LET THE SUMMER GRILLING SEASON BEGIN!

July is National Grilling Month—that’s right, the entire month! Even a holiday as popular as Turkey Day only gets one day in November, yet grilling gets the whole month of July. And just as the Thanksgiving holiday serves as a reminder for us to be thankful for turkey the entire year (or something like that), National Grilling Month reminds us to honor our pilgrim forefathers by grilling all year long.

Outdoor grilling has always been a regular part of the meal rotation in our home. But not everyone grills because they want to. My neighbor, Doug, for example, uses an outdoor grill out of necessity—his wife won’t let him cook indoors. Doug is vague on the details of how that came about, but we love him anyway.

Doug fancies himself a sort of summer grilling historian, and it was through him that I learned that Christopher Columbus originally set sail with four ships. We’ve all heard of the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, but a fourth ship—the Weber—was also scheduled to go along. Sadly, the Weber never left port due to a kitchen fire that resulted in the ship sinking while still tied to the dock. That’s something you won’t read in most history books folks, but Doug swears that’s how it went down, and I have no reason to doubt him.

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My perfect backyard barbecue involves green grass and good friends. Luckily, I’ve got plenty of both. Yesterday I fired up the grill to try out a couple of new recipes. My special delivery from Kraft this week contained a variety of Slices and Singles. The BIG Slices are perfect for grilling because of their large size. I prefer to use the traditional-sized but still flavor-packed Kraft Singles when I’m cooking indoors. Quality ingredients are another big part of a great backyard barbecue, so Kraft fits the bill perfectly.

What I ended up with was my adaptation of the Barbe-Cuban Pressed Ham Sandwich. I used a sourdough bread buttered on both sides, similar to a grilled cheese. Place both slices of the bread on the grill, butter side down. Then on one slice add grilled chicken, a roasted pepper, and pepper jack cheese. Watch closely, because it won’t take long. When the cheese begins to melt place both halves of the sandwich together, using the melted cheese as the glue. I added chips to the side and named it the Salt and Pepper Grilled Chicken Sandwich.

GIVEAWAY

In partnership with Kraft Cheese, we’ll be giving away several Weber One-Touch 22½” Charcoal Grills this summer. Plus, we’re also throwing in a  two-piece tool set with each grill just so you don’t burn your hands (see how I’ve thought of everything?)! Enter often, because if you don’t win this time you just might win the next one! (separate entries required for each giveaway)

Click here to enter the giveaway and to read the rules and restrictions.

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