake mix, and made delicious with a mocha cream cheese frosting. Stack up a plate of everyone’s favorite Peanut Butter Cookie Cups, and you’re sure to have one of the smartest parties around. For even more great dessert and menu ideas, browse our Graduation Open House recipe collection.

Congratulations to you and your son!