It’s hard to fathom, but here it is almost the end of the first half of the year.  Memorial Day is a holiday that everyone should celebrate-our armed forces deserve the honoring.

BBQ is the traditional.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  We love our grill.  And yes, by now everyone knows the difference between BBQ and grill, right?

BBQ-low and slow and sometimes preceded with being in a smoker.  Got a day to work on that brine, dry rub and stoke the briquettes?

Grill-hot and fast.  You can also do any of the above prep work-you just get to eat faster!

We grill.  That’s what born and bred Californians do.  What I love about grilling is that it keeps the mess out of my kitchen.  

I love cooking, but I really don’t want to have the grease from any protein spattering my oven walls and spending 4 hours waiting for it to be “useful” again until the darned thing is cool enough to unlock itself.  

My motto:  If God had intended us to broil in the oven/range-Grills would NEVER have been invented.

My rules:  When in doubt, grill it.  Also, unless we are in the middle of a monsoon (which we are about to start the season)or a “haboob“-I don’t want to hear about broiling a steak, chicken, pork in the house.

Now for Memorial Day-I’ll be hosting our dd’s American Eskimo and going every other day to check up on their cats.  As usual in a house with 2 people who work in the retail trade (one doesn’t live here, but they come over often) and one who is in hospitality-it’s hard to plan a meal that takes a lot of time.

Our dd and family will be in Hawaii-they’ll have to provide themselves with some papaya and pineapple and maybe a luau.

Those of us remaining in the desert?  I’m thinking of grilling some chicken-I think I’ll try a new brine!

Equal parts of kosher salt and brown sugar, rosemary and lemon zest.  I’ll cover it with water and bring it to a boil until the salt/sugar dissolve.  Then add enough ice to make a gallon.  With the chicken in a gallon Ziploc and the bag in a large bowl, I’ll pour the brine over until the pieces are covered.  Close it up and let it do its thing for 24 hours.

Drain  and pat dry.  Grill as usual.  Make sure you’ve tested the meat at 160.  We‘re extra careful of this since Sam is pregnant!!!

Fresh corn is looking pretty good.  I prefer the white ears.

Open the husks, but leave on as much as possible, clean off the silk and cover back up-soak in ice water for about 30 minutes.  Make you favorite spread.  I love to use EVOO, minced garlic, salt and some smoked paprika.  Carefully open the husks and brush the corn with your mixture.  Those wanting to use butter-go for it!

Grill approximately 10 minutes a side.

As for our vegetable?  I’m thinking of using some of the green beans I blanched and making little foil packages with some garlic and some lemon infused EVOO and roasting them for about 20 minutes.

As you can see-the chicken will take the longest, but dinner (with some earlier prep work)is easy and delicious and on the table in 30 minutes.

Dessert?  Too hot for anything other than some nice sorbet.

Rachel Ray could not do better.