Grilled watermelon.Grilled watermelon, who knew? These easy grilling ideas will be unexpected hits at your summer barbecues.

1. Watermelon: Heat, smoke, and a hint of salt make this sweet fruit unexpectedly savory, even meaty. Grilling "sobers it up and makes it lose its sloppy sweetness," writes Mark Bittman in the New York Times; he brushes 1-inch-thick slices with olive oil, minced onion, salt, and pepper, then grills them for about 5 minutes per side until caramelized and beginning to dry out. Serve as a side, or top Bittman-style: with melted cheese and a bun for a "watermelon burger."

2. Romaine lettuce: The greens take the heat surprisingly well-and grilling them creates a smoky flavor that's perfect for a substantial salad, like this one from Food Network's Alton Brown: Slice two heads of romaine lengthwise, then brush cut sides with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the lettuce halves cut-side down on a grill; cook over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and

Sour cherries are coming in to season.By Martha Rose Shulman

If you were a bird that followed cherries from state to state you could spend May and early June in California, June into July in the Pacific Northwest and July into August in the Midwest. You'd never be hungry.

The best cherries for baking into pies and strudels are sour cherries, also known as pie cherries. Most of the commercial production in the United States is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. When I was 19, I worked for a summer with migrant farm workers in Central Michigan. One day toward the middle of August, many of the people I'd gotten to know disappeared for a week "to go work in the cherries."

Related: Make brandied cherries like Chez Panisse.

One family, with whom I'd been learning to cook Mexican food, brought me a few heavy bags full of small bright red Montmorency cherries when they came back. I can't remember what I did with them then, but if they'd brought me those cherries today I'd have made this cherry strudel.

When it comes to BBQ, Bobby Flay is an expert. A critically-acclaimed chef/restaurateur, award-winning cookbook author and television personality, Flay has opened a number of restaurants centered around grilling, including Mesa Grill and Bobby Flay Steak.

Watch world renowned chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay on why you shouldn't let grilling intimidate you:

Professional chef Brooke Parkhurst has developed a few tricks and shortcuts to make your kitchen life much easier. Let her help you transform your leftovers into a number of magically delightful meals.

• Juicing Benefits You May Not Know About
• Risk Factors For Heart Disease
• Picky Eaters: What You May Not Know
• Bottled Water And The Effects On The Environment

Can We Really Trust Leftovers?Are you in the habit of chucking leftovers? Don't do that! Check out this collection of ideas for leftover chicken and these smart recipes for dinner today and lunch tomorrow!

By Chef Meg Galvin, Healthy Cooking Expert at SparkPeople.com

The boys just finished school, and we've been spending weekends at my family farm in central Kentucky, picking strawberries. Last weekend, the boys and their cousins helped me by picking all the bad berries (one bad berry will spoil the bunch!), then having a strawberry fight in the garden. You've never seen something so funny!

I spent the whole next day making strawberry compote, which is like a whole berry jam. (Sorry, no recipe for that one yet!) We've been eating berries morning, noon and night. Are you, too?

Since I've been so busy in the strawberry patch, I really haven't had any time to create new recipes using the harvest. But I have been turning to plenty of old favorites. I thought I'd share some of those with you today. Here are some of my best strawberry recipes:

Chef Meg's Creamy Grilled Strawberry Sandwich

Chef Meg's Spinach-Berry Salad

Strawberry Muffins (Chef Meg Approved)

It's another addition to our catalog of the best places to have a drink in America. As always, the project is guided by David Wondrich: Esquire's drinks correspondent, the world's foremost cocktail historian, and the best drinking partner anyone has ever had. So, here's the list.

Quick and healthy dinner ideas aren't always easy to come by. But one of the best things about summer is that making fast, healthy dinners gets a whole lot easier. From fresh produce like tomatoes, watermelon, greens, and summer squash to cookout classics like burgers and corn, summer presents a host of mouth-watering ingredients that need only a few minutes of preparation and cooking, or none at all. That gives you more time to go for a sunset stroll or sit on the porch drinking shandies. Below the jump, 8 of our favorite quick summer meals that you can have ready to go in 20 minutes or less!



Dip It!1. Dip It!
Make dinner fun by laying out a spread of fun dippables. Start with a couple of proteins like hummus, white bean dip, or chèvre, then add toasted pita triangles and lots of healthy veggies like sweet peppers, summer squash, or carrots sticks. Kids will love the break from routine, and you'll love that you don't need to turn on the oven!



Make Healthy Pinto Bean Dip

Ingredients:
1 can