It’s summer. If you’re at Stanford, you’re probably reveling in the lack of homework, the beautiful weather (no more rain!) and the unbelievably awkward on-campus parties. Unfortunately, odds are that you’re also still reveling in Stern Dining. Or perhaps more terrifyingly, you’ve ended up somewhere with your own kitchen, thrown into the dangerous experiment of cooking for yourself for the first time ever. Bummer. On the flip side, this is definitely the best season for eating in Northern California.  So many things are in season and the weather’s perfect for picnicking, grilling and endless outdoor dinners. So here’s a guide to my favorite easy-to-find summer foods around Stanford:

Draeger’s Potato Salad: Potato salad is the quintessential summer food – fluffy, light, impossible to hate. My favorite is the potato salad sold at Draeger’s, a super yuppy grocery store in downtown Menlo Park. This stuff might not be the smartest thing to eat during bikini season, but it’s too good to pass up.  Draeger’s also has awesome chocolate chip cookies (but maybe steer clear of the groceries themselves – they make Whole Foods look bargain basement).

Sprinkles key lime cupcakes: I’m not always super partial to Sprinkles cupcakes; I think the frosting can be way too sweet and tar-like, but their seasonal flavor right now is key lime and it’s addictive. These cupcakes are light, slightly tart and perfect for summer afternoons in the office. Plus, flexible summer schedules are totally conducive to Sprinkles’ amazing daily giveaways. If you “like” the Sprinkles Facebook page, you get access to “secret words” posted each day, which you can whisper at any location for a free cupcake (but hurry – they usually sell out of freebies early in the day!).

Shaved ice from L’Amour: A lot of people associate shaved ice with run-down carnivals; I definitely did before I tried this. Sweetened with condensed milk and topped with fresh fruit, L’Amour soaks its ice with more sophisticated flavored syrups than you’d find at the county fair. Perfect for when the temperature reaches triple digits.

“Fred Steak” from Schaub’s Meats: This is an institution in my family, tri-tip steak coated in a top-secret marinade named for the market’s founder, Fred. Fred Steak has been around for fifty years (Fred himself is sadly no longer with us, though his image lives on in Schaub’s “Fred Steak” t-shirts and aprons), and the exact ingredients are still a mystery – I think it might be some mix of brown sugar, pomegranate and soy sauce but we’ll probably never know.  Anyway, it’s unbelievably yummy. Added bonus: Schaub’s Meats is just around the corner from Sprinkles Cupcakes at the Stanford Shopping Center (now if only they also gave away free steak everyday via secret words on Facebook…)

Anything from a local farmers’ market: Summer is go time for farmers’ markets. So much amazing produce is in season and it’s perfect weather to walk from booth to booth sampling everything. Three pretty great farmers’ markets operate near campus: California Ave. in Palo Alto (Sundays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.), downtown Menlo Park (Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.) and East Palo Alto (Saturdays, 2 p.m.-5 p.m). This one is smaller, but going here supports a really critical community asset). Right now, mission figs, cherries, peaches, heirloom tomatoes and strawberries are all in season.