Who is ready for some grilling action?

I am such a neat freak that that photo has rendered me speechless.

Make a Raspberry Margarita and go clean your keyboard.

Then let’s fire up the Barbie.

Raspberry Margaritas

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
1 cup brandy-based orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
3/4 cup gold tequila
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
ice cubes

Directions:

1. Place the raspberries, orange liqueur, tequila, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding ice, to desired thickness.

Serves 6

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Mixed Grill Of Shrimp, Cheeseburgers and Assorted Vegetables

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. A good friend’s mother used to make these giant shrimps for us for special meals back when we were in our 20s. The shrimp are marinated in a yummy Asian sauce that is also used to dip the delectable shrimp meat in. It is still one of my tried and true standbys. And full of good memories, to boot.

Hibachi Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 lb large raw shrimp in the shell
1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Place shrimp in bowl with lemon juice, oil, pepper and soy sauce. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare Grill or Hibachi.

3. Lift shrimp from marinade and reserve marinade.

4. Grill shrimp, turning once and brush with some more marinade about 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink.

5. Pour remaining marinade into a saucepan and heat for a few minutes. Dip into a bowl and add green onions.

6. Dip shelled shrimp into sauce.

So Called Calgary Cheeseburgers

I don’t know why the Calgary moniker, but this is a solidly simple and very good recipe for cheeseburgers.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck steak
salt and pepper
4 thick slices cheddar cheese
Hamburger buns
Arugula leaves
Condiments of choice

Directions:

1. Prepare grill.

2. Mix meat with salt and pepper and shape into 4 patties.

3. Grill burgers about 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Two minutes before the end of the cooking time, top each burger with a slice of cheddar and grill until melted.

4. Arrange arugula on bottom of bun, top with a burger and serve with the condiments you like.

Recipe from The Art Of The Hamburger Cookbook

Assorted Grilled Vegetables

These grilled vegetables couldn’t be easier. Choose your favorites and marinate briefly. That’s it.

Some suggested ingredients:

Portobello mushrooms, left whole
Eggplant, sliced
Zucchini, sliced
Green and/or red bell peppers, sliced

Directions:

1. Marinate vegetables for 1/2 hour in prepared Garlic and Herb Salad Dressing, such as this one, made with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

2. Place smaller vegetables in a grill pan so that they do not fall through the grates. Grill vegetables about 10 minutes, turning frequently.

While I am chilling out with a margarita and firing up the grill, some jingle jangle from Beach Fossils will be just the right stuff to listen to.

As covers go, this one is quite good.

“I think of you every day
I just can’t wait to send you plastic flowers
Today I’ll be far away
So I’ll talk to you on the telephone”

Beach Fossils-Plastic Flowers (The Wake Cover)

Check out Beach Fossils on Facebook and this Website, where you can buy the music.

Cheers!