Barbecue time!

Why is it that the hotter it gets outside, the more people want to cook outside . . . as in barbecue? I don't know but there is certainly an excitement of hearing meat hit the grill and taking in the scent of your dinner cooking in the open air. I'm hoping we can do something like that this weekend.

I've discovered that the best way to insure the grilled meat comes out roasted on the outside but still juicy on the inside is to plan ahead and marinate for two to four hours. Marinating used to scare me as what do I mix together. Turns out that it is very easy and the answer is on the salad dressing shelf at your grocery store.

I like using bottled Italian dressing for chicken, however, there are so many variations of basic Italian dressing, you can work your grilling magic in a number of way. I just put my chicken and enough dressing to soak and coat the meat in a ziplock bag. I put it into a bowl just in case the bag might leak and don't ask me how I know that! When you are ready to grill, drain the meat, discard the marinade, pat off the chicken a bit, and cook. If you aren't in the mood for grilling, this works fine under the broiler or sauted in the frying pan on the stove.

Hamburgers don't have to be dressed up on the outside alone. We like Greek burgers which means we add Feta cheese to the ground beef mix. Thinly-slice cucumbers drenched in an Italian or Greek-style dressing really works on the hamburger once it is ready to serve.

I blended together some fresh (previously frozen!) cranberries with Basil and butter for an interesting spread on the hamburger bun before adding the cooked hamburger. It was especially good with a few, crisp onion rings or just grilled onions.

Steak, when it is on sale, tastes best with grilling and lots of pepper and some salt. I have made a garlic butter and put a pat of that on just before serving and haven't gotten any complaints about that. You just saute some peeled cloves of garlic in a bit of vegetable oil until softened. Blend them with enough butter to serve your group and that's it!