Published: June 01. 2010 2:00AM

By Janet Poleski
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As the old song goes, summertime and the livin’ is easy — and the cookin’ is easy too! Easy summer suppers to me mean anything we can grill. The last thing we want to do is heat up the kitchen or create dirty pots or pans. The grill is the ultimate in easy summer cooking. Whether you choose marinated chicken, pork tenderloin or the all-time summer fave, burgers, grilling is the way to go. Add some sliced pickles and a cold salad or two that you make ahead early in the day or even the night before, and throw on a few cobs of corn, zucchini slices or potato wedges while the grill is hot and you’ve got one carefree summer supper.

My mother used to make the best burgers. She always mixed in a package of onion soup mix or ranch dressing mix and she never used anything but ground chuck for burgers: “It’s just so much more flavorful.” I ,of course, have to put my own little spin on my burger, so I add in my favorites: blue cheese and garlic. When you try these Blue Cheese Ranch Burgers , feel free to add in your favorite cheese or spices — the summer sky’s the limit. I had this Barbecue Macaroni Salad last summer, while visiting a friend in Washington, and it was awesome! Pair it with chicken, barbecue pork, steaks or these burgers. It will soon become one of your favorites. She also had this Old Bay Butter for the corn. (It’s kind of a staple in the Maryland/DC area — everybody uses it on everything.) I’m always making compound butters to add to vegetables or pasta or atop a steak. I do a wonderful blue cheese garlic butter, but that’s another article. The Old Bay butter just smacks of summer and is killer on grilled shrimp or any seafood, but I was surprised how good it was on grilled corn. And the corn is so quick, no soaking required — it cooks as fast as the burgers. Please give it a try! For dessert, why not toss a few slices of peaches or pineapple on while the grill is hot, then serve them over ice cream when you’re ready. It just doesn’t get easier than that. So relax, have fun and grill up a quick and easy summer supper.

Blue Cheese Ranch Burgers

Serves 4

• 1½ pounds ground chuck

• 2/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

• 2 garlic gloves, minced

• 1 1-ounce package of ranch dressing mix

• Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium-high. When hot, scrape grill clean and oil up grates with an old, clean, kitchen towel soaked with vegetable, canola or peanut oil.

2. Gently mix all ingredients together. Generously season with salt and pepper and form four equal-sized patties.

3. Grill patties for 3-4 minutes on one side, flip and grill for 3-4 minutes on other side. Let rest on a plate covered with tin foil. Serve on lightly grilled sesame buns or large split English muffins with a smear of Duke’s mayonnaise and a slice of avocado and/or fresh tomato.

Barbecue Macaroni Salad

Serves 8

• 1 pound small elbow macaroni

• 1 red bell pepper, small dice

• 1 stalk celery, small dice

• 2 green onions, sliced

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise

• ½ cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)

• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt generously. Cook pasta for just about 5 minutes (very al dente). Drain in colander and rinse well with cold water; drain again.

2. In a large bowl, mix cooled pasta, red pepper, celery, green onion, paprika and garlic powder. Then mix in mayonnaise and barbecue sauce and season with salt & pepper. Stir well to get all flavors combined.

3. Add in tomatoes and parsley and toss just to incorporate. Can be made ahead of time.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Old Bay Butter

Serves 4

• 4 ears of the freshest corn available

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

• Kosher salt, to taste

1. Shuck husks and silks from the corn. Lay it directly on the medium-hot grill and grill for about 5-7 minutes, turning frequently.

2. Meanwhile, or ahead of time, mix butter and Old Bay together. Slather on grilled corn and sprinkle with salt if desired.

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Grilled Pineapple : Slice top and bottom off one whole pineapple. Slice peel off in strips from top to bottom all the way around, including the eyes . Slice into ½-inch to 1-inch slices. Cut hard middle out with cookie cutter or melon baller. Place straight onto oiled grill grates. Grill for 2-3 minutes or until you see grill marks. I like to serve with ice cream and sugared nuts.

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