Season to Season

Summer Fun and Tips

Grilling season is in full swing, apples are out (unless you buy the imported ones), you need cheese and it's time to try something new…

Don't get poked…

With grilling season in full swing, it's time to remind you that that grill brush you have may be leaving dangerous metal bristles behind. Just ask the poor kid from the eastside who got one in his gut. Check your brush and toss it if it's shedding. Be certain to clean any loose bristles out of your BBQ that may have been left behind using paper towels, not around the house rags. Recently I found a bristle in one of my socks and one in a pair of my underwear. Better than my gut but… Don't let it happen to you.

Cheese done cheaper

Unless you have a family or can plow through a package of cheese in a week, you probably end up tossing old ½ used packages of cheese away a few times a year. It gets expensive and it doesn't have to happen. The next time you're ready to grill up some burgers or otherwise, visit the deli, select your cheese and have them slice it for you. The other day I paid 60 cents for fours slices of imported white organic grass fed cheddar. Nice!

The other apples

Connie and I enjoy making smoothies at home several times a week. Juicing apples is our favorite juice to use, but at this time of year it's hard to come by apples that make for good juicing, such as Honey Crisp and Cameos. Instead, get some fresh sliced pineapple and push that through the juicer. A tropical treat during the summer months is always a nice twist.

Super salad flavors

We enjoy salads all year around. Recently we started using infused oils and infused balsamics. The Queen Anne Olive Oil Company at 1629 Queen Anne Ave (top of the hill) has dozens of choices across both. You can taste everything they have in stock and then buy what you like. But that's just the beginning because it's the pairing of the oil and vinegar that really makes the flavor of your next salad pop. My current favorite blend is equal parts of Organic Persian Lime infused olive oil and Blenheim Apricot white balsamic vinegar. Others favorites include (equal parts here too) Orange infused oil/Strawberry infused balsamic and spicy Harissa infused oil/Chocolate infused balsamic. The pairing are endless!

Dave's Egg White Delight

We've got the Dave's Killer Bread burger buns in the fridge, but they can be used for more than just burgers. I like McDonald's choice to go a little healthier with their new Egg White Delight sandwiches, but you can make a better one right at home. I take one organic egg, toss the yoke and cook up the white. In the meantime I'm nuking two slices of Applegate Organics bacon and toasting one DKB Bun. Remember those four slices of the white cheddar? I grab one and put it all together for a really nice morning sandwich. You can too!

See you next month. In the meantime, remember to wash your fruits and veggies well!

Tom Mehren/August