Fire Up the Grill Backyard BBQ

Fired-Up Foods

• Jazz up beverages, both lemonade and margaritas, with frosted-rim glasses. Before filling the glasses, thoroughly chill them in the refrigerator. Rub the rims with the cut side of a lime or lemon, then dip the rims into a shallow dish of granulated or colored sugar.
• Add a smoky flavor and aroma to the ribs or chicken with grilling wood chips (available where grill accessories are sold). Soak a handful or less of chips in water for about 15 minutes. Add to the grill a few minutes before putting on the meat. The chips will give off smoke as they burn, infusing the ribs or chicken with a smoky flavor and aroma.

For a special Father's Day gift, purchase a grilling apron (in Dad's favorite color!), and have all the kids trace their hands on it with fabric paints. Write the child's name and age next to or inside each handprint. Every year when Dad takes out the apron, he can see how much the kids have grown by comparing the size of their hands to the handprints!

Fourth of July

For table decorations and party favors, create rockets from paper towel tubes. Make points for the rockets with construction paper, and staple them to one end of the tubes. You can fill the tubes with wrapped candy. Then glue construction or wrapping paper over the ends to seal. Glue colorful paper shreds (available where gift wrap is sold) on the paper-covered ends to look like flames.