The frugal grill

Where there is smoke, there is fire. Durign the summer, this fire is likely to come from a barbecue. Although we promise to include more articles for those of you who don't own a grill -as someone asked- for those who do, there is frugal grilling.

Grilling frugal style

Can you smell the charcoal? Grilling is just as much a part of summer as shorts, sunscreen and summer vacations. Grilling is an easy, healthy, delicious way to cook for your family. It also can be a frugal option for summer meals.

Besides the fabulous taste of grilled food, my favorite thing about using the grill to cook a meal is that it creates almost no dishes to wash. There are no pots and pans to scrub. What a huge time saver!

Using your grill to cook also keeps the summer heat where it belongs, outside. Choosing the grill over your stove or oven keeps your kitchen cool. It also saves your air conditioner from running non-stop, which of course saves you money. Isn't grilling great?

Are you envisioning thick juicy steaks on the grill, or maybe a slab of ribs? Well hold on a minute. Those items are wonderful grilled. They are great treat or special occasion meals, but if you are trying to stick to a budget T-bones cannot be on the menu every night. Below are some more frugal ideas for summer grilling.

Use smaller portions of meat. A classic way to do this on the grill is to make kabobs. Use small portions of meat screwed on sticks with lots of vegetables. Kabobs are impressive and frugal, but they are time consuming to prepare.

Another option is to use smaller portions of expensive meat served with less expensive meats. If you want steak, cut the steaks in half to make smaller portions. With the steak grill chicken or other meats that aren't as costly.

The grill is not just for your meats either. A wide variety of vegetables can be prepared on the grill. Some of my favorites to grill are corn on the cob, zucchini, onions, potatoes, summer squash, eggplant, and peppers. For corn on the cob, soak the cobs in water for about 15 minutes. Remove any husks that would hang down into the fire. Lay corn directly on the grill and cook. The other vegetables listed above can simply be sliced, seasoned and grilled until done. Vegetables are steamed on the grill by placing the desired vegetables on foil, adding the appropriate spices and a bit of oil, and wrapping the foil loosely around the ingredients. After the vegetables are wrapped up simply place the foil pack on the grill to cook.

Make your dessert on the grill too. One option for dessert is to grill fruit. Slice fruit and drizzle with a little butter or oil. A sprinkle of cinnamon is good too on many fruits. Fruit kabobs also are delicious. Steam fruits like apples in a foil wrap and serve with ice cream. Cook marshmallows to create S'mores.

The grill is a wonderful part of summer. It helps you create healthy and delicious meals for yourself and your loved ones. Using the grill for your entire meal keeps your home cool and creates fewer dishes than other cooking methods. Grilling is great, but if you are keeping to a budget be sure to choose your grilling items frugally!