I got an email from a reader named Julia that read, “Dear Emily, I am going away on vacation next week and I have a fantasy that my relaxation will include not being asked ‘What are we doing for dinner?’ every night. So I have a fantasy that I will meal-plan the week.” Julia, I feel you. I too don’t want to shop, cook and, most crucially, think about shopping and cooking during my vacation.

I am a New Yorker who lives in a fourth-floor apartment. To me, food cooked on a grill is summer exotica; that same meal eaten outdoors constitutes true bliss. That’s vacation food, along with clams if you can get them, and fresh tomatoes and corn. But the vibe is more important than the ingredients: Post-beach (or post-lake, or post-pool) meals should be the laziest of endeavors, done barefoot and loose, maybe still in your bathing suit and over by dusk.

The recipes this week are all good for vacation cooking one way or another: heavy on the grill and light on other equipment; minimal chopping; easy to scale up or make ahead. And it’s not dinner, but one last thought: One of my colleagues, the esteemed reporter Kate Zernike, pointed out that the crisp is the perfect rental-house dessert. So true. It’s easy, you can use any fruit, and there are always a few relevant spices kicking around.

Ideas? Feedback? I’m dearemily@nytimes.com, and I read every email you send to me.

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