Planning family picnics and backyard barbeques? This July celebrate National Grilling Month. Grilling is fun, easy, and a healthy way to cook! Meats cooked on a grill are generally lower in fat then fried meats and grilling gives a great flavor to vegetables.  Placing vegetables on skewers helps hold them together and makes flipping easier.  Marinating food before grilling tenderizes and adds to the great taste.  

Here are some safety tips while grilling:

• Marinating should be done in the refrigerator and the marinade should be discarded when finished.  Do not use it as a dipping sauce for cooked meat.
• Wash your hands and cutting boards with soap and water after handling raw meat   to avoid cross contamination. 
• Avoid using the same utensils to cook the food and then to serve it. 
• Use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. 
• Avoid eating blackened or burned foods and cook meats slowly at lower      temperatures. 
• Keep hot foods hot (>140 degrees) and cold foods cold (<40 degrees) 
• Refrigerate leftovers immediately. Food left at room temp for greater than 2 hours should be thrown out.