When I was growing up, Memorial Day was always the unofficial start of summer. It was the signal that school was going to end soon and that the outdoor months were upon us.

The small Long Island town of my childhood had a parade that was led by our proud veterans and included the girl scouts, boy scouts, brownies, little leaguers, local high school bands, and fire departments. The parade passed in front of our house. The memorial and greenspace were diagonally across the street.

It seemed that our whole family participated in the parade, either by marching, or by decorating our bicycles with red, white, and blue streamers woven in the spokes and riding along the parade route. It was a happy day, a true celebration of all the citizens of our town, young and old.

It was also our family’s first BBQ of the season. Something magical happens to food that is cooked outdoors. It seems more delicious and more satisfying than any regular meal. Grilled hamburgers and frankfurters, macaroni and potato salad, and my mother’s homemade baked beans were always on those early menus. We ate watermelon and toasted marshmallows for dessert.

Now that I’m an adult, I’m finding that I’m placing more of an emphasis on healthy eating, particularly this year as many of us are still taking off those extra pandemic pounds. Still, even with that, there’s nothing inviting some friends over and having them walk into the backyard with the smell of dinner being cooked outdoors on a warm summer’s evening.

On a recent warm evening, we decided to take the winter wraps off of the grill early, before Memorial Day, to give it a test run. Our menu included, from the grill, teriyaki-marinated London broil, chicken breast with raspberry sauce, and grilled squash ribbons with asparagus. We also grilled some cauliflower and some pineapple that we served with poached pears and blackberries with raspberry sauce for dessert.

We rounded out the meal with a pasta salad and a green salad, both brought by guests.

Here are a few tips and suggestions for timing the cooking for your next outdoor grill party.

1. Start early. I began preparations with my morning coffee to make everything easier later in the day.

2. Marinate and poach the meat. I began marinating the London broil. And I poached the chicken breasts for 20 minutes and let them cool. Marinating the beef and poaching the chicken not only makes them more flavorful, it also helps the meat retain moisture when grilling, and, in the case of the chicken, helps ensure that the middle is cooked through while the outside is getting charred.

3. Prep dessert early in the day as well. I trimmed and cut up a pineapple and put the pieces on a grill pan sprayed with olive oil. The sugar in the fruit caramelizes and deepens the flavor. Then, I peeled and quartered the pears, and poached them in a mixture of pineapple juice, lemon juice, and water to cover. On some dessert plates, I divided the grilled pineapple, topped them with some poached pears, and some blackberries. I then added the raspberries to the poaching water, along with a tablespoon of brown sugar and let it simmer on the stove while I prepped the other dishes. When it came time for dessert, I just had to warm up the sauce, drizzle it over the fruit, and garnish it with mint leaves.

4. If that dessert feels like too much work, go with an alternative. Here’s a suggestion: Patriotic Berries. Alternate strawberries and blueberries with whipped cream in a fancy glass to get the red, white, and blue effect. My mother-in-law would make it every year when we visited her at her summer home in Sparta, New Jersey, and it’s perfect for holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July, too.

5. Figure out what else you can prepare before guests arrive. If you’re going to serve raspberry sauce with the chicken, make that early in the day as well, so you don’t have to fuss with it while you’re grilling the meat.

6. Ask your guests to bring side dishes. People usually love to share their favorite pasta salad or green salad, and both work well at a cookout.

7. Cook the veggies first, before the meat, and keep them warm in the oven while you finish off the meat. As dinner time approached, I re-sprayed the grill pan with olive oil, and placed cauliflower steaks—florets cut into chunks with one flat side—onto the oiled pan. While they were browning, I sliced up some zucchini and summer squash into ribbons, and put them into bowls with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and ground pepper, along with some asparagus spears. After turning the cauliflower to make sure it would get crisped and browned on all sides, I took the cauliflower off the grill. I then re-sprayed the grill pan with olive oil and briefly grilled the vegetables ribbons. I cooked them just long enough to give them a nice char, and then I put the grilled veggies in an oven-safe dish, covered it with some foil, and popped it in a 250 degree oven to keep them warm.

For this particular meal, I finished off the cauliflower with chopped and sautéed garlic and shallots, ½ cup of raisins, some steamed spinach, with some balsamic vinegar. I then topped that with some blue cheese crumbles and almonds.

We then grilled the meat, waiting to start the chicken after the beef was cooked on one side and turned, and set everything out next to the pasta salad and green salad our friends brought.

We all served ourselves and sat together and enjoyed the meal.

During the past years, one of the things I’ve missed the most is entertaining and gathering with friends. Sure, I did a lot of cooking, but there’s nothing like sharing a meal with people you care about.

The fellowship of eating together and sharing food creates memories that define our lives and relationships. I am so grateful to be able to spend time safely with friends again. Cooking outdoors makes the food taste even better and the occasion even more festive. That’s part of the magic.

Clinton resident Liz Egan is president of the Clinton Art Society as well as a contributor to The Source.

Grilled Chicken with Raspberry Sauce

Adapted from a recipe from Your Lighter Side

yourlighterside.com/

grilled-chicken-with-raspberry-sauce

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless organic chicken

breasts

2 tsp organic sea salt

2 tsp milled black pepper

1 tbsp garlic powder

2 cups fresh raspberries

¼ cup sugar

6 tbsp lemon juice, divided

Directions

Place chicken in a large stockpot and cover with water. Add sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and three tablespoons of lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Refrigerate if grilling later.

To make sauce, combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan; mash all the ingredients together; and bring to a simmer over medium heat for about seven minutes. Reduce heat and continue to simmer until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, and strain out seeds, leaving thick liquid.

When ready to serve, heat raspberry sauce over low heat until just warmed through.

Grill chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Serve chicken with a drizzle of raspberry sauce.

Grilled Marinated London Broil

Adapted from a recipe from Delish Delites

www.delishdlites.com

Ingredients:

2 pounds London broil

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon honey

5 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix the red wine, balsamic, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, and garlic in a gallon-sized, zip-top plastic bag. Thoroughly combine the ingredients, then add the steak into the bag. Seal the bag and make sure the steak is covered with the marinade. Marinate the steak for at least six hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

When you’re ready to cook the steak, remove it from the bag and season it with salt and pepper. Sear the steak for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

Remove the steak from the grill and place it on a plate. Cover the plate with aluminum foil and allow the steak to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Slice the steak against the grain to serve.