With a month of quarantine, all of our routines have flown out the window. But there’s an upside to the downfall— time at home. Instant gratification (instant messaging, instant mashed potatoes and the InstaPot) has made us live such an on-the-go work week that we became habitual in slowing down only on the weekends. Mowing the lawn on a Monday wasn’t common. Firing up the grill on Thursday was rare. And sipping on the front porch was saved for Sunday. But now all week long, with shelter in place, one can revel in the reasons they chose their shelter in the first place..like for the yard.

Folks acquiring supplies to build their own gardens and canning is at a record high but as I have already mastered those two skills, I have been concentrating my efforts towards the grill. I have fond memories of my dad standing by the big black Sputnik-shaped grill soaking his pyramid of briquettes with lighter fluid and the whole family gathered for burgers and corn on the cob. As Home-Ec is no longer taught and my parents taught me other skills, I have sadly never had the pleasure of learning how to become a Grill Master…until now.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far—You don’t need lighter fluid; use some balled up newspaper. Foil is your friend. Use a two-zone method to not overcook. I also found this great video for grilling tips.

And if you burn something, having a back up meal ready is a good idea but do not let the fear of burning something stop you from trying. Pictured are beautiuflly grilled rainbow trout from Otter Creek Trout Farm. Now, I didn’t prepare these as I’m working my way up the grill ladder—starting with veggies then brats then chicken then steaks then fish but these just looked so good I had to include it. Feel free to share with us any grill recipes, tips or tricks you have.