ood friends, steamy weather and grilled
foods — these are the ingredients of
summer entertaining. It may be 90
degrees in the shade, but who can complain about
the heat when the season is so fleeting? Instead, turn
your back yard into an atmospheric living room, fire
up the grill and throw a July barbecue.
On the menu? Anything that can be grilled
— and you can grill almost anything. When meats
and vegetables are cooked over flame, very little
additional flavor need be added. Try a variation on
the standard ketchup-covered hot dog: Served with
a sweet-and-sour sauce of bell peppers, onions and
tomatoes, the grilled dog is made over as one of Rio
de Janeiro's favorite street foods. And though most
everyone loves a grilled steak at a barbecue, leg of
lamb can be a showstopper, whether served with or
without the bone (it cooks quicker without). Serve it
up with ripe red tomatoes, cool cucumbers and sweet
Michigan corn; rubbed with a little oil and charred
all around, the ears need only a sprinkling of salt to
bring out their sweetness.
Finish off the feast with a dessert as enticing as it
is easy to prepare. Fresh strawberries served over ten-
der biscuits and topped with ice cream or whipped
cream can be prepared in advance and assembled at
the last minute. Great big wedges of juicy water-
melon make for a colorful and refreshing addition to
the table.
When creating an out-of-doors decor, almost
anything goes — even disposable plates become
acceptable. Begin by creating the feeling of a room.
Choose a shady spot in the yard, set up tables and
cover them simply — we used cheery red-check
cloths topped in burlap. Pull out as many vases as
you can find (they need not match) from your home,
fill them with red roses and stems of boxwood or
any branches from your own shrubbery and voila —
easy centerpieces. Create a buffet interspersed with
big ceramic bowls brimming with summer fruits and
vegetables — what are decoration one day become
dinner and dessert the rest of the week. ❑
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Continued on page 18
Opposite page: Decorations for an
outdoor buffet can be as simple as
fresh-cut flowers, colorful linens
and ripe red strawberries — either
sliced or whole and dropped into
pitchers of water and lemonade.
This page, clockwise from top left:
The difference between grilling and
barbecuing: Grill (like this leg of
lamb) by cooking quickly over hot
heat; barbecue by cooking slowly
over lower heat on a covered grill.
Star-shaped bisquits for Strawberry-
Orange Shortcakes can be prepared
in advance and assembled at the
last minute. Cuter than a cooler: Fill
a metal tub or children's pool with
beverage bottles and cans, then
pack in the ice. Popped or grilled:
An antique-style popcorn cart can
he rented from Detroit Popcorn
Co. Summer corn from Michigan is
among the sweetest to be found.