Kristin Donnelly

Whether you call them magic bars or seven-layer (or sometimes five-layer) cookies, you probably know these treats. Chunky bits—like chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut—get layered over sticky condensed milk and a crisp cookie crust.

Grilling the tomatoes concentrates their flavor slightly while still leaving them fresh enough to make a light, juicy sauce. Studded with cubes of fresh mozzarella, this dish is a summery crowd-pleaser.

This hefty frittata is cooked entirely on the grill—from the vegetables to the eggs themselves. While it's ok to cook the frittata over direct heat, you want to make sure the grill isn't so hot that the bottom burns before the center is set. Ideally, you should grill the frittata over moderate heat--when you can hold your hand 4 to 5 inches from the grill for 4 to 5 seconds.

The black pepper adds a surprising aromatic and spicy flavor to the sweet grilled peaches. The recipe here makes more syrup than you'll likely need but it will keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 week and is great in a cocktail or with sparkling water.

If your grill is large enough, you can bang out all 12 slices of French toast in just a few minutes. While any white bread is delicious here, brioche and challah make especially custardy toasts.

You can infuse your shellfish with smoky flavor (and keep the smells out of the house) by throwing it on the grill.

The lobster, shrimp and clams here are meant to be cooked at the same time and served with three sauces for mixing and matching. If you make the sauces in advance, the mixed grill comes together in less than a half hour.

For a simpler dinner, you can absolutely make one type of seafood and one of the sauces; just make sure to increase the quantities as needed.

Zucchini bread is one of those things that is almost always good but rarely spectacular and a slice can serve as a breakfast, snack or dessert. Sprinkling it with sugar and grilling it so it becomes nicely caramelized moves it firmly in the dessert category (and, along with adding a spoonful of mascarpone, makes it much closer to spectacular).

This recipe works with your favorite zucchini bread recipe or try it with this Spiced Zucchini-Walnut Bread .

In addition to the tuna, the leeks and garlic are also grilled, giving this simple Mediterranean-inspired pasta sauce complex flavor.

This dish turns the satisfying Italian American sandwich filling–sausage and peppers–into a hearty pasta dish.

If you don't want to heat up your house with the oven, you can bake any muffins on the grill but the lightly smoky flavor that the grill imparts is especially nice with corn-based ones. Because keeping the grill at a steady temperature can be tricky, the baking time can vary, so keep an eye on the muffins. For the best muffins, be sure that the entire pan is not set over direct heat (otherwise, the bottoms will burn).

Inspired by the classic steakhouse wedge, this salad gets a double hit of smokiness thanks to the bacon and grilled iceberg.

This simple tangy-style potato salad is inspired by dill pickle-flavored potato chips.

Grilling radicchio and fennel tames their intense flavors, bringing out their natural sweetness.

Wrap slider-sized pork patties in tender lettuce leaves and serve with plenty of spicy sauce on the side for dipping.

Grilling fresh tomatoes concentrates their flavor, making them super delicious in this Bloody Mary mix.

Grilling the lemons brings out their aroma and natural sweetness. It also adds a roasty complexity to a super refreshing cocktail.

Whether you spell it kefta or köfte or kufte or some other variation, you can find versions of these lamb or beef meatballs throughout the Middle East. The seasoning mixture here is simple, with spices you should already have on your shelf and you can play around, adding fresh or dried mint, grated onion, or a pinch of cinnamon. And if you like a garlicky yogurt sauce, by all means, add a minced clove.