Midwest Living May/June 2015 Recipes

All you need is a steak, a three-ingredient marinade, a few veggies and tortillas heated right on the grill. Boom. Grilled Steak Fajitas

A fluffy, summery, make-ahead 6-inch dessert with just four ingredients? Sold.Pint-Size Grasshopper Icebox Cake

It's not just a salad-it's a crunchy, juicy, sweet, salty, tart, buttery, nutty potluck dazzler.Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado

Once you have the method down, you can improvise aguas frescas with almost any soft fruit.Any-Fruit Agua Fresca

Our pan-fried tilapia is drizzled with garlic butter and lime juice. We garnished ours with fresh cilantro, fresh parsley and sliced pickled red onion. To quick pickle the onions, combine a sliced red onion with a generous pour of cider vinegar, a spoonful of brown sugar, toasted cumin seeds and a bit of salt. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.Garlicky Fish Tacos

Book club meeting. Mother's Day brunch. A well-deserved raise. Cream cheese frosting is always the answer, especially when it's on a 6-inch cake that's perfectly sized for life's everyday celebrations.Cutie-Pie Carrot Cake

Chipotle peppers and broiled tomatoes make for a bold, smoky challenge to standard salsa.Blackened Tomato Salsa

With two tender layers and almond-kissed buttercream, this 6-inch cake is the stuff birthday memories are made of-just smaller.Wee White Layer Cake

Squashed PB&J? Bad news. But our grown-up sandwich tastes better pressed, making it perfect for tossing in a cooler or beach bag. Pressed Pastrami and Slaw Sandwich

The fastest way to downgrade a margarita (or any drink) isn't cheap tequila; it's bottled lime juice. Dig out that squeezer and pull up your sleeves. It's worth it.Frozen Strawberry-Mango Margarita

Say hello to your new sinfully rich dinner-party standby. (Bonus: It's gluten-free.)Tiny Chocolate Torte with Salted Ganache

The avocado in this piquant puree of lime, cilantro, onion and tomatillos gives the salsa some richness and body.No-Cook Salsa Verde

Crystallized ginger adds unexpected zip to frosty peaches, raspberries and ice cream.Mini Peach Melba Ice Cream Cake

Cumin- and orange-perfumed pulled pork tastes great topped with sliced green onion, jicama and our salsa verde.Slow-Cooker Carnitas TacosNo-Cook Salsa Verde

Our grown-up tuna sandwich tastes better pressed, making it perfect to eat on the go. Pressed Mediterranean Tuna Sandwich

Traditionally, this sweet drink is made by soaking rice (and sometimes blanched almonds, too) overnight in water, then pureeing and straining the mixture. We kept the seductively sweet, authentic taste, but skipped the drawn-out process. Our shortcut version uses purchased rice milk, and we could barely tell it apart from the real deal in side-by-side tests.Horchata

Doctored with onion, chili powder and cocoa, canned sauce becomes a stepping-stone to something deeper.Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Season fork-tender meat with oregano, cinnamon and coriander. Then, for an extra easy-yet-authentic flavor boost, top with cabbage, radish and queso fresco.Beer-Braised Brisket Tacos

This salsa is the zestiest way to get your five a day. For the best results, chop the fruit and vegetables evenly into a 1/4-inch dice.Pineapple-Cucumber Salsa Pico de Gallo

A Mexican standard and guaranteed backyard crowd-pleaser, our brown-sugar sheet cake is soaked in milky syrup, chilled, then topped with whipped cream and berries.Tres Leches Cake

If American cheese has a purpose in life, this kicky, ultracreamy dip is it. Spicy Queso Blanco

Rotisserie chicken, melty cheese or spicy chorizo? Your choice.Pick-a-Filling Tamales