secrets in the sauce

Looking at the calendar, I realize I have only 11 days before the next birthday feast … 28 days after that we’ll have the third birthday feast … 8 days after that and we’ll be celebrating my second grader’s first communion. It’s a fun time to get family together, a celebratory reason to get in touch with relatives I haven’t seen face-to-face in some time. (Yoiks! Only 47 days to be planned, cleaned and cooked!)

In planning the next two birthday feasts I recognized a shortcut I generally utilize every weekend. This was emphasized as the weather the past two weekends has been much friendlier than what we’ve seen in a while. Nice weather means Hubby is cast to the patio to work his magic. Yes, grilling is a shortcut. I never thought of it that way before, but it is.

Why?

Mostly because clean-up is so much easier on the nights we cook outside. Saves loads of time. But there’s something else.

Nobody balks at eating leftover grilled chicken. Nobody raises their noses when I offer the extra burgers Dad did over the weekend. Generally speaking, there’s a little sparring bout for who gets leftover steak, marinated or otherwise. So grilling on the weekend makes leftovers night easier, too. That’s a definite shortcut.

Sadly, there are no recipes to share. The man refuses to measure when he makes sauces and … no, I am not making this up … has been known to send everyone from the room as he raids the pantry, fridge and spice cabinet in search of a new flavor blend.

“Daddy, when can I learn to make the sauce?” one child bravely asked Sunday night.

“When you’re old enough to really keep a secret,” Hubby answered with a smile, taking a shortcut to my heart.

And there it is. Another secret benefit of having regular meals together. Kids want to help cook. And getting help with the work just might be the No. 1 shortcut of them all.