"Charlie? Cook the hell out of them!" my father said cajoling Charlie as he stood next to the grill flipping burgers and turning dogs this evening."Your better watch out as you may get what you want," Charlie told my father chuckling.
Now, this is how a good cookout should be. We don't have to have the whole Valley over and a close-knit group of friends can have a delicious supper together -- relaxed and conversational without social anxiety, strife, and stressful awkward dialog.
Charlie had a little impromptu cookout late this evening. Dad's favorite thing Charlie grills is his value pack hot dogs. Charlie grills the cheapest brands of hot dogs he can find and they come out tasting delicious. I still prefer Hebrew National hot dogs, though. Dad says they are too frou-frou and expensive for him. This is coming from a man that cooks filet mignons once a week.
"I'd rather have your pork chops and rice over any other meal you cook," I told my father and the entourage and we all agreed what a good meal it was.
"I ate two hotdogs and a hamburger," my father said sitting next to me on the couch now back home -- Maggie's couch that is. "I am stuffed."
The medication ritual and Maggie's ritual stops for nothing, though.
Earlier, I was asking Charlie's wife (Janice) if I could have some more potato salad and she told me to eat all I wanted. I took her literally. She was pleased I was so enamored by it.
Charlie has told me before of his secret to a great hamburger and that is to let the ground chuck marinate in Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce overnight in the fridge.
As I was leaving, Charlie handed me a big sack of goodies. There were two hot dogs and two hamburgers and big Tupperware container of Janice's potato salad. The were also a big bag of potato chips. Ah, Bless!
1 comment:
Growing up I used to spend my summers in NC with my grandparents. It seems that life revolved around food and sharing food with friends and family. It's a fond memory of mine.
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