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burgers and beyond
Once you've figured out when you're going to have your barbecue, it's time to start thinking about what to serve. Burgers, hot dogs, steak and chicken are the obvious and classic choices for grilling, but they're far from the only possibilities for your menu.

For a low-effort but slightly more sophisticated alternative to hot dogs, boil up some good quality bratwurst in a pot of beer, then finish them up on the grill until they're nice and browned all over. If meat's not your thing, try some seafood with shrimp skewers or fish fillets (a fish basket makes the job of flipping the fish on the grill a whole lot easier), or go vegetarian with veggie burgers, colorful veggie kebabs, maybe some grilled portobellos, bell peppers, and eggplant. Looking for something a little more exciting than the same-old same-old American-style grill goodies? Theme out your barbecue menu. Make it a fiesta with tequila-lime chicken; go Caribbean with jerk chicken or pork; invoke a little bit of Italy by grilling up some plump chicken breasts marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and rosemary; make it Moroccan by marinating lamb chunks in a spicy mixture of cumin, coriander, lemon, olive oil, and garlic.

When it comes to planning a grill menu, the possibilities are almost limitless. Keep things simple and traditional or get a little more adventurous with your offerings. One of the best things about grilling is that you can go as upscale or as down-home as you like, which means that cooking-phobes and gourmets alike can find plenty of grilling options.

sides and munchies
Truth be told, side dishes are probably my favorite part of any barbecue experience, even more so than the actual grilled goods themselves. As with any meal planning, I generally let the main dish dictate what accompaniments to serve up. If I'm keeping things strictly all-American with burgers and the like on the grill, I'll keep my side dishes classic too, making up some potato salad along with a simple green salad and some grilled corn. A Mexican/Southwestern-themed cookout, on the other hand, pretty much screams for loads of fresh homemade salsa, guacamole and chips, while jerk chicken pairs perfectly with black bean salad, mango salsa and coconut rice. Teriyaki kebabs, meanwhile, call for more Asian-inspired sides, like sugar snap peas with sesame, cold summer noodles, or spicy napa cole slaw.

Don't forget to provide some light munchies as well, so guests have something to snack on while you're waiting to get the grilling started. No need to get terribly fancy here -- potato chips, pretzels, olives, nuts and the like are perfect as they require no more work from you than dumping them into a serving bowl, thus leaving you with more time to attend to the main meal.

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