Finally it’s warming up here in upstate NY and after much anticipation, last weekend I fired up my grill for the first party of the season. I felt like a kid in a candy shop when it came to planning the menu. Its been months since my grill was last in action and truthfully I had a hankering for just about everything I have ever grilled.
I finally decided on my Island Dream Chicken (click for recipe) with grilled asparagus and a fruity homemade sangria. The great thing about this meal is that all of the prep work is done BEFORE your guests arrive. I can’t tell you how many parties I have attended that the host/hostess spends the entire time alone in the kitchen preparing the meal. I mean seriously how much fun is that (for anyone really)!! This is a great meal for a crowd because it can be made in stages – so its not so overwhelming to make everything at once. The chicken sits in the Island Dream marinade for 24 hours. The sangria can be made the morning of the party (this way the flavor of the sangria has time to infuse into the fruit – YUM!) and the asparagus is simply tossed with olive oil and kosher salt. Now, the only task left to do after your company arrives is relax…have fun and grill!!
