Am I bad?

I made a zucchini dish again. Baked Zucchini with Pancetta & Breadcrumbs.

Which sounds delicious. But you see, I am an omnivore (in theory).

I use this label (though I hate it) not because I eat meat and vegetable, but because I want the culinary world spread at my feet. I want to experience the exotic, taste the unusual. I want to travel to far away lands without even leaving my kitchen. I want it all and I want it on my plate (in theory).

Because (in theory) I am not the kind of person who chooses to limit myself, I can’t imagine, with all that life has to offer, why I would ever say to myself: “Oh, I no longer need those experiences. I am happy with just these experiences.” That’s the point of being an omnivore, right? The choices and experiences should be limitless (in theory).

But (in reality) I am a crappy omnivore. Sometimes I forget to even put meat in the dinner. Heck we eat vegan meals several times a week. Maybe my grocery skills are lacking? Just look inside my shopping bag. Too many of the same old things.

I know you love your grill. In fact I have seen you in that backyard of yours cooing into its grates. I bet you grilled half the summer away with that smoky look of longing burning in your eyes. The lusty licking of flames doesn’t scare you. Yep, you and your grill got a good thing going on.

I get the attraction. The lure of tasty summertime meals served charred and smokin’ in the sultry summer air is enough to get anyone’s grill on.

But be honest– after an entire summer of grilling are you feeling restless? Are you longing for something sautéed and saucy? It’s only natural. Flames are great, but do you ever wonder what sous vide would be like? What? I am just asking…even a grill master has the right to look around a little bit, so long as you keep your tongs in your apron.

Now I am not suggesting any drastic changes between you and that sweet grill of yours. I know it's a mighty sexy beast. But maybe just maybe you've grown tired of the same old routine. Maybe grilling has lost some of its heat.

Well, lucky for you, grilling isn’t just for burgers, steaks and chicken! So put your brain to work and spend the last rays of summer fantasizing about fun foods that you may not have considered grilling!

That's just what me and my old grill did. We shook things up. Introduced a few new flavors. Nothing exotic, nothing dangerous. But the thrill of the unfamiliar reminds me just what a grill I got. Look at the hot mess we made! The bread is grilled, the prosciutto is grilled. Even the avocado is grilled!