PAIN

Quick Cooking Healthy Pick Freezable Make Ahead Big Batch Slow Cooker One Pot Whole-Grain Vegetarian Gluten-Free

EASY DINNER 5 Summer tomato soup with shrimp, zucchini, and corn

HANDS-ON TIME 20 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 40 MINUTES SERVES 4

2 tablespoons olive oil 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, sliced Kosher salt and black pepper 2 small zucchini, chopped 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes 1 pound raw medium peeled and deveined shrimp 2 cups fresh (from 4 ears) or frozen corn kernels, thawed

HEAT the oil in a large pot over mediumhigh heat. Add the poblanos, onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the zucchini and tomatoes (and their juices). Cook, stirring, until the zucchini is crisp-tender, 12 to 15 minutes. ADD the shrimp, corn, and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasion ally, until the shrimp are white throughout and the corn is tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve.

ROAD TEST

COCKTAIL MIXERS

Skip the measuring and the muddling. If you want a shortcut to happy hour—or the tastiest cola for your Cuba libre—try these just-add-alcohol mixes and sodas.

Written by Heath Goldman Photographs by Levi Brown

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re al simp l e ROAD TEST

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1BEST TONIC Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic For gin or vodka, this not-too-sweet staple has Champagne-like bubbles that fizz until the final sip. TO BUY: $6.50 for four 6.8-ounce bottles, at supermarkets.

2BEST MARGARITA Powell & Mahoney Margarita Mixer Any tequila, even a budget buy, tastes great with this blend’s ideal ratio of real lime juice to salt and sugar. TO BUY: $8 for a 25.36-ounce bottle, at supermarkets.

3BEST BLOODY MARY Powell & Mahoney Bloody Mary Mixer Not too thick, not too thin, this crowd-pleaser has a fresh tomato flavor with a hit of horseradish. TO BUY: $8 for a 25.36-ounce bottle, at supermarkets.

4BEST BELLINI Williams-Sonoma Passion Fruit Bellini Mix The peach-based cocktail gets a tropical upgrade with passion fruit. Top with Champagne or Prosecco for a fast (and fancy) brunch drink. TO BUY: $15 for a 12.5-ounce bottle, Williams-Sonoma.

5BEST MARTINI Stirrings Dirty Martini Olive lovers, listen up: Add this intense Spanisholive brine to vodka or gin and vermouth for an extra-savory punch. TO BUY: $5 for a 12-ounce bottle, at supermarkets.

LIKE A VIRGIN— OR NOT

Enjoy these sparkling beverages straight-up or with your spirit of choice.

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6BEST COLA 365 Everyday Value Cola Natural cola flavor and cane sugar offer that familiar soda-pop taste without sodium or high fructose corn syrup— or caffeine, for that matter. Perfect in a classic rum and “Coke.” TO BUY: $3 for six 12-ounce cans, Whole Foods.

7BEST GINGER SODA Williams-Sonoma Spindrift Sparkling Cocktail Mix, Moscow Mule Staffers chose this brew for its intense ginger bite tempered by lime. Mix with vodka for a Moscow Mule or rum for a Dark ’n’ Stormy. TO BUY: $17 for a 25-ounce bottle, Williams-Sonoma.

8BEST CITRUS SODA Whole Foods Market Lemon Italian Soda When you need bubbles, simple syrup, and citrus for sangría or a spritzer, use this 3-in-1 solution. On its own, it’s a brisk thirst-quencher. TO BUY: $3 for a 33.81-ounce bottle, Whole Foods.

9BEST TROPICAL SODA Whole Foods Market Tropical Blend Italian Soda This bubbly blend of mango, passion fruit, and orange can mix with just about any liquor for instant beachy drinks in your own backyard. TO BUY: $3 for a 33.81-ounce bottle, Whole Foods.

BOTTLE SERVICE To see the packaging for these potions, go to realsimple.com/ cocktailmixers.

KITCHEN SKILLS

Things Cooks Know

Simplifying strategies, techniques, and tips— from the Real Simple test kitchen to yours

A BETTER WAY TO SLICE PEPPERS

The clump of seeds and the strips of membrane clinging to the interior of a bell pepper can be tricky to get around. Slice the pepper down the middle and you’ll be chasing seeds and plucking at spongy strips with your fingers. Instead, try this technique.

1. POSITION a knife along the edge of the top of the pepper. Slice down, cutting off the “wall,” avoiding the seeds and slicing off the membrane ribs as you go.

2. REPEAT on the other three sides of the pepper. You’ll have four flat planks. Discard the stem and the core with the seeds and the ribs. Slice off the base.

3. SLICE or dice the pepper planks into strips or chunks.

Written by

Chris Morocco

Illustrations by

Melinda Josie

Not-just-forpepper mill

The same way freshly ground peppercorns add a more potent punch than preground pepper does, any whole spice, freshly ground, will give you bolder flavor than its readyto-shake counterpart. (And there’s this: Whole spices retain their freshness and

How to use gelatin

For most creamy custards, you need to cook a milk and egg base just right—without scrambling the eggs. But gelatin gives you an almost foolproof wobbly finish. It’s a key ingredient in panna cotta (see recipe, page 156), a classic Italian dessert with a silky texture somewhere between mousse and Jell-O. Powdered gelatin, a nearly tasteless protein (it’s made from animal tissue), can turn any liquid into a silky solid. But you have to handle it properly. First, sprinkle the gelatin over cold water so that it can hydrate. (Gelatin needs to be dissolved to set; adding it directly to hot liquid, however, will cause it to clump.) When the gelatin granules soften in the water and the mixture forms a disk, stir the disk into a warm base, like sweetened cream for panna cotta, until it dissolves. This breaks down the protein bonds, which will re-form in the final step, chilling. As the dessert cools, the protein molecules connect again, trapping the liquid in a (very delicious) suspension.

flavor longer, making them a better value.) You don’t need a special spice grinder— just co-opt a pepper mill. Try one of the aromatic combinations below to rub on meats or vegetables before grilling or roasting.

• Fennel seed, red pepper flakes, and pink peppercorns • Caraway seed, dried dill, and smoked salt • Cumin seed, coriander seed, and dried oregano