Plant-based sausage wraps, bubble milk tea, and birria tacos saw the fastest growth on the Grubhub platform during the first half of 2021, with each dish seeing order increases of at least 500 percent, according to the company’s third annual State of the Plate report.
Rounding out the top 10 increasingly popular dishes are everything omlets, strawberry banana cream smoothies, spicy miso tonkotsu ramen, churro waffles, beef empanadas, Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, and Korean barbeque cauliflower wings.
Plant-based trends continue to grow in 2021, with mushroom and tofu broth ramen, sauteed string beans and garlic, and grilled vegetable hummus bowls all rising in popularity.
Looking ahead to the fall, Grubhub predicts that vegan mapo tofu, truffle mushroom swiss burgers, raspberry cheesecake, cookie and cream milkshakes, and pumpkin cupcakes will be the go-to dishes.
Watermelon tequila skewers are insanely fun and refreshing! The zing of the alcohol watermelon combo will impress everyone.
Here’s a deliciously refreshing summer recipe that you need…stat. It’s a bit of a crazy idea, but stick with us here: Watermelon Tequila Skewers! Yes, you’ll most often see watermelon and tequila paired in a cocktail (and who could turn down a watermelon margarita?). But sprinkle some over watermelon cubes and it’s absolute genius! Here’s how to make this tasty party trick.
This novel idea for summer entertaining is courtesy of Alex, who had the crazy idea of sprinkling tequila over some cubes from our watermelon salad. It had the best zingy, sweet tart flavor that was intensely refreshing! We knew we had to turn it into a party treat. Here’s all you’ll need:
Ripe seedless watermelon: make sure it’s a best quality, sweet ripe melon!
Fresh mint: Just a few leaves bring big flavor, and they’re perfect for garnish
Lime juice
Tequila
Why the alcohol watermelon combination works
You’ve probably heard about a vodka watermelon, where you make a hole in a watermelon and pour in a whole bottle of vodka. We’ve heard mixed reviews of this stunt, and most people say it doesn’t work. Since we don’t like wasting alcohol (especially an entire bottle), we haven’t tried it.
So why not use just ¼ cup tequila to try this tasty appetizer or treat? The way that tequila brings out the zing of the lime and the sweetness of the watermelon is unbeatable. You really do have to try it to believe it!
How much alcohol is in these tequila watermelon skewers? The overall alcohol content is very low. The recipe of 6 servings has just a little more alcohol than one classic margarita.
Mix the ingredients and chill 1 hour (or not…)
All you have to do to make this recipe? Combine the watermelon, tequila, lime juice, mint: and then wait! It tastes best when it’s nicely chilled and the ingredients have a little time to meld together.
Don’t want to wait? That’s ok too! It tastes good right away, and even better if you start with a chilled watermelon. But for best results, chill 1 or 2 hours before serving.
Serve the watermelon tequila juice in shot glasses
Here’s another genius serving idea for these watermelon tequila skewers (courtesy of Alex, of course!). You’ll notice after refrigerating the skewers that juice builds up at the bottom of the container. Yes, it’s all that delicious watermelon tequila lime goodness that’s just oozing out of the fruit!
You can use that too: just strain it though a cocktail shaker into little shot glasses! It makes the cutest presentation and one sip of the liquid? It’s drop dead delicious.
Let us know if you make these alcohol watermelon skewers in the comments below: we’d love to know what you think!
More watermelon recipes
Got melon? Here are our top juicy watermelon recipes to cool off this summer, with a focus on that alcohol watermelon combo:
Watermelon tequila skewers are insanely fun and refreshing! The zing of the alcohol watermelon combo will impress everyone.
Ingredients
4 cups cubed ripe seedless watermelon (about 2 1/2 pounds or 1/4 medium melon)
2 ounces (¼ cup) tequila
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, plus more leaves for garnish
Instructions
Place the watermelon in a large bowl and sprinkle with the lime juice, tequila and chopped mint. Toss until well coated.
Place in a covered container and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day (it’s best when it’s freshest).
To serve, place watermelon chunks on cocktail picks or short skewers. If you’d like, use a cocktail shaker to strain the remaining juice from the bottom of the container into shot glasses, to be enjoyed along with the watermelon!
This strawberry pie recipe has incredible flavor: an elevated take on the classic! Serve it to impress and everyone will ask for the recipe.
Usually we’re all about healthy everyday recipes. But sometimes, you need stunning dessert to impress everyone. Introducing…the best-ever fresh Strawberry Pie! It highlights the best ripe berry flavor, perfectly sweet tart with a delicious hint of cinnamon. The flavor is almost beyond words. Our neighbors promptly declared it was “the best pie I’ve ever had.” Don’t believe us? Well, you’ve got to test for yourself!
Why to make this strawberry pie
This strawberry pie is one of the favorite desserts to come out of our kitchen. To make sure we weren’t exaggerating, we had a few Instagram readers test the recipe for us. Here’s what a few recipe testers said:
“Oh my gosh this is delicious! I made it for a summer BBQ with my in-laws, and everyone raved!” -Erin
“Everyone in my family loved the filling! The cinnamon made the pie feel a little more elevated than your typical strawberry pie. Everyone also enjoyed how “real” it tasted. It didn’t have the artificial strawberry flavor.” -Elizabeth
Use homemade or storebought pie crust
You can use your favorite pie crust recipe for this strawberry pie. It’s best with homemade pie crust, but easiest with homemade. Here’s what to know about the options:
Homemade pie crust: This Quiche Crust is our favorite, but you can use your family favorite recipe if you prefer.
Store-bought pastry crust: This is a great shortcut! If you use it, keep in mind the timing for the blind baking may vary.
Tips for blind baking the crust
This strawberry pie highlights the best juicy flavor of fresh strawberries. In fact, the filling itself is completely no bake. But this recipe uses a standard pie crust, not a graham cracker crust. So you’ll need to first bake the pie crust using a technique called blind baking. Here’s the general overview of this process:
Freeze the crust 30 minutes. Why? This helps the crust to hold its shape while blind baking. (This freezer method shortcuts refrigerating for a few hours. You’re welcome!)
Prick holes with a fork all over the crust. This is called docking the crust: it makes it puff up less while in the oven.
Add parchment paper then pie weights, dried beans, or rice! Pour them right into the crust! Then bake it for 15 minutes. Here are the pie weights we use.
Remove the pie weights and bake until golden brown. Once the crust bakes 15 minutes, remove the weights and bake another 15 minutes.
Then, you’ll just need to cool the crust before you fill it. One trick we use: we like to slide the crust into a separate pie pan that’s already cool. It speeds up the process for cooling and you can go right to the filling step.
Keys to the strawberry pie filling
How did we make this pie taste so “real” and avoid the artificial flavors? Well, here are our secrets to the strawberry pie filling:
The filling has no strawberry jello or gelatin. There’s nothing artificially flavored here, and no gelatin or jello.
The tricks? Smashed strawberries and a bit of cornstarch make the very thick sauce. It’s flavored with both honey and sugar, to bring in a delicious nuance in flavor from the natural sweetener.
Cinnamon takes it home. The hint of cinnamon in this strawberry pie sends it to over-the-top goodness.
Cool for 2 hours until it sets
The filling for this strawberry pie will set after 2 hours in the refrigerator. The key to setting the pie is that the cornstarch mixture makes an extremely thick sauce. After refrigeration, it will set and become even more solidified. No Jello needed!
When you’re ready to serve, topping it with homemade whipped cream makes it pretty darn special! Here’s our best homemade recipe: you’ll never go back to store-bought.
Storage info for strawberry pie
This strawberry pie is great the day it’s made, but it also stores well. Store this pie for up to 3 days refrigerated, and it holds its flavor well. We were surprised at how well it holds up! It’s perfect for serving at summer barbecues, picnics, potlucks, or as a 4th of July dessert.
Variations: make it vegan and gluten-free
This strawberry pie is easily made vegan, and there’s a simple swap for gluten-free too. Here’s what to do:
Make the crust:Follow the directions in theHomemade Quiche Crustrecipe to make the dough and shape it into a 9-inch pie plate. You can do either a fork pressed edge or a fluted edge. Then freeze the crust in the pie pan for 30 minutes (this helps to avoid shrinkage; you can skip the freezing portion for a purchased pastry crust).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Blind bake*:Remove the dough from the freezer. Crumble a sheet of parchment paper, then place it gently on top of the crust. Fill the dough with pie weights (we usedtwo sets of these), dry beans, or dry rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake an additional 14 to 15 minutes until the bottom is golden brown (note that the timing may vary if you use store-bought pastry dough). Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely before adding the strawberry filling. To cool it quickly, you can very gently slide it into another pie pan of the same size and place it on a cooling rack; this should cool it in about 10 to 15 minutes while you make the filling. (Or, the baked crust can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.)
Make strawberry filling:Wash, destem and quarter the strawberries lengthwise, cutting very large berries into smaller pieces. Take 1 cup of the quartered strawberries (reserve the rest), place them in a bowl, and smash them with a fork until each one is mashed. Add the smashed berries and their juices to a large saucepan. Add the sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Then in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with ¼ cup water and whisk until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring often while it bubbles, for 1 to 2 minutes until very thick and glossy. Turn off the heat. Add the remaining fresh strawberries to the pan and turn with spatula until they are fully coated with the very thick sauce.
Immediately scoop the strawberry filling into the cooled pie crust. Use clean fingers to arrange the strawberries in the top layer (you may need to flip some over to make it look nice). Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving until it sets. Serve topped with homemade whipped cream. Lasts up to 3 days refrigerated.
Notes
*Blind baking the pie crust shrinks it a bit. For a larger puffy crust, you can make 1.5 times the recipe and cut scraps to reinforce the sides. Go to How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust.
**Arrowroot may work as a substitute, but we have not tested it. Try at your own risk!
This arugula pizza features a topping of baby greens! The fresh, peppery flavor is a great contrast to the rich cheese below.
Want to eat salad and pizza…at the same time? Try this Arugula Pizza recipe! You’ve probably seen this style of pizza at artisan-style pizzerias: a gooey, cheesy pie topped with fresh baby greens. Yep, that’s seasoned baby arugula! This Italian way of serving pizza is all about contrast: fresh peppery baby greens against a rich, saucy pizza. Here’s our favorite arugula pizza, made in a sheet pan! Or you can simply use the arugula topping on your favorite pizza.
Making arugula pizza: 3 tips to note!
You can use this arugula pizza recipe as a guide for topping your pizzas with fresh greens! This topping idea works for any pizza recipe, or you can use our amazing and tasty sheet pan pizza: more on that below. Here’s all about need to know about adding arugula as a pizza topping:
Use only baby arugula. This does not work with standard arugula: it’s sold in bunches and has large leaves that are very spicy. Instead look for baby arugula: it has a lovely feathery texture and milder flavor.
Season the arugula with olive oil and salt. Dry arugula on a pizza is not good (trust us). All you have to do is toss it in a bowl with olive oil and salt.
Use the recipe below, or eyeball the quantities. Once you’ve done this once, you can just eyeball the quantities. Then add to your favorite pizza recipe!
Use arugula with any toppings
You can use arugula topping to go with pizzas of any toppings! Below we used our favorite combination, but it works with just about anything.
Try pizza sauce, smoked gouda and mozzarella. Head to the recipe below for our favorite combo with arugula! It stars our Easy Pizza Sauce and smoked gouda cheese for a savory twist.
Make arugula and Prosciutto pizza. Salty cured Italian ham (Prosciutto) is the perfect pair with arugula! Just add a few pieces to the recipe below.
The recipe for this arugula pizza below is a sheet pan pizza. It’s not our standard way to make pizza: instead it’s made in a sheet pan! Here are the pros and cons to this style of pizza:
Pros: it makes a big pan and it’s easy to make. A sheet pan pizza has 12 pieces, so it serves quite a bit! You can skip making 2 pizzas and make just one. Also, you don’t need as much equipment, like a pizza stone or pizza peel. You can press it right into a sheet pan!
Cons: it takes a little longer. This style of pizza takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to prep, a little longer than our standard cheese pizza (which takes 1 hour and less prep work). But it’s well worth it in our opinion!
Or, make a standard pizza or use purchased dough!
You can also make this arugula pizza as a standard pizza! We’ve included the instructions for that in the recipe below in the Notes section. Here’s a little overview:
Dough: You can use our Italian Pizza Dough recipe, which has incredible flavor and makes a medium sized pizza! Or use store-bought dough.
Pizza stone: The best homemade pizza uses a pizza stone, which gets blazing hot in the oven. The higher temperature makes a crispy crust on the outside that’s doughy on the inside. Here’s the best pizza stone we’ve found.
We love this arugula pizza because it’s absolutely delicious and it makes us feel a little bit healthier! The arugula adds a fresh, peppery flavor and fluffy texture that’s incredibly satisfying. We’d still recommend adding a few salads to make it a meal. Pro tip: make one pizza and two salads, instead of two pizzas and one salad! Here are some favorite sides for pizza:
Make the dough (5 minutes): In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, yeast, kosher salt, oregano and garlic powder. Add the warm water and olive oil and stir until flour is incorporated.
Knead the dough (8 minutes): Knead the dough by pushing with the base of your palm, then reforming it into a ball. Continue kneading for 8 minutes until the dough feels pillowy and has a smooth, stretchy exterior. If the dough is very sticky, add a small amount of flour while kneading. Alternatively: attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and start the mixer on medium-low speed, then allow the mixer to knead for 8 minutes.
Roll out and rest the dough in a sheet pan (15 minutes): Using floured hands, gently shape the dough into a boule (ball shape) by folding the dough under itself. Add a light sprinkle of flour to the boule. Then roll out dough on floured surface to roughly the shape of the 13×18 sheet pan. Brush 3 tablespoons olive oil on the bottom and sides of a standard 13″x 18″ sheet pan. Add the dough and brush it lightly with oil. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes to relax the dough.
Rest the dough again (45 minutes): Press the dough back into the corners of the pan so it evenly covers the pan. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500F.
Bake the pizza dough* without toppings: After the 45 minute rest, bake the pizza dough for 6 minutes without sauce and toppings.
Add the toppings and bake again: Remove the dough from the oven. Add the pizza sauce, smoked mozzarella, fresh mozzarella (torn into pieces), and Parmesan cheese, and top with a few pinches of kosher salt. Take care, since the pan will be hot! Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly brown.
Add the arugula topping: In a small bowl, mix the baby arugula with the olive oil and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Sprinkle the pizza with torn basil, then add the arugula on top. Cut into pieces with a knife (a pizza cutter doesn’t get all the way to the pan edges) and serve immediately.
Notes
*Or, use store-bought pizza dough for quicker prep. For this method you can skip pre-baking the crust. Here’s what to do: Make our Best Pizza Dough or use storebought dough. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel. Top the pizza as noted above (you can use less cheese since the pizza will be smaller). Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.
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