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Community Corner

The Great Escape

Clear away the kids and crank up the grill for some hot "Me Time" this week!

Don’t be jealous, but last week, during the heat wave, my family and I hurried down to our Capehouse and enjoyed three days of July-like weather. As the afternoons cooled down, I continued our family’s tradition of Cape Cod dinners: barbecue whenever  you can! To truly appreciate grilling as a “Great Escape,” a few things are essential for the modern mama. Firstly, adequate childcare is a must. No babes in arms, toddlers on the toes. Grab the hubby or a responsible older sibling, and make sure the kiddos are accounted for before you enter the “hot zone” of summer grilling! The slight danger of grilling turns every day food preparation into an “Adults Only” sanctuary….if only for a half-hour!

Make sure to take advantage of this week’s improving weather, and become a grillin’ girl. I’m surprised at how many women I know that never get a chance to grill, because their husbands are the designated pyromaniacs in the family. I think grilling is such a great way to get out of the house, get fresh air and bond with your own yard and neighborhood. It would behoove any of you novice grillers to get aquainted with your grill, before it is on. Which way to turn the gas on, what kind of flame you’re going to want, and most importantly, which order to cook your various meats and veggies.  You’re not going to want to grill your kids’ hotdogs alongside your steak, unless they like them black and petrified!   

Things will get burned on the grill, and you may or may not know that the latest research suggests that really burned food is carcinogenic. And, it’s gross! The best grilling cookbook, by far, to help you along the way, is the newly published “For Cod and Country”, by chef Barton Seaver which takes the reader on a seasonal approach to the best, most sustainable seafood choices based on region and ecological impact. This cookbook and seafood primer really walks you through the art of grilling seafood, which really is a far more delicate art than the hotdogs we so commonly associate with summertime! Be sure to check out the fabulous recipe for grilled lobster and grilled kale, for a healthy, sustainable and possibly romantic evening meal…and enjoy the peace and serenity of having the grill and the outdoors all to yourself this summer!

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