I love cooking in summer. All I have to do is throw something on the grill, add a simple marinade (or not) and whatever I cook, typically ends up tasting good. And for entertaining, it’s such an effortless and casual way to go. Plus, I like that it usually gets messy, which I think just adds to the fun. I always make sure I have plenty of napkins available.

Charred smoky flavors make my mouth water. To me, there’s nothing better than the smell of grilled food — from steaks to hamburgers to shrimp to chicken to veggetables… and even fruit. That’s why I loved compiling this collection of grilled dishes from Foodie.

From the collection, you’ll see that I’m a big fan of skewers. You can make them beforehand.  Then when the time comes, just put them on the grill and they’re pretty foolproof. Since I’m always looking for ways to dress my skewers  up, I will definitely be trying the tequila shrimp skewers and the Sriracha-glazed chicken skewers.

Plus, I love grilled fruit desserts in summer. That’s why I included in the collection, the grilled peach and vanilla cake trifle and the recipe that I think is actually the most interesting… the chocolate and marshmallow BBQ bananas. You actually cook the marshmallows and chocolate chips inside the banana on the grill. Get out!

I hope this collection makes you as hungry and happy as it does me…