WASHINGTON — Slather on the sunscreen, set up the picnic table and fire up the grill: It’s still officially summer, and for many, that means enjoying outdoor entertaining.
Planning a big backyard barbecue or an intimate evening with friends? Use these seasonal recipes to inspire your summer menus.
AP/Carl Tremblay
Elizabeth Karmel via AP
Joe Keller/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Cheyenne Cohen via AP
Steve Klise/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
AP/Daniel J. van Ackere
Joe Keller/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Steve Klise/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Daniel J. van Ackere/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Joe Keller/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Steve Klise/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Joe Keller/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Joe Keller/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Daniel J. van Ackere/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Joe Keller/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Daniel J. van Ackere/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
AP/Cheyenne Cohen
![This April 2017 photo shows grilled lemony chicken and peppers in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Katie Workman. (Sarah Crowder via AP)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_17108564246321-1880x1254.jpg)
Sarah Crowder via AP
Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Keller + Keller/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
![This April 2016 photo shows grilled eggplant parmigiana in Concord, N.H. This dish, a staple of Italian cuisine, is a wonderful candidate for the grill, cooking up quickly and cleanly. And grilling this dish not only requires less oil than the traditional recipe, it ends up imparting a smokiness it could never claim before. (AP Photo/J.M. Hirsch)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_347304612586.jpg)
AP Photo/J.M. Hirsch
![This May 18, 2015 photo shows Florentine pasta salad in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_471202302591-1880x1254.jpg)
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Daniel J. van Ackere/America’s Test Kitchen via AP
Elizabeth Karmel via AP
Cheyenne Cohen via AP
![This May 5, 2014, photo shows sweet potato, grilled corn and black bean salad with spicy cilantro dressing in Concord, N.H. This recipe swaps sweet potatoes for the more traditional white potatoes and loses the standard recipes abundant mayonnaise in favor of a dressing high in flavor and low in fat. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_887560612421-1787x1254.jpg)
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
![This July 22, 2017 photo shows a summer peach clafoutis in Houston, Texas. This dish is from a recipe by Elizabeth Karmel. The recipe that can be tailored to whatever summer fruit is on hand, and not just cherries, which are traditionally used in France for this rustic dessert that envelopes the fruit in a custardy crepe-like batter. (Elizabeth Karmel via AP)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_17219706355312-1645x1254.jpg)
Elizabeth Karmel via AP
![This April 2017 photo shows grilled lemony chicken and peppers in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Katie Workman. (Sarah Crowder via AP)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_17108564246321-260x174.jpg)
![This April 2016 photo shows grilled eggplant parmigiana in Concord, N.H. This dish, a staple of Italian cuisine, is a wonderful candidate for the grill, cooking up quickly and cleanly. And grilling this dish not only requires less oil than the traditional recipe, it ends up imparting a smokiness it could never claim before. (AP Photo/J.M. Hirsch)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_347304612586.jpg)
![This May 18, 2015 photo shows Florentine pasta salad in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_471202302591-260x174.jpg)
![This May 5, 2014, photo shows sweet potato, grilled corn and black bean salad with spicy cilantro dressing in Concord, N.H. This recipe swaps sweet potatoes for the more traditional white potatoes and loses the standard recipes abundant mayonnaise in favor of a dressing high in flavor and low in fat. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_887560612421-260x174.jpg)
![This July 22, 2017 photo shows a summer peach clafoutis in Houston, Texas. This dish is from a recipe by Elizabeth Karmel. The recipe that can be tailored to whatever summer fruit is on hand, and not just cherries, which are traditionally used in France for this rustic dessert that envelopes the fruit in a custardy crepe-like batter. (Elizabeth Karmel via AP)](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AP_17219706355312-260x174.jpg)