
There is nothing that I love more than Southern barbecue, so when I heard that the
Bay Area Barbecue Cook-Off was being held this weekend, I eschewed any social engagements in favor of firing up the 'cue. It was a perfect day for the event with clear blue skies, live country music, and some of the best barbecue around. Here are a couple of highlights.

During the hot Summer, I hate to be indoors. Browsing through
Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, I found the perfect recipe to escape my toasty kitchen, Cubano Quesadillas. The recipe requires a minimum amount of preparation and everything is cooked on the grill.

I want to include my pooch in our
fireworks-less Fourth of July plans, but
North and yums mix all too well. He's very well-behaved outdoors with many things to sniff (and has a lovely
red-and-white striped harness), but I'm worried to have him so close to a hot grill. .

After watching
Steven Raichlen's barbecue presentation at the
Food and Wine Classic, I knew I had to make his corn. He cooked it with a coconut milk-based coating, but acknowledges that it's tasty on its own, slathered in butter, or doused with a mayo-lime-chili concoction.The only thing he insisted on was grilling it with the husk off. Cooking corn with the husks on only steams the corn, it does not grill it.

There are bound to be barbecues a plenty this Fourth of July weekend. With this
tainted tomato scare, I for one definitely have
salmonella on my mind. I typically associate mayo with food poisoning, since people tend to leave this condiment, and the food it's added to, out for long periods of time.

Those of you who are barbecue fanatics are probably familiar with barbecue guru
Steven Raichlen. Steven is the author of over ten cookbooks, including the
BBQ Bible, and is the host of the PBS show
Primal Grill. He recently finished a world tour in promotion for his new book Planet BBQ, and his last stop was the
Food and Wine Classic in Aspen.

Yesterday the
Food & Wine Classic continued. Partysugar and I learned a lot more about some of our favorite chefs. To discover what we learned, take our quiz now.

Ever since I received a copy of
Grilled Pizza and Piadinas by Craig Priebe, I've been dreaming about grilled pizza. Last weekend, a friend of mine was over, and we grilled up some pies. They were sort of lopsided and awkwardly shaped, but delicious nonetheless.

I'm all for having fun with your food, especially if you're at a barbecue. However, I think this swashbuckling
BBQ sword and mask set ($29.95), might be taking things a bit too far. How about you.

I am a carnivore who is working to eat lower on the food chain. I experiment with meatless entrées, but when at a BBQ and confronted with a choice between a
veggie burger and a regular
burger, I always opt for the latter – and usually with cheese.
Since BBQ season is in full swing, what do you eat .