This Fourth of July weekend, a lot of us will be eating hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and hamburgers. But when we’re done feasting on the char-broiled delicacies that have come to represent our nation’s independence, how should we finish it all off?

Bill Yosses has some suggestions. He’s the official White House Pastry Chef, and author, along with Melissa Clark, of a new cookbook called “The Perfect Finish.” Chef Yosses joins us live from the White House, where he gives us the scoop on everything from what he serves official visitors to the first family's favorite sweets.

Below, Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark's red, white and blue berry buttermilk bundt cake with orange glaze.

It's summer time, and what better time to enjoy a fruit pie or the triumph of culinary competition? We're doing both in The Takeaway's summer fruit pie smackdown.

Melissa Clark from the New York Times is ready to rumble with her sour cherry pie. And Deb Perelman of smittenkitchen.com brings her own strawberry rhubarb pie to the competition.

Serving as the judge is Emily Elsen, third-generation pie maker, featured chef on the Cooking Channel's Unique Eats, and owner (along with her sister Melissa Elsen) of Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Shop in Brooklyn, NY.  (recipes after the jump.)

There's an overabundance of strawberries across the country, and rock-bottom prices to match. Why? And what should we do with all of them?

Janet Keeler, food and travel editor of the St. Petersberg Times explains where all these strawberries came from, and shares recipes for making the most of them. And Lauren Der, 2009 Strawberry Queen of Plant City, Fla., shares stories from America's strawberry capitol.

The first Pillsbury Bakeoff took place in 1949 with amateur cooks from around the country competing for top honors and $50,000 (the equivalent of roughly $400,000 in today's dollars - not bad!).

In the decades since, the take-home for the winner has gotten bigger and bigger. This year’s grand prize winner, who will be crowned on Monday, April 12, will receive one million dollars, as well as kitchen appliances and a shout-out from Oprah Winfrey.

Today, we take our inspiration from the Girl Scouts. Across much of the country, Girl Scout cookie selling (and for some, eating) season is winding down. And if you’re like us, that means you’ve stockpiled boxes and boxes of Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, and Samoas.

Watch a video of the girl scout cookie smackdown!

As the weather starts to cool, but summer's harvest is still available, New York Times food writer Melissa Clark has been inspired to bake. But she hasn't been baking sweets — there are a lot of savory items on her fall menu. She joins us with lots of ideas for using the last of the summer tomatoes and the best of the fall harvest.

Click through to read the recipes mentioned this morning, and read Melissa's article, Ripe for Autumn's Hearth, in today's New York Times.