Tired of PB and J? Had it up to here with ham and cheese? In honor of back-to-school season, we revisit and remix the lunchbox, with sandwiches that surprise, but don't require you to break a sweat.

Melissa Clark leads us in our journey. The author of "In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite: 150 Recipes and Stories About the Food You Love," she also shares her mother's sandwich theory of life.  (Recipes after the jump)

On a day where the temperature hits 95 degrees, the last thing most people want to do is cook dinner. But the summer’s long, takeout gets expensive and there are only so many salads one can eat before boredom sits in. So today, New York Times food writer Melissa Clark brings us a whole host of new, exciting, delicious and EASY summer recipes – leafy green salads not included. The best part? None of them require you to turn on the oven.

Share your favorite cold recipes for a hot day and show us what you've made!  Upload your pictures to our Facebook page.

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.)

For this week’s food segment, we host an all-new Takeaway cooking smackdown.

On the menu: Barbecue sauce.

On the mat: Chef Rossi (of the Raging Skillet and Bust Magazine, as well as star of WOMR’s "Bite This") and Cathy Erway (blogger behind noteatingoutinny.com, author of "The Art of Eating In", and host of Heritage Radio Network’s "Let's Eat In").

On everyone’s minds: How will Cathy Erway’s history as a BBQ judge influence her sauce making? Will Chef Rossi’s reputation as “New York’s Wildest Caterer” be evident in her BBQ sauce? What secret ingredients will each of them be bringing to the table? And whose sauce will win The Takeaway’s crown? Recipes after the jump.

According to the White House, 23.5 million Americans currently live in what are known as 'food deserts.' Food deserts are essentially nutritional wastelands that lack reasonable, affordable access to grocery stores. They exist primarily in urban and rural areas of the country, but can be found just about anywhere. And the people who live in them, more often than not, are forced to stock their cupboards with food from the convenience store, or even the drug store.

Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” anti-childhood obesity initiative has set the goal of eliminating all America’s food deserts in the next seven years. But if you’re living in a food desert, you might be wondering what you’re supposed to do until then to stay healthy and eat right.

Janine Whiteson, author of “Cooking Light: What to Eat,” has some ideas. She's a nutritionist who’s visited convenience stores and drug stores in some of New York’s poorest neighborhoods, and she’s found that it’s actually possible to eat healthily in a food desert if you have some practical guidelines.

It’s Cinco de Mayo, and The Takeaway wants to go beyond beer and tortilla chips to talk about what should really be on your plate if you’re celebrating tonight. Helping us with the task are Jesse Vendley and Peter Oleyer. Along with Jesse's brothers Brian and Dave, they are the co-owners of Calexico, one of the east coast's most famous food carts and winner of the 2008 New York Vendy Award.

See Jesse and Peter's tasty and simple Cinco de Mayo menu. Try out the recipes and send us a photo of the result on our Facebook page!

25 years ago, Coke switched its famous secret recipe to "New Coke." The change caused Coke fans everywhere to break out in hysteria until the soft-drink company brought back Classic-Coke a few months later. We look at how Coke has managed to keep its fans so devoted to its secret recipe over the years. We also take a look at why America’s great secret recipes remain compelling from one generation to the next.

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.

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!

While its connection to St. Patrick is tenuous, at best, fans of the the Shamrock Shake herald its annual return with glee (and green food dye). Can't find any near you? Learn how to make your own!

On Valentines Day, romance usually starts once the food is on the table. Couples will go out to a special restaurant and gaze into each others' eyes over someone else's cooking. But what about bringing the romance into the kitchen?

That's what Pat and Gina Neely do everyday. They're high school sweethearts, restaurant owners, and co-hosts of the Food Network show "Down Home with the Neelys." 

Tired of serving your Super Bowl guests potato chips and lite beer? We speak to two Miami-based celebrity chefs to rescue you and your party with some regionally inspired food. Jonathan Wright, who specializes in New Orleans food and serves as executive chef of The Setai, gives us the taste of the Saints. And Michael Schwartz, who specializes in gourmet rustic food and heads Michael's Genuine Food and Drink, shares two of his Miami-inspired recipes. And of course, we also mull over our favorite Indiana foods for Colts fans out there.

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is cracking down on salt in city restaurants. But is salt really that bad for us? In this week's food segment, Marion Nestle, author of "Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety," explains the science and politics of salt. And Melissa Clark, food writer for the New York Times, compares her low-sodium homemade breakfast offerings to those sold at fast food restaurants.

In this week's food segment, we celebrate Elvis Presley's 75th birthday with a conversation about his favorite foods, southern cooking traditions, and personal memories of the King himself from Judy Peiser, executive director of the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis. (click through for recipes for Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches and Banana Pudding)

Every Wednesday we talk about food. In honor of everyone throwing a holiday party this year, we asked Ed Levine, founder of seriouseats.com, to give us some strategies for making affordable, easy finger food recipes for holiday parties. 

Check out Ed Levine's Top 5 Holiday Party Planning Tips and his favorite recipes.

Hanukkah begins Friday. For this week's food segment, New York Times food writer Joan Nathan guides us on how to make Jewish food if you're new to the family and come from a different religious background.

Check out Nathan's recipes for Sweet Potato Latkes, Apple Cider Doughnuts and other Hanukkah dishes.

The holidays are upon us.  If your friends or family love food as much as we do, you might want to consider some really cool gift options that everyone will want to eat up.  Takeaway food contributor Kathy Gunst says there are plenty of reasonably priced kitchen gadgets and ways to spice up your friend's relationship to food, without breaking the bank this holiday season.

Click through to read Kathy's great gift ideas, and check out the recipe for her sister Andrea's Chocolate-Dipped Butter Crunch (which also makes a great homemade holiday gift!)

For every Thanksgiving Day grocery shopper procrastinator who hasn't picked up the essentials, Melissa Clark, our food contributor and food writer for The New York Times, offers us wisdom. Where can you best put your money to work for you at the Thanksgiving table? The turkey or the side dishes? (click through for Melissa's tips and her recipe for Spicy Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Hash)

It's six o'clock and the dinner bell is tolling, but your refrigerator is filled with nothing but the detritus of dinners past. Fear not! The Takeaway is here with food writer Cecilia Hae Jin-Lee, author of the forthcoming book “Quick and Easy Korean Cooking.” She gives us international ideas for turning leftovers into gourmet fare.

If you've got old tortillas, leftover rice or stale bread, click through for Cecilia Hae Jin-Lee's recipes for Turkey Chilaquiles, Kimchi Fried Rice and Chocolate Bread Pudding.

Oh, okra! Whether used in gumbo or succotash, the little vegetable is either loved or hated. Jessica Harris, food and cultural historian, joins us with a look at the history and lore of okra, which first arrived in the United States in the 17th century and has graced the plates of Southerners and African American families ever since. She also gives us three recipes to try and convert even the most stalwart okra hater.

Click through for Jessica Harris' okra recipes