66 Low-Maintenance Summer Dinner Party Ideas

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

This refreshing dish looks fancy but is secretly so simple. Scallops are sneaky like that—they take about two minutes per side to get a golden sear. "Pat them well with paper towels before seasoning and cooking," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen writes, "and you’ll be rewarded with a caramelized, flavorful brown crust every time."

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Well, isn’t this a delicious (and effortless) excuse to not do dishes. It’s inspired by one of my favorite lazy summer meals, grilled sausages and peppers. "I prefer fresh gnocchi from the refrigerated section, but this dish will also work with the shelf-stable kind," Gillen explains. "Both get crispy on the outside and soft on the inside without any boiling. I like it with Parm, fresh basil and a pat on the back for dinner in 30 minutes."

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

I certainly don’t have the budget for lobster rolls whenever a craving strikes (which, come summertime, is often). "These shrimp rolls can satisfy your craving without blowing your entire grocery budget," Gillen alleges. "They have all the elements you’re looking for: buttery buns, fresh herbs and a creamy yet light New England-style dressing that has just the right amount of mayonnaise."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free, gluten free
• Serves: 4

The best way to use up all that fresh seasonal produce is to put it into this dreamy, secretly vegan risotto. Cooking the squash long enough is the key to getting a creamy texture without any butter or cheese; it turns rich and jammy with patience and heat. The more you know.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 8

Salmon in a taco isn’t typical, but it’s a nice, light-yet-substantial filling when it’s hot out. Wait ’til you try the grilled pineapple salsa and cashew lime crema. (Psst: Budget in at least two hours to let the cashews soak before making the crema! It's a good step to tackle the night before.) You’ll never go back to a store-bought seasoning packet.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, gluten free
• Serves: 6

Personally, I never knew it was possible to make paella in one hour. It turns out the trick is to let your oven do most of the hard work (and to choose only the most essential seafood, like clams and shrimp). I'll bring the sangria.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

This one-pan meal is ready in less than an hour, plus it will use up some of your overflowing zucchini crop. Yellow squash and yellow cherry tomatoes lend a classy monochromatic effect, but you can really use any color you want. Finish it with crispy prosciutto if your guests eat meat.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, one pan, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Corn and cherry tomatoes have the same cheesy, carb-y taste you crave, minus the hours of assembly time that layering sheets of pasta into a baking dish requires. It's begging to be served al fresco with garlic bread and white wine.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, high protein
• Serves: 6

Just throw ’em on the grill and set the table. The Mediterranean flavors pair perfectly with white wine, a salad and warm pita. A Greek-inspired charcuterie board works, too.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, vegetarian
• Serves: 6

Let me share a secret with you: Store-bought puff pastry always makes dinner look so fancy, and it'll fool your guests every damn time. Feel free to swap out the vegetables in this summer dinner party recipe for something more summery, like squash or peppers.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

Pasta is always a good idea, and this vegetable-forward one is ready in an hour. The dish traditionally uses ricotta salata, a type of pressed and aged ricotta cheese, but I suggest subbing in pecorino if you can’t find the former.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

It’s fancy enough that it will elicit oohs and ahhs (but simple enough to make when you're feeling lazy). Make sure your peaches and tomatoes are pristine, since they’re kind of the star flavors here. (I won't tell if you used canned corn in the fritters.)

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, one pan, kid-friendly
• Serves: 4

A handful of ingredients and just three simple steps are all it takes to make this 30-ish minute crowd-pleaser. Don’t skip the fresh basil garnish—it makes the whole dish pop (and makes it look ten times more Insta-worthy.)

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, vegan
• Serves: 6

It’s ratatouille’s chic Italian cousin, and it tastes heavenly on everything from pasta to toast. My favorite way to serve something like this is tossed into couscous for a stupid-simple summer salad.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

This delightful summer entertaining idea just so happens to be vegan, but you wouldn't know it at first bite. The sweet, juicy corn kernels paired with the ‘milk’ from the cobs become a perfect cream sauce without using actual cream. Pile on the nutritional yeast for a cheese-inspired finish.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6 to 8

Making stew doesn’t have to mean spending hours in a hot kitchen. In fact, this one is ready in 45 minutes, but tastes like it took all day. The pasta and shrimp both absorb tons of flavor and cook relatively quickly.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 8

After marinating the chicken, these babies will be ready in about 15 minutes. Just add the tortillas and extra guacamole (might I suggest this roasted poblano-corn iteration?). In my house, there’s no up-charge for that.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Burgers are a dime a dozen, but these are made with chicken instead of beef, are quick-cooking and don’t need a grill if you don’t have access to one. (An indoor grill pan works fine, as does a regular old cast iron skillet.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, high protein, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6 to 8

Once it’s marinated, this savory, umami-rich steak takes ten minutes to cook. How’s that for effortless entertaining? If you’re nervous about slicing it, take my advice: Look for the stripes of the grain, and make sure you cut into them, not along them. That way, your slices will be tender and not chewy.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, special occasion-worthy, one pan
• Serves: 4

A seven-ingredient entrée that comes together in a single skillet? Be still my heart. This one features strawberries for a pop of seasonal sweetness to offset all the savory flavors. “By using the same pan to roast the lamb chops and sear the strawberries, you’re using the juice in the berries to deglaze the flavorful fond into the sauce as well as creating one less pan to wash," recipe creator Abra Beren says.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, no cook
• Serves: 6

Homemade dressing sounds like a drag, but this entire salad takes just 15 minutes to toss together. "With biting radicchio and frisée (plus tart apples and pistachios), this salad checks all the right boxes," Gillen says. "Pair it with an herby, creamy homemade ranch dressing and your dinner guests will go wild." This fresh summer appetizer can also easily transition into a fall appetizer with a few simple tweaks.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

If most party appetizers seem like too much work, this one has your back. "These skewers are sweet, tangy, salty and exactly the finger food I want to serve at my next backyard cocktail sesh," Gillen raves. "They’re ready in 15 minutes and pair really well with a glass of white wine."

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes (plus chilling time)
• Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8 to 10

In my mind, you can’t entertain in the summertime without a massive bowl of pasta salad. It’s crowd-pleasing, kid-friendly and adaptable to your own tastes. "In the spirit of all the most delicious side dishes, it actually tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge, so I highly recommend making it a day ahead of your picnic," Gillen says. Just please don’t let that mayo-based dressing sit out in the sun for too long.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, vegetarian
• Serves: 6

Ahh, my two favorite summer vegetables paired in one summery side dish. It’s delicious enough on its own, but I’ve also used it as a salsa-esque condiment for tacos and grilled meat. "While you could certainly use frozen corn any time of year for this recipe, I highly (highly!) recommend seeking out fresh corn on the cob," Gillen writes. "It’s sweeter and more flavorful, and will caramelize when it hits the hot skillet."

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

Lettuce, pasta, crispy croutons: It turns out your salad can have it all. My advice for this summer dinner party idea? Make extra dressing to use as a dip for veggies, pretzels, pita bread and all other dunkable picnic items before the main course hits the table.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, make ahead
• Serves: 4

These beans are served cold instead of hot—refreshing in every sense of the word. As recipe creator Molly Baz explains, green beans are tough and fibrous when raw, so a quick cook in boiling salted water, followed by plunging in an ice bath, will tenderize their texture but preserve that appealing bright green color. The vinaigrette is really just gilding the lily.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

For the tastiest results, use the freshest heirloom tomatoes you can get your hands on. (But with all that burrata, I promise you can’t really mess it up.) "Buy the best you can find and keep them at room temperature (just as you would fruit), which will bring out their flavor," recipe creator Theo Randall writes.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8 to 10

It’s spicy, creamy and cheesy—the ultimate party dip. Pre-shredded cheese contains added ingredients to prevent clumping, so freshly grated cheese is the key to the creamy results you crave. Serve it with celery, carrots, crackers or chips.—you can’t go wrong.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6

This riff on the classic French pairing of radishes and butter takes just 25 minutes and fewer than five ingredients. And just like that, your search for an easy summer side dish is done. Serve 'em atop lemony arugula and your work is done.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, no cook
• Serves: 6

This lightning-fast side starts with canned white beans for ultimate ease. Add a few fresh herbs and some lemon zest to work total magic. P.S.: "When I have extra time and gigante or corona beans on hand, I like to pan-fry them in a bit of olive oil until they’re golden-crusted, then proceed with the recipe from there," recipe creator Heidi Swanson suggests.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 10

The surface of your cast iron skillet gets extremely hot, which is the secret to the crispy, pizzeria-style crust. Try heating it on your grill if you don’t want to warm up your kitchen. It is 1,000 percent OK to use store-bought dough—in fact, I encourage it.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, gluten free
• Serves: 10

Aren’t these skewers the cutest? Your guests will go wild for the combination of sweet and savory. Cantaloupe and honeydew tend to take a backseat to watermelon, but I think if you pick a ripe melon, you’ll find they’re just as juicy and delicious.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

It’s ready in half an hour and will be devoured in mere seconds. Since you can practically make it with your eyes closed, I don’t foresee that being a problem. Serve it with chips and warm flour tortillas.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, <30 minutes, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

Face it: Everyone’s just eating around the lettuce to get to the avocado anyway. I can’t think of a better way to use up the avocados that you just know are going to be perfect tonight and rotten tomorrow. Carpe diem, friends.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

New party trick: Warm an entire wheel of cheese until it’s gooey, then smother it in spicy honey and set out crackers for dipping. The crowd will go wild. "In a nod to the 1970s-era kitsch within which this dish was likely conceived, I like to serve it in the little wooden box the cheese comes in," recipe creator Christine Flynn adds.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, <30 minutes, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

The classic wedge is wonderfully simple, but tomatoes, feta and a lightened-up dressing give it a welcome summery update. (See ya later, blue cheese.) "The tangy homemade vinaigrette plus fresh toppings make for, in my humble opinion, a pretty darn satisfying alternative," former PureWow food editor Heath Goldman states.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 1

Behold, a light yet satisfying side that won’t take all day to make. This summer entertaining recipe serves one, so scale it up for a crowd by multiplying the ingredients by at least four. "Originally from Tuscany, this salad is ideal for leftover bread and juicy tomatoes," recipe creator Klancy Miller explains. "Some people add basil, which is delicious, but I use dried oregano."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

You had me at halloumi, which gets golden and slightly melty when cooked but still retains some satisfying bite. Mark my words, it’s the next best thing since burrata. The tomatoes and fresh herbs, though? They take salad on a stick to the next level.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

If I’m being honest, I wish all of my meals looked this colorful and tasted this fresh. Use gluten-free bread or sourdough depending on your preferences—I’ll be choosing the latter.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

This summer entertaining recipe is practically no-cook, feeds a crowd and won’t wilt in a hurry. What more could you ask for on a summer night? (Just a glass of white wine sangria, I guess—see no. 48 on this list.)

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian, gluten free
• Serves: 4

You and I eat veggies every day, sure. (Well, most days.) But these go beyond the usual roasted ones. Charring the green beans slightly adds a ton of flavor, so don’t skip that step.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, no cook
• Serves: 6

It’s juicy, sweet, tangy and ready in five minutes. Store-bought fruit tray, maybe you can get the next summer dinner party. Skip the pre-cut melon for the tastiest dish. Not sure how to cube one yourself? Oh, look: Here’s a handy how-to.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 to 6

I’ll let you in on my new summertime motto: less time cooking, more time eating. In this instance, it applies to this seven-ingredient stunner, which should ideally be consumed in the backyard for maximum chill.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 to 6

I’m sure I’m not the only sucker for grilled fruit, but I bet you’ve never seen it like this. The tahini adds creaminess and a subtle nutty, savory flavor that would pair great with grilled fish, while the chili oil adds just enough heat to complement the summer produce.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian, gluten free
• Serves: 6 to 8

Pair this stunning spiced side dish with a yogurt, tahini or herb sauce for maximum effect. My favorite thing is to mix Greek yogurt, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil for a versatile three-ingredient sauce.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

A little olive oil, salt and heat can do wonders for out-of-season produce, but if you’re making this dish in late summer with ripe tomatoes, it will taste *that* much better. Baking it all on a sheet pan makes for painless cleanup to boot.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead
• Serves: 2

I’ll be frank: Most mocktails suck. Just because I’m not boozing doesn’t mean I want a glass of store-bought juice with a splash of seltzer. "This rum-less rum punch is honestly just as easy to make as that lemonade, but the combination of sweet and tart flavors tastes way more special," Gillen says.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 10

Tequila in sangria? I’ll start chilling the glasses. Using rosé instead of red wine keeps things light and fresh for hot nights on the patio. (I’d suggest a sangiovese rosé for a balance of fruitiness and acidity.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

Sure, it’s extremely sippable, but as an added bonus, this concoction is also totally white jeans-friendly. Freezing the fruit means you can add less ice if you want a stronger drink, meaning it won't turn watery and diluted in 30 minutes.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

If you crave the refreshing fruitiness of sangria but, like me, can’t resist a margarita, meet this cocktail, which offers the best of both. Make the lime-sugar garnish as written, or swap it for salt (or Tajín!) if you prefer something less sweet.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 12

This summery NA option is so much more exciting than the usual soda offerings, and it’s not difficult to make either. Using fresh, ripe watermelon adds sweetness without any additional sugar (and it also means you don’t have to make simple syrup).

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes (plus chilling time)
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 16 pies

Silky, sweet, tart and crunchy in every bite—bring out the muffin tin. While it doesn’t hurt that they’re cuter as minis, I actually prefer this size because they bake and cool faster (so you can eat them sooner). "You’ll notice this summer entertaining recipe calls for regular lime juice and not key lime juice," Gillen notes. "While you can use the two types interchangeably, I always prefer the taste of freshly squeezed citrus juice to the bottled kind, and squeezing key limes…well, they’re tiny. I don’t want you to work too hard for your dessert."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 10

This bubbling berry skillet is best served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. "While I encourage you to make this dessert with homemade biscuits—they’re infused with lemon zest and have an impossibly fluffy texture—you can take a shortcut with store-bought biscuit dough," Gillen adds.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8

Remember what I said about puff pastry? It works for dessert too. "The filling is a simple mixture of fruit, sugar and cornstarch, plus vanilla paste for flavor," Gillen writes. "I love the way it flecks the galettes with vanilla beans, but you can substitute extract if that’s all you have." Pair these cuties with ice cream, whipped cream or, my personal favorite, a drizzle of cold heavy cream.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

The definition of elegant? Pairing fresh fruit with whipped cream. No one will realize this summer entertaining idea is no-cook and ready in 15 minutes flat. (You can use this formula with any summer fruits, TBH.)

• Time Commitment: 5 hours (includes freezing time)
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, gluten free
• Serves: 8

Believe me, if you can make whipped cream, then you can make this dessert, which is just as creamy as buying a pint at the store. However, I'd say it's overall even better, since it contains both peppermint extract and real mint. Ina Garten would be proud.

• Time Commitment: 4 hours (includes freezing time)
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

Freeze, purée, freeze, eat. It doesn't get easier than that. Word to the wise: Pick the ripest watermelon you can find. (And if you're not sure how, use this helpful guide next time you're at the farmers market.)

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4 to 6

The ’mallows will be toasty and the chocolate melted just enough—without all the fuss of setting up a campfire. The kids-at-heart will be so impressed, but the real kids will go absolutely wild.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

This is everything a cobbler should be: Simple, cinnamon-y and jam-packed with fruit. I don’t know about you, but my summer-loving heart just skipped a beat. Don't forget the ice cream, and feel free to substitute nectarines or plums for peaches if you'd prefer.

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
• Serves: 6 to 8

This pie combines white chocolate and coconut with tart lime juice, transporting you to the tropics in just one bite. Don’t believe me? Well, that’s only because you haven’t made it yet. Thank me later, OK?

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 20 straws

You’ll use store-bought jam and frozen puff pastry, but no one will ever guess the shortcuts once they take a bite. It’s giving “pie for lazy-but-elegant people.” Swoon.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: no bake, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 10

It’s creamy, rich and doesn’t require an oven to come to fruition. Need I say more? Sure, avocado in dessert sounds outlandish, but it only enhances the texture with its buttery splendor—the flavor is so mild, you won’t even taste it.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

The secret ingredient that takes this freeform pie over the top? Balsamic vinegar, which adds a subtle tang and brings out the sweetness of the berries. There's also sour cream in the whipped cream for a punchy, sour edge you'll adore.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8 to 10

I like to call these refreshing, boozy pops fruit salad on a stick. Mix things up by swapping the strawberries and peaches for another seasonal option, like plums or nectarines. Just don't skip the dry white (unless you don't drink—then just extra white grape juice).

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 4

Why can’t all desserts be this easy to make? All you have to do is roast strawberries, crush graham crackers and scoop ice cream. "Roasting your strawberries really concentrates their flavor, and in this easy recipe, you just layer them and put ice cream on top,” recipe creator Erin McDowell says. "It looks fancy and everyone will think it took a lot of effort, but really, you can just throw this together on a weeknight."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

A galette is basically a free-form pie, making it the ultimate summer dinner party recipe to end the evening. It’s easy to assemble, and the crust doesn’t have to be perfect—my ideal. Honestly, the hardest part is choosing whether to eat it with ice cream or whipped cream—or, if you’re like me, a little of both.