A Perfect Grilled Dinner: Steaks and Sides

Steaks, chicken and shrimp plus stellar sides equals a sublime grilling menu for a special occasion or summer holiday.

Polishing off a full rack of ribs is nothing for my teenage daughter. She's been doing that since she was 10. So for her graduation dinner (graduation from 8th grade in a Catholic school is accompanied by the same fanfare as a small Greek wedding), meat of some kind was a must. In addition to chicken thighs and shrimp tossed in a Chimichurri sauce, we had porterhouse steaks the size of Texas (my husband came home with those, of course), which we also served with a choice of Chimichurri Sauce or Fire-Roasted Corn Salsa. All of it was tossed on the grill with some sweet but spicy Vidalia onions.

Vegetables are really the point of the meal for me, so we also had a dish called Orzo Veggies, which is pretty much what the title says. It was a recipe we received from a 90-year-old reader who got it from her granddaughter. Passing recipes up, I thought, was really sweet and a tradition we should all start—if only young people had recipes to pass up. But I digress.

This orzo dish is the perfect "potluck" dish when you need one. Roasted or grilled zucchini, grape tomatoes and green onions are tossed with cooked orzo, feta cheese and pine nuts. I threw in some goat cheese for good measure. Spoon into your best 13 x 9-inch dish, cover with foil, and bake while you're messing around with the grill. It's the perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or chicken. And for dessert? Frozen lemon yogurt that's so easy to make you won't believe it—simple, delicious and light. The perfect dessert after a top-heavy dinner.

—Jill Melton