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Ideas for Grilling - Dessert Included!

There’s not much argument that burgers and hotdogs taste better when fresh off the grill, but with summer fast approaching it’s time to think outside the bun in order to grill more often. Grilling outside brings people together and takes the heat out of the kitchen.

There’s no use heating up the oven or the stove and being stuck inside with other parts of the meal. So, why not let your grill prepare the entire meal? Here are some ideas to get you started.

Ideas for Grilling

If you’ve got a dirty grill and no grill brush, a wadded up piece of aluminum foil will remove the mess.

Make sure your coals are red hot before spreading them out, it’s really hard to do afterwards.

Raw vegetables, like a variety of summer squashes, taste great grilled. Brush on some olive oil and/or your favorite seasoning then stick them on the grill for a few minutes on each side for colorful roasted veggies. They can be skewered, tossed in a special grilling veggie pan or wrapped in tin foil. Raw vegetables can also be marinated ahead of time to make them extra juicy, marinades with a squeeze of citrus help bring out more flavor.

Thin slices of marinated meats work great to weave in and out of thin wooden skewers. Just beware that the ends of wooden skewers will probably turn black and drop off.

Try plain chicken tenders on skewers and then dip them into a quick homemade peanut sauce after grilling to please both kids and adults.

Casseroles can be placed in tin foil packets and placed on the grill. Seafood is good choice for the protein here as it cooks quickly.

Grilled corn on the cob takes a little more time, but is well worth the wait. Leave the ears in their husks and soak them before grilling. Dip them again into the water bucket a few times during cooking to keep the steaming process going. Cook these before the rest of the meal as they will remain warm in their husks if you need grill space to complete the meal.

No list of ideas for grilling would be complete without dessert. That’s right, even desserts are good on the grill!

Try this Pineapple Upside-down Cake for a change if you’re tiring of S’mores.

They are so simple to assemble, just follow the instructions below to make as many little cakes as desired.

Take a square of tin foil and place a pat of butter (about 1 Tbs) in the center add about 2 Tbs of brown sugar on top and then a slice of pineapple. Put a maraschino cherry in the pineapple hole and then place a slice of pound cake on top (we used a slice of pudding cake left over from breakfast, you could also use a pre-made shortcake bun). Seal the tin foil into a tight packet. These are fun to place on the grill after you’ve taken your dinner off so they can bake while you’re eating and then be ready to enjoy. Cook the packets with the crimped side up for about 10-12 minutes on a hot grill.

Carefully flip the packets onto a plate and cut open the top of the tin foil to enjoy the upside down effect. Be careful though, the melted sugar is very hot and can burn if touched.

Ideas for Grilling

Additional Info

Also see picnic foods for safety tips and ideas for different picnic foods.

We mentioned grilling corn in our list of ideas for grilling, for cooking times and more details about corn on the cob, see our corn cooking times page.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.