Here is a potentially hot take from someone whose job it is to tell you exactly how long toroast a chicken: I think the best recipes are the ones that read likeMadLibs. Yes, cooking method guidelines and timing suggestions are important, but in the ingredient department, nothing beats some wiggle room. Instead of a hard-and-fast list that sends me to the grocery store, I want an any-fruitgalette, emphasis on theany, or a side ofgrilled vegetablesfeaturing whatever I already have. Recipes that bend to accommodate my fridge, pantry, and preferences are king, and space to riff inevitably turns me into a repeat visitor as well—I’ll come back again and again to try a new permutation once I’ve got the formula down. Sue me: I love to customize! And that is why the Any Way Ice Cream Icebox Cake is my song of the summer.
Icebox cakesare traditionally made with just two ingredients—whipped cream and wafer cookies, layered together either into a freestanding mound or inside a lined pan. While you go about your day, the freezer takes care of the hard work, transforming the cookies from crunchy to soft and cake-like and the whipped cream into a firm, sliceable spread. At go-time (in as little as a few hours, but it’s best the next day), it’s cool, creamy, and almost too delightful given how criminally easy it was to make. I rely on icebox cakes all summer long when I need something to bring to a party but can’t bear to turn on my oven, or if I’m having people over but would ratherhelm the grillthan worry about dessert. They’re set-it-and-forget-it crowd-pleasers, which is a combination made in summer hosting heaven.
