Friends + Food = Fun

Folsom moms and co-authors of Cooking Club, Dina Guillen and Michelle Lowrey love sharing ways to create fabulous get-togethers with friends. To help you fully savor this last month of summer, here are a few of Dina and Michelle’s Tips for a Successful Grilling Party, from their “Dames with Flames” chapter (“The Grill of Victory, the Agony of the Heat!”). And try their recipe for Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Wine Coolers (from the same chapter). Happy grilling!

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL GRILLING PARTY

• Keep plenty of cold drinks on ice. Chill beverages in a hurry by filling a large, decorative metal tub or other watertight container with bottles of wine and other beverages. Then add a layer of ice, followed by a layer of rock salt; repeat until you almost reach the top. Fill the bucket with cold water just below the ice line. Your drinks will be ice-cold in under 10 minutes.

• Fill clear plastic squirt bottles with ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, and so on. Your condiments will look much better this way, and the presentation brings uniformity to the table.

• Put some of your own secret marinade or barbecue sauce (or your favorite store-bought brand) into small plastic squeeze bottles. Wrap them in butcher paper and tie with a string of raffia ribbon, and give them to your guests as party favors.

MEYER LEMONADE AND STRAWBERRY WINE COOLERS

Meyers taste somewhat like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. This recipe came about from an afternoon experimenting with flavors. When Dina serves it to her son and his friends, she leaves out the wine and doubles the water, transforming it from a wine cooler to a delicious strawberry lemonade. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, you can substitute regular lemons.

Makes 8 servings

2 cups fresh ripe strawberries, trimmed and cut in half, plus 8 attractive whole strawberries for garnish
¼ cup plus 1¼ cups freshly squeezed Meyer (or regular) lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
1 cup superfine sugar
1½ cups water
1½ cups white wine, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc

Puree the strawberries with the ¼ cup of lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher and discard the seeds. Add the remaining lemon juice, the sugar, water, and wine to the pitcher and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Adjust sugar to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve over ice.

Reprinted with permission from Cooking Club, Great Ideas & Delicious Recipes for Fabulous Get-Togethers by Dina Guillen and Michele Lowrey (Sasquatch Books 2009).