Get 11 ideas for putting together your own backyard cooking center without the cost of constructing an outdoor kitchen from This Old House.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 tbs. vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup spice rub
• 1 can (12 oz.) beer

1. Rub oil all over chicken. Sprinkle half the spice rub in cavity, the rest over bird.
2. Drink half of beer.
3. Lower chicken cavity onto beer can (if using roaster, empty beer into cone; fit chicken cavity over top of cone).
4. Heat gas grill to medium, or burn coals till covered with ash.
5. Place chicken on grill and cover. Cook till thermometer reads 170 degrees F in breast, 180 in thigh.
6. Remove from heat. Let rest 10 minutes before lifting it off can. Dig in!

If you need a great beer can chicken roaster, you can find them for $30 at Williams Sonoma

Sauce Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapenos, slices
• 2 teaspoons jalapeno juice, from minced jalepenos
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash salt

Quesadillas Ingredients

• 4 flour tortillas
• 4 chicken tenderloins
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 slices process American cheese

Directions

1. Combine sauce ingredients and stir until smooth.
2. Grill chicken in vegetable oil and cut into thin slices.
3. Preheat skillet over medium heat.
4. One at a time, lay tortilla into hot skillet and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of each shredded cheese and 1/2 cheese slice on one side of the tortilla.
5. Arrange about 1/4 cup chicken slices over tortilla on the same half covered with cheese.
6. On the empty side, spread about one tablespoon of sauce.
7. Fold over, and press gently with spatula.
8. Directions
9. Cook until cheese is melted and slice each into 4 pieces.

• 8 ounces softened cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 cup grated swiss cheese
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 (5 ounce) can shrimp
• 1 (5 ounce) can crabmeat
• 1/3 cup green onion, chopped
• pepper
• 36 fresh mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed

1. Combine all 8 ingredients.  Mix well until blended and fill mushroom caps.  
2. Bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes or until slightly browned.  

Lifehacker has ten steps to mastering your grill for the Memorial Day long weekend.  If you are looking for other picnic, long weekend, or barbecue recipes, take a look over here and you may find out what you are looking for.

Also, Lifehacker links to a Washington Post guide on how to cook 9 different cuts of steak.

I went looking for a great peanut sauce today and ended up at Cooking with Amy’s blog and found this excellent recipe.  It’s the best I have tried and I can’t recommend it enough.  It keeps about a week in the fridge.  Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup real mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup liquid honey
• 1 teaspoon minced dill weed

Preparation

• Well mix together all ingredients.
• Leave to stand for 30 minutes or more to allow flavours to blend, before serving.

Comments:
It is important to use dill weed as dill seeds and dill weed are not good substitutions for each other.  Add more or less mayo to control how sweet it tastes.

Servings:
1 cup [250 mL]