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Friday, July 1, 2011

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

On one very hot day in May when my husband was away, I looked at my roommate and declared "I am going to have to use the grill."

We've had the grill since we moved into our house three years ago now. I refused to touch it. Refused, in fact, to go near it until early spring when Scott insisted I learn how to turn it on.

Luckily for all of us, the instructions on turning this machine on are also on the grill itself. Yet, still, I held my breath.

When it was time to hit the ingite button, I scooted as far back as humanly possible so that only the EDGE of my finger was near enough to be singed off when the entire thing exploded. I mean, let's face it, I would NOT look cute sans eyebrows.

In a frightening WHOOSH, the thing was alive and I was cooking with gas.

I managed to burn neither myself nor my dinner.

I was pretty damn proud of myself. But also still totally petrified of the grill.

During another heat spell here in Minnesota, I bucked up. Because I telecommute, I am the one who is responsible for at least getting dinner started. And there was no way said dinner was going to be made in my house.

Having not experienced my first success at the grill, I was excited to show Scott what I knew. And to my delight, so was he. In fact, three grilled meals later, he declared me a Grill Mastress.

For Father's Day I suggested we grill and asked him what he wanted. He gave me the menu and then dropped this little bomb: he was turning the tongs over to me!

You read that right, the man told me I was a better griller than he, and that I should go with my strengths.

My strengths being, I think, an ability to not open the grill to check on meat 100 times in five minutes, therefore regulating the grill temperature to some degree of accuracy.

Anyway, I was only too glad to take the task on, feeling like kind of a badass. Kind of like the first time in my single life I used an electric drill and did a Tim Allen grunt before putting together my Target bookshelf.

You know who wasn't glad? Scott's dad. HORRIFIED, in fact. Throughout the entire dinner, he just kept shaking his head and said "can't believe you turned grilling over to your wife. It's the only thing we men can do other than sit and drink beer."

Well, no argument on the latter part, anyway.

My husband shrugged his shoulders, complimented me on an awesome kabob, and went about his beer drinking.

That, my friends, is why I married this man. Secure enough in his manhood to occasionally give me good shoe advice and gracious enough to let the best man win in the grilling war.

Who does the grilling in your house? Safe to say I'll be grilling our 4th food. What's on your menu this glorious LONG WEEKEND??

13 comments:

Megan (Best of Fates) said...

Growing up it was always my mom who grilled, so I find it weird that apparently the rest of the world sees it as a man's job!

Though I admit, turning on a grill does frighten me - there's just so many flames!

JoAnna said...

I use my grill all year long. Even in the dead of winter I'm out there grilling in snow and rain. K-ster doesn't really have the patience. I don't mind. We just got a newer grill, it's along story, but it's a little hotter than I'm used to, so I do have to open it 55 times to make sure nothing is burning. Because the regulator isn't right and everything burns!

Rach (DonutsMama) said...

I don't grill. I'm terrified of it too. But I don't mind. It's the only time my hubby cooks and I need a break from cooking! But I do tell him WHAT to cook!

Kristy @Loveandblasphemy said...

I feel like such a wimpy girly girl saying this but is soooo true. I have never ever used a grill. I figure at 35 years old, it's just not gonna happen. A couple of times, my husband has asked me to turn it on, and I was scared shitless and couldn't do it. Good for you for getting over it all and doing it! I think it's great when girls can do it.

Amanda @ It's Blogworthy said...

There are two things that terrify me in my home...cockroaches and the grill. Once my hub burned some ARM hair off and since then I don't near it. So needless to say, Kelsey does our gripping. Super rad of Scott to give it to you!

The Sweetest said...

Hubs does the grillin. He desperately wants to be part of the chefery , and that's the only thing I'll let him do (because duh, it's MY kitchen). Plus, that grill scares the heck out of me, too.

Anonymous said...

I've turned the grill on and warmed it up for my husband but I haven't actually cooked anything on it. You give me home that maybe I could do it, except its much easier to just let him do it himself =)

Mimi said...

I am banned from the grill ,and I have no desire to have that decision rescinded!

Shell said...

Good for you! I'm scared of our grill.

Plus, it's the one time I can hand the cooking over to my husband, so I don't think I ever want to learn how to use it!

Mads said...

I had to step up and admit that Jonathan was a better meat-master than me. Since I'm the resident "cook", it was a low blow, but I think those are the sacrifices you have to make in a relationship.

Hot Dogs were on our weekend menu!

Kat said...

Marcus does all of our grilling, but it's my job to do the times and temperatures. It allows him to think he's the grill master and allows me to make sure that we get edible food :)

p.s. Yes, the shellac manicure was totally safe. I'm a bit salon-phobic when it comes to nail care (all of those scary fungi!) but, I would be totally comfortable getting another.

The Spaghetti Westerner said...

Haha. At least he's man enough to admit your skills...even if his father isn't.

I have to say I wish I knew how to grill...but I suppose I'd need to own a grill in order to learn. Hopefully someday soon. I miss grilled meats!

Kristin said...

I grill at our home too. I'm with Kat - if I leave my husband with the tongs then I have to give specific instructions on time and temp. Even then he is constantly calling on me to check it. I try to prep everything so that I can relax with a glass of wine and grill.