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Grill recipes, tips from John Legend, LBT's Kimberly Schlapman and more

By Jordi Lippe


JULY 6, 2015 5:36 AM EDT

Summer is in full swing which means we've been starting to make use of the grill and enjoying a little alfresco dining. With that comes hosting parties, especially for the July 4 festivities, and figuring out what to cook.Even celebs like John Legend and Minka Kelly are getting in on the grilling action whipping up some delicious dishes.

"Even for someone who doesn’t cook all the time like me, you got to have at least one or two go to dishes that you can make at your parties that people know you for," John tells HELLO! as part of the Stella Artois Host Beautifully campaign. "For me that’s fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.”

Minka Kelly showed off her culinary creation Photo: Instagram/@minkakelly

With that in mind, we decided to ask some celebrity chefs and stars themselves for their best grilling tips and recipes that will spice up any summer bash whether you're trying to impress a date, having a casual get-together with friends or just enjoying the beautiful weather.

Chef Dino Tsaknis, Executive Chef of David Burke’sPrimehouse at The James Chicago, says that having the correct temperature onyour grill makes a huge difference. "Make sure your grill is at theappropriate temperature, this is the most important aspect of spring or summergrilling," he tells HELLO!. "The main difference between barbecuingand grilling is temperature. Grilling goes up to around 500 degrees."

John Legend shows off his grilling skills Photo: Courtesy of Stella Artois

And why not add a little sweetness to your savory dishes? Chef MarcForgione, who has staked his claim as an Iron Chef, suggests using berries with your meat dishes. "Berriesaren’t exactly the first thing that come to mind when you think of steak,"he shares. "But, you can use them to make a fantastic steak saucewith shallots, sugar, dry red wine, thyme and blackberries or blueberries."

Now that you've been introduced to some of thetricks of the trade from the world's best chefs, we also dish on some secret recipes from stars like John Legend, Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town, Haylie Duff and more.

Click on the picture below for recipes from the stars and the world's top chefs:

Chef Tyler Austern from The Chester in NYC
Green Goddess Salad
Ingredients for Salad
(makes 4 servings)
3 cups Baby Gem Lettuce (substitute romaine if you cannot find baby gem), chopped
1 1/2 cups Radicchio, chopped
1 1/2 cups Lolla Rossa, chopped
15 pieces Grape Tomato, sliced in half
Ingredients for Green Goddess Dressing
(makes 2-3 cups)
1 bunch of Parsley
2 bunches Cilantro
bunch Mint
2 tablespoons Capers
1 tablespoon Creme Fraiche
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Combine parsley, cilantro, mint, capers, creme fraiche together in a blender, and slowly emulsify canola oil until desired consistency
Combine lettuces, radicchio and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and dress with dressing as desired.