Heat Wave

So we're having a heat wave...Yesterday morning, when dropping off my daughters at school, it had the feel like it was the end of the school year and then suddenly realized it was just April. 90 degree heat in April, totally wacky.

I'd like to take a moment to gush about a new favorite thing. I should start by saying I am an ice cream person. I love super premium ice cream, although I'm not snobby about it, I'll eat regular supermarket ice cream just the same. But I have always felt like soft serve (except Foster's Freeze) and frozen yogurt are sub-par. They are pretend ice cream. However, I recently tried Red Mango frozen yogurt and I am in love. I can't stop thinking about it. Tart, creamy, and full of healthy stuff - http://www.redmangousa.com/. I had the original w/ strawberries and coconut on top. I also tried a sample of the green tea flavor, which was great and will order that sometime soon. YUM!
So I love ice cream and now I love Red Mango's yogurt as well.

Back to the heat. I actually welcome it, although I still reserve the right to complain about it. But when it's hot, I tend to change how or what I cook. Soups, stews, meatloaf and casseroles are gone. It's now time for grilling and salads and things that are quick and don't have you standing in front of the stove for awhile. Except why do we love to stand outside in front of the hot grill on a hot day? I don't know, but I do it and so we'll just make that exception. My big issue right now is my grill has seen better days. I can't recall how old it is, I think maybe just 3 years but it looks much older. I'm debating about a new one, although I think I should look at cleaning out around the heating element and scrubbing the grill racks. The poor thing has just been used so much. Most of the year, except when it's rainy, I use the grill. Well, I do go a long spell during the winter without using it. I think it's the sitting unused that contributes to it's worn out looks. But grilled meats and veggies are a staple in our house throughout the summer and fall. Plus I seem to have 2 or 3 parties a year where I'll grill tons of food. The point is, my grill gets heavy use and so I am trying to justify a need for a new one. But, to be resourceful (and more financially responsible) I should see what can be done to get more life out of it.
I will leave you with this recipe that I happened to submit to All Recipes quite a few years ago and was excited to have it accepted. I also just noticed that it's been reviewed a lot more recently.
Easy Grilled Tri Tip