Grilling teamwork

This summer, my family and I have re-discovered the grill on the back porch.

It never went away. If anything, we had gone away – sell outs to convenience, drive through windows and the never-ending cache of coupons arriving in our mailbox.

As a part of the family’s healthy living plan (and as a way to eat out less and economize), we pledged last January to enjoy some great grilled meals throughout this year. Unlike many New Year’s resolutions that go by the wayside by the first of February, I’m happy to report that we’ve really done well with this one.

During the summer, we enjoyed grilling various meats and, in some cases, vegetables. We even threw bread on the grill a time or two. My point is we really have enjoyed all our grilled meals (and none were for tailgates).

Well, there was one exception. Once last month, I placed chicken on the grill and then went inside to take the first tongs I used – we’re very safety conscious – as well as the platter to the sink. When I came back a short moment later, the flame was gone and after a few failed attempts to re-light, I realized we were out of gas.

We wound up having nice BAKED chicken that night.

Our most recent grilling success came after Holly told me she had really hoped we’d try to do grilled kabobs this summer. I told her that it was never too late. I added that we’d probably be able to use the grill deep into the fall. So, in conclusion, I told her we’d give it a try and she flashed a brilliant smile.

Paul really loves this one particular mesquite marinade that we use for steak. We made sure to have it on hand as we planned the kabobs meal last weekend.

In preparation for the effort, I went online and found out some great grilling tips for successfully doing kabobs. I had never tried anything of the sort, so it was a good education for me. It started, of course, in the kitchen with all the proper preparation.

Really, after that, the grilling part was a snap.

The fun part, for me, was how everyone came together to make this meal a success. All four of us were doing some key task – whether it was washing the squash, zucchini or potatoes, chopping the meat or vegetables or placing them on the skewer. Since it was a labor-intensive effort, it really took all four of us to get the job done.

In the process, however, we really enjoyed the triumph of teamwork. Everyone played a key role in the process and, when we were done and sat down to enjoy the meal, everyone in the family could take special pride in what we had done together.

But I will readily admit…Thursday night is still pizza night at our house. Coupons welcome.

PG

(Source: ehow.com)

Originally posted 9/26/2011