Hello everyone! It is the middle of July and summer is in full swing at our house. It is hard to believe that there is only a little over four weeks until school starts. Time flies by so quickly! 

We have been doing a lot of cooking on the grill. Our grill is getting older and things are starting to go wrong. The igniter went out. I am terrible when it comes to lighting the grill manually. Actually I am scared to death of it! There really is no good spot to light it underneath so you have to light it with a lighter or with matches. One night I just gave up and my husband came home to find the pile of matches that I had used in my attempt to light the grill. It certainly was comical. Little did I know that all it took to fix it was a new AA battery. Who would ever think that a grill uses a battery!

I then discovered that my vegetable grilling tray rusted out over the winter. What a disappointment that was! I just happened to have two cast iron skillets on hand that we used to take on camping trips when the kids were smaller. I pulled those out of storage and tried them on the grill. They work great! Our favorite use for the skillet is Grill Fries using the Grill Fries Seasoning Mix. I think these have become my kids favorite side dish. When ever I tell them that we are having fries for dinner they always ask if they are the seasoned fries. It makes you feel good when a recipe is a hit with the family. 

Another thing I use on the grill is a cookie try. This works great for cooking regular French fries or tator tots. My sister-in-law has been experimenting with cooking pizzas on the grill. Most recipes will just recommend that you place the crust directly on the grill. Sometimes the dough can sag and get caught on the grill. You could use a regular pizza pan on the grill but I am going to try to use a pizza stone. Just place it on the grill as you preheat it and cook the pizza as you would do with an oven. I will give it a try and let you know how it works.

Kandy submitted a question about using leftover marinade to baste the meat while you are grilling. You can do this as long as you stop basting at within the last five minutes of cooking. This gives the marinade the chance to heat up and cook all the juices from the meat. Here are some great grilling safety tips from

zy-sauce.com/Facts2.htm:

BONUS RECIPES

Fajita Marinade

We came up with this recipe while attempting to duplicate the taste of the fajitas that you get in Tex-Mex restaurants such as Chili's or Don Pablos. I love it when they bring the fajitas out to you on sizzling cast iron platter. It always smells wonderful. You can either grill the chicken or cook it in a skillet. You could also try this marinade with steak or shrimp.

Click here to view/print this recipe!

Julie's Easy Freezer Cheesecake

This recipe is from my good friend Julie. This is an easy cheesecake to make that is perfect for the freezer. The first time we had this cheesecake was a couple of years ago at my daughter's graduation party. Julie made three of these for the party. What a great friend! These are great with cherries or strawberries on top.

 CLOSING COMMENTS FROM CAROL

I received an email from Pat asking for suggestions on how to handling feeding your family while at sporting events. 

My biggest challenge is dealing with sports events. I think you covered this a while ago (and it is possible I could find it if I scoured the archives) but my son was still a couch potato and it never occurred to me that I'd be the mother of a three-season jock. I'm looking for portable meals that you can eat in the stands.

 

Come fall (and winter and spring) we tend to race from work to a game (and this year, it will be both JV and Varsity football) and I just can't face hamburgers and hot dogs with relish as the only "green" food.

I know what Pat means. It can be hard when you have practice every day and games every week. Do you have any creative suggestions for Pat? Or can you share with us how your family handles this situation? Send me an email at carol@30daygourmet.com and  I will share your comments with everyone next month.

Do you have any other topics that you would like to cover? Do you have any nagging questions that need to be answered? Email me at carol@30daygourmet.com. I enjoy hearing from you!

          Carol

Time Will Tell

...and time has told on me. I guess I've been busy, or distracted, or something. I can't think of a good reason, but it's been months since I've sent a newsletter your way. In the closing comments of my last edition, I promised that we would hear from my second-oldest daughter, Lauren.

If you ever wonder if it's all worth it, if your family really appreciates the effort you make, and if your children will ever acknowledge everything you've invested in them, I think you'll be encouraged by what Lauren has to share. Be patient and persistent, because time will tell.

From a Child's Point of View
by Lauren Miller

My mom started freezer cooking 10 years ago when I was about six years old. In the same way that I didn’t understand exactly why we needed to freezer cook, I didn’t understand what it actually was. My six-year-old ignorance was barring my ability to see the reason my mom was grating such a huge amount of cheese.

The first time I was able to take advantage of freezer cooking was when I was 8 years old. My mom taught me how to make Sloppy Joe Buns, an accomplishment I was quite proud of at the time because my older sister didn’t know how. No raw hamburger, no knives, no frying pan…just the frozen package of ground beef, the seasonings, and the rolls - and I could make lunch. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to imply that life’s problems can be solved with a frozen package of ground beef. Many recipes we make take more overhead than just cooked hamburger.

Over the years, as I’ve become more experienced I’ve been able to take advantage of the results of freezer cooking to a greater degree. Since my Sloppy Joe Bun days, I’ve been making meals on a regular schedule. I’ve been able to ask, “So Mom, what do I make for dinner?” She might reply, “You can make lasagna – the Italian sausage and ground beef are thawing on the counter, the ricotta cheese is in the fridge, and the noodles are in the bottom drawer.” Yeah, wow? That’s what I thought.

Now, most people shrink away from the thought of freezer cooking, and I would as well, except for the fact that my parents produced a software program called Advantage Cooking. You enter your own recipe ingredients and instructions…and ding!...it makes your grocery list, and generates all the different reports you’ll need to make your cooking day run smoothly. It’s so easy you can have your kids do it, which is something my mom took advantage of…hence, I’m speaking from experience! :-)

Looking back on the impact that freezer cooking has had on me as a child and my continually increasing appreciation for it as I grow up, I’ve realized that freezer cooking has been one of my mom’s many gifts to me. As I analyze the possible outcomes of these past 10 years, I cringe to think what life would have been like if she had not started freezer cooking. Those many days of cooking with my mom have been great instructional times for me, as well as an opportunity to work alongside her and my older sister on something beneficial for the whole family. I will be forever grateful for the gift that she has brought to our family through freezer cooking, and I look forward to the days when it will be my responsibility to provide that gift to my family.

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 RECIPE SECTION

Sloppy Joe Buns

This is the recipe that Lauren talked about. They're the perfect freezer meal: easy to make, easy to serve. They even have a SANE option (Some Assembly Needed Eventually) for your cooking day.

I love to eat these in the car. Pull the individually wrapped buns out of the oven and place in a paper bag. Pass them around the van when it's time to eat. They're an easy, inexpensive, healthier-than-fast-food, hot meal.

Click here to view/print this recipe!

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