4. PREPARE THE FOOD

Party Countdown: One day before the party

All right, if you're thinking that you're going to need a lot of help with the grilling, we've got you covered with another entire article: "SYW Learn to Barbecue?" It includes info on buying, starting, and cleaning your grill, as well as how to barbecue hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, steak, and veggies.

Here are some more BBQ-ing that are less common but very interesting:

Shish kebabs
S'mores
Fruits

Shish kebabs

Food on a stick - is there anything more fun and simple? If you're planning on shish kebabing often, invest in some reusable stainless steel skewers; otherwise, wooden skewers are decently priced and you can find them in your supermarket. Just be sure to soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using them so they don't catch on fire. Setting your guests ablaze = bad party.

To prepare the kebab:

  1. Cut meat, vegetables, and fruits into one-inch cubes.

  2. Alternately pierce them evenly onto the skewer.

  3. Choose firmly textured meats (no hamburger cubes).

  4. Parboil (that is, boil for a short period of time) vegetables first, to ensure that they're fully cooked in the end.

  5. When you're grilling the kebab, rotate it frequently for even cooking.

S'mores

For a return to the simpler days of yore, why not make a s'more?

  1. Put one or two (no more than that) marshmallows on a skewer (but NOT unfurled wire hangers… you'll burn yourself trying to get the marshmallow off).

  2. Let them hover above the grill and roast until brown.

  3. A word of the obvious: don't hold marshmallows pierced on sticks too close to the grill or they may catch on fire. If that happens, blow out the fire and don't eat the blackened marshmallow - it could be bad for you.

  4. Sandwich toasted marshmallows between graham crackers slathered with chocolate syrup or chocolate bar squares to make s'mores.

Fruits

Fruits like pineapples and bananas are great when heated:

  1. Pierce small chunks of fruit onto a skewer.

  2. Roast over the grill, or wrap them in aluminum foil bags before throwing them on the fire.

  3. And in case you didn't know you had to do this - peel the fruits from their outer layers first!

Desserts

No summer party is complete without the official desserts of summer: watermelon and ice cream. Don't think that you're capable of preparing either without our help:

  • Watermelon. Here's the secret to picking out a good watermelon, as recommended by four out of five grandmothers: go with the heavy ones. The more weight, the more juice. To find out just how heavy a heavy watermelon is supposed to be, pick up two watermelons of equal size (one in each arm) to determine which one weighs more. Compare several watermelons of the same size before making your purchase.

  • Ice cream. Your guests will definitely want ice cream, especially if you forget to buy some. Avoid handing out bowls and spoons by supplying cones and be sure to include several different flavors, as well as some frozen yogurt for the weight conscious. If you've got some money left over on your budget, buy toppings like sprinkles, hot fudge, fresh berries, or chopped nuts to make your guests extra happy.