So I decided...Everything is Better Grilled.

Growing up, my family always spent Sunday afternoons at my Grandma or Great Grandma’s house to eat and congregate. This is a tradition that I really cherished and it’s something that has really stayed with me throughout the years. In this way, cooking and entertaining has always been a source of comfort for me. Now that I don’t have those Sunday afternoons at home anymore, I find myself seeking that comfort through beginning my own traditions in my young-adult life.

Like I said, I’ve always really enjoyed the comforts of cooking and entertaining, but when I got my first grill this all when into overdrive. I really had no idea what I was getting into at the time. Now, I never pass up the opportunity to have people over and fire up the grill, in hopes of sharing that feeling I always had growing up. What better way to spend an evening than with good friends and good food? I’m pretty sure most of my friends are really happy that this is something I enjoy doing and they reap the benefits of it, but that’s what it’s all about!

I will try, at least once, to grill just about anything. If it’s meant for the oven, who cares? I’ll cook it on the grill anyway just for fun. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to cook in all sorts of ways – hello, Crock-Pot, I love you – but grilling is my absolute favorite. If I had to pick my favorite thing, I’d say it’s the beer can chicken. I rarely follow a recipe for anything I do, except as maybe a general guideline (also something I picked up from generations of women in my family), but there is nothing quite like a cajun chicken (orrrr a bone-in turkey breast). Throw in some fresh veggies from the NC State Farmer’s Market (let’s say, fresh corn on the cob, for instance) and maybe some fresh cornbread in the cast-iron… see what I’m saying? This is only the beginning: ribs, steaks and pork shoulders, oh my!

Now, throw in a few lawn games (cornhole, ladderball, bocce, etc), maybe a few dogs running around the yard, some good music and you’ve got the perfect entertainment package. It’s something I look forward to doing for the rest of my life and I hope my friends do too. Even when I’m preoccupied with all my other obsessions, I always find time for food…