It’s that time of year when we all venture out and take advantage of the glorious sunlight and grill away.

But how many of us have stopped to think about giving that grill a tune-up and brushing up on our grill safety?

I don’t know about you, but I’m just so giddy about grilling I usually just want to dive right in. But my husband always stops me – and does it the right way.

The grill is thoroughly cleaned, we use different plates and utensils for different meats and so on.

Are you up to speed on grilling best practices? Well, click here just to make sure. The folks at United Healthcare have put together some tips for staying healthy while grilling this summer.

That way, we can all keep grillin’ on in good health!!!

Photo courtesy of KansasCitySteaks.com.

Did you know that the term “barbecue” might have come from the French barbe a queue? It means “from whiskers to tail” and refers to a time when an entire animal was cooked over an open fire.

Yeah, I didn’t either.

There are lots of other BBQ tidbits in “14 Things You May Not Know About Barbecue.”

Things like the fact that people in the Northeast are the most frequent barbecuers in the U.S. Sounds hard to believe to me. It seems like such a Southern thing.

Read on here for more barbecue trivia and test your knowledge. Even better, test it while you’re eating a burger, a steak, ribs, kabobs…

Photo courtesy of KansasCitySteaks.com.

I like to give my dad something manly every year for Father’s Day:  gorgeous, satisfying steak. (Clarification:  I don’t feel manly when I eat MY steak, but the kind my dad likes, well, is pretty manly.)

Nothing makes his eyes light up more than when he discovers he will soon be one with a steak. So why wouldn’t I want to give that to him on a day to honor Dad?

I’m going to cook mine a lovely, thick, Kansas City strip steak. It’s his fave.

But you could check out these Father’s Day gift options and give your Pops a gift-boxed steak combo, some USDA Prime beef or even a gift card to let him choose what strikes his fancy.

Either way, your dad will know you love him. ‘Cause where I come from, nothing says love like a great steak.

Happy gifting, everybody!

Photo courtesy of KansasCitySteaks.com.