Yesterday I talked about keeping cool at a pool party with light, crisp summery appetizer dishes. While serving chilled dishes is a must, in my opinion, you can't have any sort of outdoor party without something from the grill. Turn up the heat on the barbeque and offer guests rum and mint grilled chicken wings. They taste delicious hot off the grill or at room temperature so make them in batches throughout the day and guests can snack on them when hunger strikes. For a dessert, serve the classic childhood treat: otter pops and a homemade frozen treat in the form of a homemade piña colada granita. Sound delish, or what? To bookmark these recipes please read more

Rum and Mint Grilled Chicken Wings
From Rob Rainford

3 pounds chicken wings
Zest of 2 oranges chopped fine
Zest of 2 limes chopped fine
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rum
1/4 cup rough chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
Splash hot sauce
2 fresh mint sprigs
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried hot chili flakes
splash tabasco or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the chicken wings into a sealable plastic bag the chicken wings along with the rum, mint, oil, and a splash of hot sauce. Add in orange & lime zest. Seal the bag and toss gently to coat. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Remove wings from refrigerator. Remove wings from the marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Discard of the used marinade.
3. Prepare the BBQ for direct grilling. Preheat to a medium grill.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Oil the grill and add chicken wings for approximately 7 – 9 minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Remove.
5. Make sauce - In a bowl combine white & cider vinegars, brown sugar, dried hot chili flakes and Tabasco. Mix.
6. Serve wings with hot vinegar sauce.

Serves 6.

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Piña Colada Granita
From Cooking Light magazine

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
3 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup cream of coconut
1/3 cup dark rum
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Mint sprigs (optional)

1. Place pineapple chunks in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
2. Combine the pineapple purée, 3 cups pineapple juice, and next 4 ingredients (pineapple juice through coconut extract) in a large bowl. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; cover and freeze at least 8 hours or until firm.
3. Remove the frozen pineapple mixture from the freezer. Scrape the entire mixture with a fork until fluffy.
4. Spoon the mixture into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Serves 16.

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 75(31% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 2.3g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 0.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 1mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.3g

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