Welcome to my blog.
The purpose of the blog is to offer you tips, suggestions, and occasionally even a story from life to help make your life a little simpler, easier, more fun, more adventurous and less complicated. It really doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out and heading out on your own for the first time, if you’re already retired and kicking back full time, or anywhere in between. Nor does it matter if you’re all alone or part of a large group. Our lives keep getting more complicated every day and you can always take measures to “uncomplicate” your life. I just want to offer a few hints to that end.
I first discovered that I wanted to make things simpler for myself when I was a mere 5 years old. I didn’t know what to call it at the time or that my goal was to uncomplicate something. All that I knew was that I wanted to get from here to over there a little bit faster than waddling along like a little boy. That’s when I convinced my parents that I wanted to swap my 3-wheeler for a two wheeler. Don’t want to date myself too harshly but back then ALL bikes were one speed. But, hey… it opened up a new world. I could now go fishing, visit friends, ride to the “five and dime” (don’t know how many people know what that is), or just enjoy the wind in my hair.
It wasn’t but a couple of years (maybe three) or so later that my next stride towards “independence” took place – I lost my “fear of the kitchen”. THAT my friends is a truly liberating moment. Of course I had to convince mom that I could be trusted and wouldn’t destroy the house but I soon became the family’s “grill-master”. For me that was huge but eventually I understood that there was no mystery to grilling. That with few exceptions, everything basically grills the same way.
I began the way most people do… with charcoal and it’s still my grill of choice. I’ve been through a few generations of grills but ultimately how high-tech your grill is doesn’t matter. What matters is the fire. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against gas grills – in fact I have a combination gas and charcoal grill. Gas is convenient, instantly hot, easy to light and gas is cheaper than charcoal. However it’s a little more complicated because you have to check the propane tank so you don’t run out. Regulating the heat can be tricky and it’s too much like cooking in the kitchen. Besides, charcoal is the traditional grill fuel and adds that wonderful aroma and flavor. The only complicated thing with charcoal is it takes 30 minutes or more to get the coals glowing nice and hot… and when you’re done you need to dispose of the ashes.
I’ll go into some details on types of grills and how to use them in subsequent updates to my blog but for now let me say a word or two about the tools and gadgets you’ll want to consider. Long-handled tongs are a necessity and an instant-read meat thermometer is very useful. You will probably want heavy-duty grill mitts to protect your hands. There are dozens of other gadgets like various skewers, basting brushes and mops, brushes for cleaning the grill, spatulas and others that I’ll talk about next time when I’ll introduce some of my favorite recipes and techniques.
Come back to this page in a few weeks when I’ll get into some specifics on grilling and move on to other ideas for making life simpler and more fun.