Summer in Kansas: Corn in our own backyard

Before we moved to Kansas a couple years ago, we spent many years in an apartment in Philly, where a backyard cookout involved hauling paper plates, napkins and a bottle of wine up and down a back stairwell (the stairwell where we and our neighbors stashed our garbage) to a shared courtyard. Then we'd dig into freshly purchased Wawa Italian hoagies or meatball sandwiches.

Our first purchase after we bought our patio-enhanced, single-family home in Wichita was a gas grill, and we've been learning to use it ever since. We're making progress. The trick seems to be timing things carefully so meat and veggies and potatoes are all done at the same time.

The July issue of Bon Appetit has a veggie grill guide that's a clip-and-save keeper, featuring instructions for grilling bell peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and corn. And just in time-- the season of sweet corn is upon us.

The magazine says to brush husked corn with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill for 15 minutes, 'til slightly charred and tender. I also like to butter ears of husked corn and wrap them in foil to grill for 15 minutes. We had those tonight with foil-wrapped catfish fillets I'd coated with lemon juice and dill. A pretty nice dinner, and I didn't have to haul anything down two back flights of stairs so we could eat outside. As much as I sometimes miss Wawa sandwiches, I'm digging the heartland.