By Scott Hutcheson
CNHI News Service

“Man it’s hot. It’s like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot.”

These words were spoken by Eugene Jerome in Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues. Much of the nation has already experienced some intense heat this spring, and summer will soon be officially upon us. Hot weather often makes us less than motivated to heat up the house by cooking. Thus the popularity of the barbecue grill.

According to the 2011 biennial State of the

Barbecue Industry Report published by the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association 82 percent of Americans own barbecue grills and one forth of us own two. Burgers, steak, hot dogs, and chicken are the most popular foods we toss on the fire.

I’m all for grilling and it is certainly a great way to feed the family without heating up the kitchen; but there are lots of other ways to keep dinner interesting in the summer months. The following are a few ways to put food on the table without breaking a sweat.

Expand your grilling repertoire -- There are other ways you can use this great tool besides the standard burger and dogs. Your grill can double as an outdoor oven or stove. Nearly anything you can cook over a burner you can cook on the grill. Put your frying pan right on the grates and make a grilled cheese. Use indirect heat, a pizza stone, and a closed lid to make great wood-fired pizza.

Make the French connection -- French food is often misunderstood as being complex and difficult to prepare. The real French style involves just a few high-quality ingredients, expertly prepared. Pretend you are in Paris and even skip the expert preparation by making a dinner of some quality items from the grocery store - a loaf of crusty French bread, a great cheese, some fresh fruit like grapes, pears, or apples and for the adults, a bottle of chilled wine.

Breakfast for supper -- Breakfast foods like pancakes or eggs cook very quickly. You’ll have to heat up a burner or two but it won’t take long to pull it all together. Add some microwave-cooked bacon and you’re all set.

Take a walk with the Crock Pot -- The self-contained slow cooker doesn’t put out much heat and it can be taken just about anywhere in the house. If you’ve got a utility room or some other place in the house that you don’t cool, make this your summer slow cooker headquarters.

Let someone else do the cooking -- Most of the pre-cooked stuff at the grocery store is overpriced, less than healthy, and not that tasty. The exception is the rotisserie chicken now carried by nearly every supermarket. These birds often cost just a little more than if you bought one of their non-cooked cousins and they usually taste moist and delicious. Nuke a couple of frozen vegetables and you’ve got a quick, cool meal.

Salad days of summer -- Salads are the quintessential summer food. Load them up with lots of fresh vegetables, cheese, even the leftover rotisserie chicken or some cold cuts, and even some fruit. A spinach salad with gorgonzola, red onions, pears and walnuts with a raspberry vinaigrette is one of my favorites.

Chilled soup is good food -- One of the classic summer dished is Gazpacho, a chilled soup made by pureeing in a blender or food processor tomatoes, vegetables, and a few other ingredients. There are lots of versions of this Spanish favorite. The TV Food Network has about 60 versions.

So, no more excuses! You can offer your family a wide variety of choices, even in the dog days of summer and in a few months we’ll be complaining about how cold it is outside.

Scott Hutchinson writes about food for CNHI News Service. Contact him at www.scotthutcheson.com