TASTElist

Christopher Longoria of restaurant 1760 in San Francisco devised this beautifully colored, wonderfully aromatic cocktail to highlight mezcal in a way that smooths out its rustic edges. It’s bright and sophisticated, not to mention wickedly strong. What to buy: You’ll need a bottle of Hangar 1 Kaffir Lime Vodka and a moderately smoky mezcal, such as Del Maguey’s Vida. Special equipment: A wooden muddler is best for crushing the basil, and a four-prong bar strainer is a handy tool.

S’mores are a campfire classic, but even classics get boring. With canned cherries, a box of Bisquick, and a crackling fire, you can have cobbler in 40 minutes. Serve with Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream or, if you’re more or less roughing it, a spritz of whip from the can. Special equipment: You’ll need a heavy, 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven (with a lid) that you don’t mind setting directly over the embers.

Add a strip of bacon to your s’more to kick it up a notch and make your fellow campers jealous. Other variations include using dark chocolate instead of milk, sprinkling toasted coconut, sea salt … the possibilities are endless for these campfire treats.

Think baking a cake is impossible while camping? Think again. With this recipe you don’t even need cake pans—each cake is baked individually in an orange, infusing the chocolate with citrus flavor. So grab your cake batter and tinfoil and start baking!

Picture this: You’re camping, you’ve hiked, pitched your tent, and had dinner, and now it’s time for dessert, only you’re not in the mood for s’mores. We recommend campfire strawberry shortcake—all you need is Bisquick mix, a couple of pie tins, and some strawberries and whipped cream to pile on top. Game plan: If you’re homebound, bake the shortcake in a 425°F oven until done, about 10 to 12 minutes. You can also try Crème Fraîche Whipped Cream instead of standard whip.

Mexican mole sauce can be intimidating. There’s chocolate, chiles, and spices. It’s rich, full of flavor, and not too sweet, despite the chocolate. And it’s typically a labor-intensive process. But this recipe, based on Martha Stewart’s, takes little effort, thanks to the slow cooker. With an entire can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, along with ancho chiles and almonds, this mole is nicely spicy without being overbearing.

CHOW photographer Chris Rochelle reached out to Chowhounds for ways to transform store-bought pizza dough into great dishes other than pizza, and Chowhounds came through: Check outthese Italian-style donuts.

Everybody likes lasagna, so it’s great to serve at a party or bring to a potluck. These individual lasagna roll-ups solve the problem of messing around with a spatula to hoist servings out of a baking dish. Instead of layering the ingredients en masse, you simply layer pasta strips with spinach and cheese, roll them up cinnamon bun–style, and cover with sauce. They’re easy to make, and it’s a great activity to do with the kids.

What do you get when you incorporate fresh strawberries into the tomato sauce for an otherwise classic margarita pizza recipe? A strawberita, of course. The berries are a surprising addition—they give the sauce a bright, fruity quality that tastes right at home on a pizza crust, and it’s a great way to make the best of unripe strawberries out of season.

This salsa is a classic with a twist of sweetness thanks to mango. It’s an easy, go-to recipe that’s perfect for a party, or as an afternoon snack staple—try it with our easy crab cake recipe. This salsa is a little on the hot side, so don’t be shy about adjusting accordingly. Happy chip dipping and taco topping!

Trick Dog is a bar in the Mission District of San Francisco that’s known for its expertly crafted cocktails. The Lombard Street cocktail was named after one of the city’s most famous, and windiest, landmarks. The smokiness of the mezcal, paired with the sweet and sour flavors of the pineapple syrup, sherry, and lime juice, makes this a well-balanced drink that’ll give you a much-needed taste of the tropics on a chilly evening.

Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, the waffles for this bacon, cheese, and fried egg breakfast sandwich are a cool transformation of ramen noodles. Just boil the noodles, drain, and incorporate them into a straight-up waffle batter (chicken flavoring packet added for a savory boost).