Here is a very interesting article about the high cost of food and how it will affect our summer outdoor barbecue season. True cost are going through the roof and every penny needs to be saved. My big argument is, if we have to eat why shouldn’t it be a spectacular as possible? Cooking outdoors is very entertaining, rewarding and there is almost always left overs to help stretch that shrinking budget.

Here is the article, tell me what you think.

Prices soar for Memorial Day fixins’ for barbecues

By ERIN CONROY, AP Business Writer
Wed May 21, 4:59 PM ET

NEW YORK - Hamburgers and hot dogs? Check. Lighter fluid? Check. Beer? Check. More money?

Americans are about to fire up their barbecues for the start of the summer cookout season, and one thing has become painfully apparent: It’s going to cost a lot more than it did last year to roast a burger, or just about any other barbecue favorite, on the grill.

Food inflation is the highest in almost two decades, driven by record prices for oil, gas and mounting global demand for staples such as wheat and corn, and for proteins such as chicken. And that’s reaching into Americans’ backyards.

The price of an average barbecue — with burgers, hot dogs, beer, soda, condiments, salad, paper plates and lighter fluid — could run families about 6 percent more than last year.

That’s making shoppers pause as they fill their carts for the Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the barbecue season.

“I’m finding myself questioning every purchase, wondering if it’s gonna get eaten or if we really need it,” said Tony Caballero, an advertising and marketing consultant, as he filled his cart with paper plates at a Food Emporium in New York City. “When you do your everyday shopping, you try to cut corners. But it’s a shame to have to scale down when you’re trying to throw a party.”

Read the rest of the article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080521/ap_on_bi_ge/costly_cookouts

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Poll Finds Consumers Prefer Cooking Outdoors

The Weather, Casual Atmosphere and Ability to Accommodate More People are Top Reasons Why

May 5, 2008  HousingZone

Reigniting their thrill for the grill, consumers are heading outside to enjoy mouthwatering grilled meals this May for National Barbecue Month (NBM) and all summer long. As revealed in the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association’s (HPBA) national consumer poll, three in four consumers (76 percent) prefer to cook outside on the grill than indoors on the stove, when entertaining during the warmer months.

The delicious tastes and savory aromas from the grill, combined with the enjoyment of warmer weather and the casual atmosphere of the great outdoors, will have consumers firing up the grill for delicious meals throughout the peak grilling season.Throughout the warmer months, and really all year long, consumers love to take their meals outside to prepare on the grill, said Leslie Wheeler, HPBA Communications Director.

From pizzas and quesadillas, to veggies, meats and even biscuits, the possibilities are endless for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even dessert. State-of-the-art and out-of-this world grills and accessories are more innovative and advanced than ever before to meet every outdoor chef.

Read the rest of the story here: www.housingzone.com

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It can be done, and I am going to show you how to cook pancakes on the BBQ! Specificly sourdough pancakes with sausage on my Lodge mfg. griddle. It’s not difficult and anyone can do it on a griddle on their barbecue.

Cooking outdoors beats heating up the kitchen and the food always taste better when its cooked that way. The last several days have been in the hundreds here in central California and the last thing I wanted was to preheat the house. I just love excuses!

First things first, get that barbecue heated up. Your biggest challenge will be tempuratue control. Keeping that lid up will result in lots of heat loss. I preheated my barbecue and my griddle to about 300° with the lid down. While your doing this lets mix up some sourdough pancake batter.

Sourdough pancakes, everyone should try them at least once. I have sourdough starter from a friend of mine, “Nor Cal Dutch Oven Dave” aka Dave Herzog. I have been cultivating it for about 9 months and that will be another story.

Here’s the simple process of putting the sourdough pancakes together:

Mix your dry ingedients together. Add your eggs.

Pour in milk and sourdough starter.  

Give it a good mix. And your ready to go!

Timing is everything so have your cooking game plan and all the food laid out with easy access. Pancakes take timing and speed, so be ready.

I threw my sausage on first to get things going. All my cooking was done with the lid up.

If you feel that the griddle is cooling down then pull the lid back down the heat things up. I sprayed my griddle when cooking oil everytime I poured the pancakes.

Watch the pancakes! Don’t turn then until you get some bubbles on the top and the edges start to look dry. thats your clue to flip.

Give them a good flip.

Just pour and flip, pour and flip. You’ll end up with a few happy campers in your back yard!

My Gang:

Jacob and Jarin the “Pancake boys”

“Get out of the kitchen! Light the fire! Start cooking outdoors”

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