Barbeque Safety

By Nurse Diane

Well most of you may have already been cooking out this summer, and many of you probably did some barbequing on Thursday as we celebrated Independence Day...Some of you may be waiting til today to get the grill started, and these tips and reminders are for you.

Grilling during the summer months is an all American past time, and I love this story about grilling:

Barbecue Routine

1) The woman buys the food.

2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.

Here comes the important part: 4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

5) The woman goes inside to organise the plates and cutlery.

6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces and brings them to the table.

9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....

There are a few safety rules to make sure your BBQ experience is a pleasant one.

1.  First and most important is the Fire.  Never leave your fire unattended.  Make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand. A fire can get out of hand before you can blink your eyes, and the wind can blow the fire in the direction of your home or nearby property.

2.  Location, make sure you place your BBQ in the proper place, not close to any objects that can become inflamed.  For answers to any questions you may have on placement, check the operation manual of your equipment.  Instructions can also be found on the company's website if you have misplaced yours.

3.  Fuel.  Do not put gasoline on your coals.  I speak from personal experience on this one. The gas will explode in your face, and if you are still holding the gas can, it can also catch on fire.  It is best, if you are using a charcoal grill to use either lighter fluid, or those self-start coals.  Be sure to read the operation manual if you are using a gas grill.

4.  Food.  Fire is not the only concern, the preparation of the meat is also important.  Make sure the grill is clean before placing prepared meat on it. Be sure not to leave the meat out too long before putting it on the grill.  Bacteria will grow quickly make sure you keep it covered before serving

5.  Grease.  If the meat you are cooking has alot of grease or fat on it, make sure you cook with care, turning the meat may cause fire to flare up, and you want to make sure you aren't in it's path.

6.  Make sure you put the fire out before you leave.  Covering the grill, or turning off the gas will normally get the job done.  When using a charcoal grill, make sure to check back to make sure all the coals are out.

There is nothing better to me than a grilled burger with homegrown tomatoes.  If you want to grill burgers, chicken, ribs or steak, or anything else, please use proper precautions to make your dining experience the best ever.

(Photos from Google) 

National Grilling Month

(Google Image) 

By Chef Diane

The other day I had gone to my dad's to watch Judge Judy with him and a commercial came on, advertising a new type of grill.  It was a Bic Flame Disk A really neat product that you place in a grill, hold a flame to one of the open holes, and in no time it will catch on fire and last for 30 to 45 minutes, cooking your meat with little or no mess.  As I watched this I thought of all kinds of uses for this product.  It would be perfect to take to a picnic, to the beach, anywhere you want to cook food outside, and not have the mess of lugging around charcoal and lighter fluid, wait for it to heat up enough to cook, and then have to clean it up.

(Google Image) 

July is National Grilling Month.  Every weekend you can go outside in my neighborhood and smell the wonderful aroma of delicious meat cooking.  I don't know what it is about the flavor that just makes everything taste better when its cooked outside. Grilling is not just for meats anymore.  These days you can cook just about anything on a grill, from fruits and vegetables to pizza, to desserts. Since we have already given you safety tips on grilling, I would like to share with you some delicious recipes.  Here is a site I found that has recipes for nearly anything you can think of:  http://www.grilling.com/recipes/?gclid=CL3ojbrOmbECFcua7QodDg6IiA

(Google Image) 

I am including a really simple recipe for my cousin's grilled chicken shish kabobs.  All you need is a bottle of Italian dressing, some vegetables, and metal skewers and a grill.

(Google Image) 

Cut up the chicken in bite size pieces, then soak them along with the vegetables in the dressing for a few hours.  Alternate the chicken with the vegetable; you can use squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, whatever you like.  Then grill for 15 to 20 minutes until done. A picture of the finished product is shown here.

(Google Image) 

So this month, when it’s just too hot to heat up the oven in the house, step outside to your grill and try some new and tasty meals.

(Google Image) 

Barbecue Safety

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

When my husband and I were house hunting, we found this house.  I loved it because it had a screened in porch that reminded me of the trips to my grandmother's house on the beach.  I would love to sit on her porch, swing on the swing, and watch people walking by.  She had these great shades to pull down that kept the sand from the beach from blowing in during storms.  This house had the same shades.  I say had, because the week before we were to move in, the prior owner decided to barbeque on the porch, and left it unattended, and a fire broke out.  Luckily, nobody was hurt, and the damage was minimal, but those wonderful shades went up in smoke.

(Google Image)

Grilling during the summer months is an all American past time.  I love this joke about BBQing:

Barbecue Routine

• The woman buys the food.
• The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
• The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
• Here comes the important part: THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
• The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
• The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
• Important again: THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
• The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces and brings them to the table.
• After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
• And most important of all: Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
• The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.

(Google Image)

There are a few safety rules to make sure your BBQ experience is a pleasant one.

1. First and most important is the Fire.  Never leave your fire unattended.  Make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand. A fire can get out of hand before you can blink your eyes, and the wind can blow the fire in the direction of your home or nearby property.
2. Location, make sure you place your BBQ in the proper place, not close to any objects that can become inflamed.  For answers to any questions you may have on placement, check the operation manual of your equipment.  Instructions can also be found on the company's website if you have misplaced yours.
3. Fuel.  Do not put gasoline on your coals.  I speak from personal experience on this one. The gas will explode in your face, and if you are still holding the gas can, it can also catch on fire.  It is best, if you are using a charcoal grill to use either lighter fluid, or those self-start coals.  Be sure to read the operation manual if you are using a gas grill.
4. Food.  Fire is not the only concern, the preparation of the meat is also important.  Make sure the grill is clean before placing prepared meat on it. Be sure not to leave the meat out too long before putting it on the grill.  Bacteria will grow quickly make sure you keep it covered before serving
5. Grease.  If the meat you are cooking has alot of grease or fat on it, make sure you cook with care, turning the meat may cause fire to flare up, and you want to make sure you aren't in its path.
6. Make sure you put the fire out before you leave.  Covering the grill, or turning off the gas will normally get the job done.  When using a charcoal grill, make sure to check back to make sure all the coals are out.

(Google Image)

There is nothing better to me than a grilled burger with home grown tomatoes.  If you want to grill burgers, chicken, ribs or steak, or anything else.  Please use proper precautions to make your dining experience the best ever.

(Google Image)