I'll prove her wrong

My mom called when I was on my way home from work. I was still talking to her once I arrived home and since I always use a headset when driving, I was able to continue doing what I had planned to do. At one point I told her that I was lighting some charcoal. She said that it was entirely too late -- it was 5:30 -- to start grilling for tonight's dinner. I guess it is if you're used to having dinner at 5:30. I tend to eat a bit later. And I had had my lovely Trader Joe's frozen sole meal for lunch that is all of 190 calories so that I could have this calorie splurge.


I don't know about y'all but while I'm tending the grill, I need a cool beverage. I'm just bummed that my cute little mermaid that I picked up at dinner in Moss Landing is now broken.

I decided that this year I am ready for the next step in the Chilebrown/Dr. Biggles school of grilling. Once the coals were hot, I spread them and dropped in the drip pan so that I could do the whole indirect heat thing. And then I dropped some soaked apple wood chips on top of the coals. I can so taste the difference made by adding wood. The wood thing is new to me but I am now completely converted.


And of course once I get the grill started for some meat, I start thinking about what else I can throw on there. This time it was artichokes. I steam them a bit on the stove before they hit the grill.


OK. I'll admit it. I have some Sally tendencies. Because I was cooking for just myself, I did not need to put the sauce on the ribs. I mean they had a dry rub on them that I had applied yesterday. My feeling is that meat with a good rub does not need sauce. Even though I had made a pretty good sauce last night. (Maddie, the Jack is in the barbecue sauce.) And while I usually use hummus as a dip for artichokes, in my opinion grilled 'chokes just scream for homemade aioli.

Only thing is that I have a lot of sauce in the fridge. What to grill next? Because yes, it is grilling season as far as I'm concerned.