It’s not the barbecues in your life that count. It’s the life in your barbecues

“Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop and barbecue.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland




It could be the middle of a winter snowstorm, and I would still love a good outdoor barbeque. I could never get sick of them. Ever. Learning how to barbeque is on my summer list of things to do, and I will admit that the men in my family have been quite helpful with regards to this aspiration. However, this summer list just keeps growing and the more things I become interested in, the more things I realize I need to learn about. Plato said that all learning has an emotional base, which is perhaps why my passions for many many things have led to the following self-diagnosis… obsessive compulsive google disorder. If I don’t understand something or don’t know something, I simply must google it. In the words of my mother, “just ask google. They know everything!” So, when I asked these so-called google masters what to make as side dishes for a barbeque, they came up with some pretty smart ideas—arugula corn salad with bacon and baked honey-rum beans. Thank you google. Thank you Plato. And thank you summer free time for reminding me why I love to learn in the first place.



Arugula Corn Salad with Bacon
Ingredients: 6-8 servings
4 ears of corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 cups of arugula
3 strips of bacon
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
salt & pepper
Directions: 
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Brush the corn with olive oil and roast in the oven for twenty minutes, turning once.
2. While the corn cools, mix together chopped arugula, bacon, tomatoes, and onions in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and cumin for the dressing.
4. When the corn has cooled, remove the kernels from the cobs by standing a corn cob vertically over a large bowl. Use a sharp knife to make long, downward strokes. Add your corn to the rest of the salad and mix in dressing just before serving.



Baked Honey-Rum Beans



Ingredients: 6-8 servings
1 8-ounce can of black beans
1 8-ounce can of pinto beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion
1 carrot, diced
1/4 rum (I used Meyer’s Dark Rum)
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons ketchup
salt & pepper
Directions:
1. Drain the beans and place them in an oven-proof dish.
2. Saute garlic, carrot and onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until soft, about five minutes.
3. Add rum and bring to a simmer. Cook until the rum is deduced by half, about five minutes. Next, add molasses, ketchup, salt & pepper, and cilantro. Combine this with the bean mixture, cover and bake for thirty minutes and garnish with cilantro.
And there you go! May these tastes bring happiness to your fellow barbeque lovers.

Cheers!
-Bay