15 of the tastiest foods to enjoy outside this summer

Summer can't come a day too soon. We still have some time to impatiently wait for what will hopefully be a somewhat more relieving summer after a year-plus of pandemic lockdown. However, it's never too early to start daydreaming and preparing your palate for all of the foods to come once those carefree, warm months are finally here. Below is an introductory list of 15 of the tastiest foods to enjoy outside this summer.

Pies are usually associated with Thanksgiving, and for good reason, but there's a special place in the heart of summer for apple pie. For those who love to bake, this Food Network recipe for classic apple pie from scratch has you covered. And for those who want to enjoy the finished product without having to spend your whole afternoon baking it—no shame!—Pillsbury has this solution.

It's like that math adage where every square is a rectangle but not every rectangle is a square: ribs should be included in every barbecue, but not every barbecue has to center around only ribs. What a shame it would be to neglect the possibilities with brisket, chicken, pulled pork, sausage, turkey—not to mention trademark sides such as baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. In fact, the most crucial part of a summer barbecue is the act of leisurely barbecuing outside. 

There are several culinary combinations that have stood the test of time. Peanut butter and chocolate. Peanut butter and jelly. A grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Chocolate chip cookies and milk. Bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes—affectionally known as BLT sandwiches—of course, have a secure spot on that list. Here, acclaimed chef Geoffrey Zakarian shared his "Ultimate BLT" recipe.

The only thing better than digging into a delicious meal is digging into a delicious meal while knowing you're eating something delicious and nutritious. Enter: Caprese salad. The Italian cuisine is simple—just three ingredients: tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil—but its impact on the taste buds looms large. 

"Few ingredients showcase the magic of eating with the seasons better than the humble summer tomato," wrote The Kitchn's Grace Elkus as part of her recipe including balsamic glaze. "A ripe, juicy, perfectly imperfect mid-August heirloom is so vastly superior to the sad, mealy, flavorless supermarket tomato you’ll find come December that they may as well not be related at all."

If you happen to want this dish to be part of your Fourth of July celebration, Food Network has a fun little American Flag version here.

There is one disclaimer here: you cannot be self-conscious while eating corn on the cob. It's going to look unattractive. It will probably be loud and messy. And that's OK because your teeth are sinking into perfectly in-season corn. "Peak season lasts from May through September," according to Food Network. "Because sweet corn is grown in all 50 states, you can easily find it at your farmers’ markets or corner farm stand."

Sure, corn technically isn't the healthiest vegetable to enjoy in the summer. Again, that's OK because eating corn on the cob is one of those foods where it's more about the experience.

Crab cakes' presence here might spark some outrage because the coveted lobster roll is noticeably absent. If you're more of a lobster person, here you are. Anyway, this is admittedly a personal preference thing, as I personally fell in love with Uncle Jack's Maryland Style Crab Cake while living in New York City. Crab or lobster: you can't go wrong either way when the impulse strikes for seafood indulgence. Incidentally, Delish.com claims to have the "Best-Ever Crab Cakes."

Hot dogs—or brats, if you sway that way—are an American staple, whether or not we like it. Just ask Joey Chestnut. You can tell a lot about a person based solely on what he or she prefers to top a hot dog with. There's a whole state-by-state guide that goes far beyond the traditional ketchup, mustard, and relish condiments.

This kind of goes without saying, doesn't it? Sweltering weather months meet not just a refreshing and sugary treat but the signature frozen treat since the beginning of time? The assortment of flavors as well as the ways to eat ice cream—in a cup, in the form of a milkshake, in a cake or sugar or waffle cone—are endless. That's before even mentioning the nuances between custard, frozen yogurt, ice cream, and gelato.

You could take it up a notch by challenging yourself to homemade ice cream. The New York Times swears this is the only recipe you'll ever need.

When you think summer, you probably don't necessarily think pizza. Pizza is absolutely a year-round staple, though the convenience of ordering in a pizza is emphasized when jam-packed days linger into late-night hours during the summer.

Margherita pizza is "is the archetype of a thin-crust pizza pie," and depending on how many slices you eat, makes for a lighter meal than other types of pizza.

The same logic applies here as ice cream, though there may be even more options for popsicles. Thankfully, Country Living did all the groundwork and compiled a wide-ranging and mouthwatering list of 41 popsicle recipes.

Kabobs just have a summery vibe to them, don't they? And if you're craving shrimp but looking to commit to a full-blown spread, there's not much better than a summer evening shrimp boil. Shrimp kabobs are simple and equally delicious. There are a range of ways to personalize your kabob in terms of flavor and other ingredients to pair with the shrimp, but this Mediterranean recipe sounds like a good place to start.

People who don't like eating s'mores still love sitting around the fire and roasting a marshmallow for someone else in the group to combine with chocolate and graham cracker for ultimate gooey goodness. There's a universal nostalgia associated with s'mores on a summer night.

Grilling is a summer staple, and what better to grill than a juicy steak of your choosing? If this summer will mark your first foray into grilling, here is a delectable list of 29 ways to dress up your main dish as well as the fittest side dishes.

This is where sorting alphabetically backfires a bit, considering strawberries are mentioned as a go-to summer fruit alongside watermelon below, but here we are at strawberry shortcake all the same. Strawberry shortcake is an easy and light way to treat yourself to dessert, with freshly sliced strawberries accentuated by a perfectly flaky biscuit and whipped cream. For all your summer shortcake recipe needs, visit Food Network.

Generally speaking, fresh and ripened fruit is best enjoyed in the summer. Watermelon tops the list in most cases, and Pete Wells explained why for The New York Times: "You could call its flavor plain. Or one-dimensional. You could say it’s boring and still not get much argument. But complex aromatic compounds did not make the watermelon the champion of summer fruits. No, it is the watermelon’s eagerness to join any party in sight."

Fruits often championed during the summer are blackberries, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, peaches, raspberries, and other melons such as cantaloupe.