Seasonal recipes for summer dining, from cookout staples to cocktails—selected by the award-wining food writers of the Chicago Tribune . All year long, we look forward to a summertime filled with cookouts, picnics, beach trips, and dinner parties on the patio. From the first flower's bloom to the moment the leaves begin to turn, the summer season is always an exciting dash to spend time outside with good friends and family. While the winter months are filled with hearty roasts and warm stews, recipes for summer should adapt to our on-the-go plans and impromptu outdoor parties. Summer Cooking: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Picnics, Patios, Grilling and More is a one-of-a-kind guide for preparing delicious food that perfectly complements these warm summer days. Collected from the Chicago Tribune 's extensive database of kitchen-tested recipes, this collection of portable appetizers, quick salads, grilled entrées, creative sides, and refreshing cocktails are ideal for anywhere the summer season takes you. Featuring more than one-hundred recipes, full-color photography, and easy-to-follow directions, Summer Cooking is sure to fulfill all your summer dining needs. This book gives readers plenty of recipes that don't need the oven, can be made outdoors or inside, and use fresh seasonal ingredients. The Chicago Tribune is one of the few newspapers that still operates its own test kitchen, and all of these recipes have been carefully curated by their award-winning staff of food writers and editors. If readers use one cookbook for this summer, it should be this well-tested collection of eclectic recipes from a trusted group of experts.