Good food can be simple

I haven't written about food in a while, so I thought I would. Some of the meals I highlight here are notable because I tried to do something a bit out of the ordinary. Sometimes, though, ordinary is exactly what's needed.

Last night's meal is a great example. It's also a lesson in great food, fast. The whole dinner was ready in less than two hours, and consisted of a combination of store-bought expedients and fresh ingredients.

I started by wrapping some russet potatoes in foil, and popping them in the over at 450 degrees. I then started a fire for the grill. (Lazzari mesquite charcoal is wonderful, by the way!) I then put the commercial apple pie I bought into our second oven (you do have one, right? It's hard to imagine not having one!) at about 300 degrees. Next, I wrapped some corn ears in foil. Once the grill was ready, I put the wrapped corn around the edges of the grill. (This needs a big grill...no Hibachis, please!) The corn needs about 30-40 minutes, with a turn every 10-15 minutes. As the corn was nearly done, I pulled the potatoes out of the oven, and put a loaf of 9-grain bread (also store bought) into the oven to warm. Finally, I dropped some nice looking New York strips on the hottest part of the grill. Once nicely charred on the outside and medium rare in the middle, it was time to easy! Slice the bread, plate the steaks, potatoes, and corn, and...yum!

The potatoes were actually the odd part of this meal. We often do whole meals on the grill through the summer. I suspect a few more of those will get described here. As a side note, I'd love to have a new and larger grill, except I can't afford the one I want, and I have no idea where I'd put it in our backyard. Shucks!