Barbecues needn’t be a chore ISN'T SPRING wonderful? Why, I’m so thrilled with the whole thing that | bought some steaks for the barbecue. | was something short of thrilled when | discovered that we forgot to clean the damn thing last fall and it’s had the whole winter to work on cementing the mess. Wf that doesn't make you wish it was still) January 1 don’t know what will, What makes me so mad 1s that ordinarily we have a foolproof system for keeping our barbecue in good shape. We don’t have a gas budget beaters Barbara McCreadie varbecue. First, | don’t like pro- pane, Sure, 1 know that charcoal is full of fumes that can cause any- thing from = cancer to conjunc- tivitis, Out since everything we eat, drink or breathe is equally danger- ous, hand me the bag of charcoal. Second, gas barbecues don smef[ as nice. But, back to cur foolproof system for keeping our barbecue clean. Before using the grill, f spray both sides with non-stick spray — Pam or whatever. J take a copy of last night's newspaper outside with me. When the grilling is over, 1] plop the dirty grillon half the paper and top with the other half. Then I wet the whole thing down with the garden hose. While we eat, the grill cleans itself, the mewspaper absorbs all the grease and burnt bits and a quick wipe with a paper towel finishes the job. I don't know who slipped up last fall, but ¥ know it wasn’t me. Meanwhile, the sticky mess is soaking in my laundry tub. Yetch! Here are a couple more tips I’ve picked up over the /ears about barbecuing: ¢Stee! skewers are just fine for shish-kebabs but you have 10 wash them after. Bamboo skewers are disposable. They also catch fire if you don’t soak them in cold water for an hour or so before you string the food on them. #Never cook anything on the barbecue yoursell, Tf you do it onee youll likely spend the rest of your life Tipping steaks. Ignorance is bliss. e Never criticize anything anyone ele barbecues. Charred beyond recognition? Smile and cat it. if it's tee cold in the mile. Asaming: that the chief cook fis atleast the brains of your average monkey, hel do better next tine. e Get yoursell a basket big enough xo hold aH your geas touls, sauces, faphins, spice ourn ointtgent and qerve tonic -~ and haul everst bing outside at once. eDo nee give filet mignon to an amateur to grill, He can wreck oa chuck steak with equal des terity. e Tube steaks, better Known as wieners, taste beso when charred * Do not use glass, china or pot- tery on a cement patio, especially if you have kids under 50. A set of Woolco plastic is a fine invest- ment. ® If you're cooking for a mob, get your butcher to cut you a big top sirloin, about two inches thick. Sure beats trying to flip 12 indi- vidual steaks. Here’s a few easy recipes for barbecue accompaniments that don’t require an engineering degree to put together: Bean Salad Dressing: V3 cup sugar cup salad of! 445 cup vinegar Beans: 1 tin (14 02.) green beans 1 tin (14 oz.) yellow beans 1 tin (14 02.) kidney beans (add a tin of garbanzos if you like them) Exiras: J big onion and 1 green pepper, diced Optional: If yellow or red peppers are less than the price of gold, they are an attractive addition tomatoes — not traditional in bean salad but what the helt? Mix dressing ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Drain beans and toss with onion and pepper (note options and add them as well). Pour dress- ing over vegetables and toss. Chill several hours. Keeps for days. German Potato Salad Y2 Ib. bacon 12 new potatces — about the size of a billiard ball 1 bunch green onicns, diced Salt and pepper Ys cup sugar 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 egg, beaten with '4 cup vinegar Dice bacon and cook very slowly until crisp. Remove from pan but reserve the bacon fat. Cook potatoes in their skins until tender, drain and dice. Combine with bacon and chopped onions in salad bowl. Stir sugar and dry mustard into bacon fat and cook on very low heat unlit it| melts but doesn't brown. Add egg-vinegi.« mixture and stir over low heat until thickened. Toss with potato mix- ture. Garnish with lots of chopped parsley. paprika and cracked pep- per. This is especially nice when top- ped with devilled egg halves. ‘rhis salad oughi to serve six. wak E do this every year. Don't buy bottled teriyaki sauce — it's a waste of money. Teriyaki Seace Basic: 1 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tabiespoons vinegar garlic powder — heavy duty. Sprinkle on the top of other ingre- dieots untibitis white, Whisk soy sauce with sugar and “inegar. Do as you're told with the garlic powder. Whisk that stuff in, foo. Use this mixture to marinade chicken. Since chicken is fairly fatty, you don't need any oil to add for the barbecue, H you're planning to do steak, add two tablespoons salad oil. ~~ |Retailers 49 - Wednesday, April 18, £990 - North Shore News Use It Or Lose It! Fy id you know that many manufacturers’ cooperative advertising plans expire December 31st? After that date you will lose any unused advertising allowance you have earned over the past twelve months and will be required to start again from zero in the new year. Many co-op plans pay for half of your newspaper ad costs and some pay for all of it! Give us a call today — we can find the available co-op advertising dollars that you qualify for before it’s too late. 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