To Cook is To Love: A Foodies Journal

By: John Verlinden

Summertime – Gentlepeople, start your grills!

Memorial Day has come and gone; it’s officially summer and there’s no time to lose.  She visits New England for just a few fleeting moments each year, so we’ve got to squeeze out every last bit.  It’s okay to wear those white go-go boots, you can go outside without a coat, and we get to have cookouts.

Summer is awesome!  Everyone’s out soaking up the sunny days and warm, wonderful nights, walking, jogging, riding bikes, and communing with nature – discovering new species in the bushes, studying the wildlife in the dunes, or examining the plankton under the dock.  There’s so much to see – the trees, the flowers, the Sox at Fenway, the outdoor concerts, the theatre under the stars, the hot pants and the bare chests … woohoo!

My most loved, honored and revered tradition is cooking and eating outdoors; firing up the barbecue while surrounded by friends, family and a couple of cases of ice cold beer!  I’m a charcoal man myself.  I like the convenience, speed and consistency of gas grills, but nothing beats that smoky, charbroiled taste those burning briquettes give ribs, steaks, salmon filets, burgers, chicken wings, sausages, hot dogs, and fresh veggies.  Then there are those delectable side dishes and “go withs” – corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes just off the vine, cold watermelon, baked beans, potato salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, and how about those yummy desserts that just scream summer at the top of their sweet little lungs – strawberry shortcake, peach cobbler and homemade ice cream.  Hungry yet?

If you’ve read my column before, you know that I’m a very health conscious cook and try to be very conscientious about reminding my readers to eat right.  For cookouts, however, I make an exception.  Yes, there’s lots of fat, sodium, sugar and calories hiding in our summertime favorites, but don’t stand between me and the rib platter on a weekend afternoon.  I’ll just have a salad on Monday and take an extra-long walk by the river after work to make up for it.  I’ll need these memories to face the snowdrifts in January.

Until next time – ¡Mucho Gusto!,¡Muchas Gracias! y ¡Buen Provecho!

*Have questions?  Need a special summer recipe?  Want to suggest a topic?  Contact me: john@muchogusto.com or www.muchogusto.com.

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