ALTHOUGH I love to cook, I really don't like to be in the kitchen for very long in the summer. We use our gas grill a lot, with husband Bob usually flipping the burgers or sausage, and me getting the other things going for the meal.
The exception is Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Since this is one of my favorite foods, I often "man" the grill when it is on the menu. With it, I like to serve Picnic Bean Casserole, Deli-Style Pasta Salad and Blueberry Snack Cake.
A friend gave me the recipe for Kentucky Grilled Chicken several years ago, and it has been a standard at our house ever since. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it is flavored with a tangy marinade and basting sauce that makes many folks declare it is the best chicken they have ever eaten.
We are Michigan natives and moved to this small town in Kentucky's Bluegrass region in 1992, after living in Florida for 8 years. Bob and I have been married 28 years and have five children.
Our two oldest sons are both married (I made the wedding cakes) and live nearby. A third son attends the University of Kentucky, while living in an apartment behind our house.
I home-school our daughter, a high school senior this fall, and our youngest son, who will begin his freshman year.
Tried-and-True Foods
Picnic Bean Casserole and Deli-Style Pasta Salad are two of my "staple" side dishes. The bean casserole has a great flavor and can be baked or cooked in a bean pot.
I usually put it in an electric bean pot because it looks so old-fashioned. And that way, I don't have to heat up my oven on a hot day. My mother gave me this hearty recipe.
When I was growing up, Mom's rule was, "Do whatever you want in the kitchen, just be sure to clean up when you are done." My older sister, Gail, and I loved to bake and cook—from brownies and breads to shish kabobs.
I also helped my dad make beef jerky, stringing it and suspending it along the laundry room ceiling to dry. Our sons still use his jerky recipe, but they dry theirs in an electric smoker.
My sister went on to be a commercial foods teacher, while I had five children and put my culinary skills to good use at home.