One of my favorite things to do in the summer is hang out with friends in the sun over tasty BBQ and a beer. Really, I don't think it gets much better than that! Last summer, inspired by friends, we realized that we didn't have to wait for other people's schedules - we could just grill in our backyard every weekend. We normally cook big batches of stuff on Sundays anyway to prepare for the week, in the summer we just shift it outside to the grill. Christian's my best friend and I really love hanging out with him - which is why we're married, duh - so what better way to spend your Sundays than experimenting with grilling stuff and drinking beer with your best friend while listening to classic rock?
We typically do our Sunday grilling initially without a specific plan, but based on what our neighborhood market has on special that week and what's in our CSA box, and then develop a plan around what's on sale. I have to admit that usually we hit the market on Saturday and marinate the meat overnight - but this week we were feeling too lazy to go to the market on Saturday, so instead we went on Sunday - and decided to go with rubs instead of marinades for the pork ribs and steaks they had on sale. (Hey, at least this is a realistic food blog... and we're real people who don't always feel like cooking!) Am I the only one who likes buying interesting rubs/sauces/etc... but then hoards them without using them because I'm saving them for some magical special occasion? I'm trying to break from this habit because I realize it's silly, especially after reading this - it's worth a read - http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2010/05/to-life.html . And given the fact that I was so ill for so long - guess what, there is a special occasion, it's called "life"! So we decided to try out a bunch of rubs we've been hoarding. We also grilled up some peppers and some gorgeous CSA eggplant. Dessert was a grilling tour de force that deserves its own post (coming soon!)
Our awesome neighbors happened to come home in the midst of our grilling (we share a backyard), so we ended up hanging out with them for a while (hence a lack of pictures of the finished food - I'd rather live real life as it happens, instead of breaking the flow of life for the sake of the internet...) But otherwise the pictures are fun, so without further ado, we present: Scenes from a BBQ.
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| Pork ribs rubbed with a smoked chipotle & black tea spice rub from a little store in Palo Alto |
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| Pork steak with an herb mix Christian brought back from a conference in Greece (I'm as jealous as you are) | | |
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| Another one of Christian's Greek herb mixes - this one has more red pepper |
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| I think too rarely do we truly appreciate how gorgeous fresh produce can be |
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| I've learned a lot about the joys of "hanging out" from this stray cat who shows up every day around 7 because he knows that at least one of us is often outside around that time. He doesn't even beg for food, he honestly just likes... hanging out with us. |
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| We know he's happy to see us because he does this slow-blinking/squinting thing at us that apparently means that he likes and trusts us, in cat-speak. And NO, I do not touch him - that's gotten me into enough trouble already! |
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| Christian's been talking for a while about how he needs a "manly apron" - so this was my gift to him. |
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| This is the closest I get to camping, honestly |
Dessert post to follow shortly! (Think: grilled fruit chocolate fondue, with some twists - like dulce de leche...)
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