1. Infuse Your Oils
Throw a handful of any aromatic—rosemary and orange peel, red pepper, sage, or thyme—into a pan. Add a bottle of olive oil and slowly heat it to extract the flavors. Pour the mixture, herbs and all, back into the bottle.

2. Roast Garlic
Split a head of garlic through its equator, drizzle the halves with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375–degree oven for 30 minutes, then squeeze the garlic flesh from the husks and mash it with a fork.

3. Cook Fish Whole
The only rule: Keep it simple. Make a few vertical cuts across the body. Place a couple of thin lemon slices inside the fish. Stuff a handful of fresh basil, parsley, and thyme into the cavity. Drizzle with olive oil, black pepper, and coarse sea salt before grilling.

4. Make Salsa Verde
Start with any basic green–salsa recipe and add raisins, capers, shallots, garlic, Dijon, and parsley. Salsas are fun to experiment with, so try using green olives, red onions, mint, and basil with lemon and olive oil.

5. Designate a House Cocktail
Save time and make drinks by the pitcher. Here's a recipe for Moscow Mules: three 12–oz bottles of ginger beer, 6 oz lime juice, 6 oz vodka, fresh mint and lime wedges as garnish—the perfect balance of spice and bite.