Great Year-Roung Grilling in the Midwest: The Flavors, The Culinary Traditions, THe Techniques, by Ellen Brown. Published by Lyons Press, an imprint of The Globe Pequot Press.

I have to admit, I was very excited to get this cookbook! Not only was I raised and live in the Midwest, but we grill all year-round. When we lived in Minnesota and it was -50, we still ventured out to grill our steaks, hamburgers, chicken, and pizza. Now that we live in Michigan, the winters aren't so cold and so we grill out almost every day in the winter.

Now fast forward to summer and we grill out at LEAST once a day. I've even made pancakes on a griddle on the grill (with fresh blueberries!). So, grilling is a major part of our culinary life.

Author Ellen Brown was the founding food editor of USA Today, is the author of nineteen cookbooks, including $3 Meals, The Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook, and All Wrapped Up. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

This book, Great Year-Roung Grilling in the Midwest: The Flavors, The Culinary Traditions, The Techniques, by Ellen Brown, is a joy to read.

Filled with excellent recipes and new ideas, Brown captures not only the basics of Midwestern cooking (not too spicy!) but also ventures into the global traditions that are spreading around the world.

Brown starts the book off with a paean to the Midwest spirit:

"Cooking in the heartland is cooking from the heart. There is a generosity of spirit that goes along with the simple, hearty dishes drawn from the diverse ethnic cuisings brought to the Midwestern states...This sense of bringing the best from their home countries to augment their new land is a leitmotif of settlement in the Midwest."

Brown then continues with a whole chapter on grilling fundamentals. Even though I've been grilling my whole life, I still learned a few techniques, such as determining the temperature of a grill (in case your grill doesn't have a thermometer).

Brown also gives us a plethora of recipes for rubs, pastes, marinades, and brines; as well as different sauces for basting and topping. These range from traditional recipes to ones that explore different global cuisines. Of particular use is a marinade chart for different meats. THIS is one of the most useful tools in the book. When you marinate too long, the meat breaks down. I am going to copy this page and put it on my fridge. I marinate meat several times a week - this is very helpful. I love the recipe for the Kansas City BBQ sauce - it's on the menu tomorrow! We've already used the Greek Feta Sauce for our zucchini pancakes. YUM!

The chapter on Hors d'Oeuvres and Appetizers is particularly delightful. From Chicken Satay to Chinese Chicken Wings, this is a fun selection. My favorite, however (we've made it twice in the last week) is a Grilled Corn and Sausage Salad. Dare I repeat myself? YUM!

Another great recipe for all the corn that we're getting from the Amish farm stand down the block is Grilled Corn Soup. Truly a winner, this soup is both easy and delicious. One of my favorite ingredients from Minnesota is featured in Wild Rice, Corn, and Sausage Soup. We're enjoying both our local corn and our local, grass-fed sausage in these recipes.

Our family loves fish. We live on a lake. The recipe for Whitefish with Tarragon sauce has been easily adapted to bluegills. And yes, they were scrumptious! The funniest recipe title in the book is in this chapter - The World's Easiest Fish.

The meat chapters are where this book really shines, though - from Thai Marinated Chicken to Rhubarb Chicken (anything with rhubarb in it has my vote!); Korean Steak to Garlicky Flank Steak; Beer-Simmerered Sausages to Pork Chops with Apple Cream Sauce; German-style Pork Tenderloin to Kansas City Ribs. There are even 8!! recipes for burgers.

There's a chapter on Entree Salads, as well as one on Combination Cooking (where you start on the grill and finish in the oven). Each chapter is unique and showcases several food combinations or techniques that you can't find anywhere else. The pizza chapter notes the most essential part of grilling pizza - that the dough must be grilled on both sides (put the toppings on after you've flipped it), and that the size of the pizza must be small. We've learned this the hard way, over many years. Now you can learn to grill pizzas with excellent tips (and combinations!). There are a few grilled vegetable recipes - this section is my favorite. I grill just about every vegetable (and most fruits). I wish that she'd at least doubled this chapter, as there is NOTHING like grilled vegetables for great taste.

Lastly, there are chapters on non-grilled sides, non-grilled desserts, and grilled desserts. Nothing like finishing your meal with Grilled Oranges with Raspberry Sauce, or Candy Bar Quesadillas (not quite as bad as deep-fried snickers bars, available at any good midwest State Fair). My favorite recipe? Toasted cake with Berry Sauce. We can do this tonight - we've got some leftover poundcake (my mother-in-law's famous recipe) and lots of fresh berries. Although, I might put some of the cake in the freezer and bring it out again later this month, to grill and serve with grilled peaches.

This awesome cookbook ends with conversion charts, measurement tables, and an excellent index.

Whether you're a seasoned cook and griller, or just getting into using your very first grill, this book has something for everyone. From sharing regional favorites to global cuisines, this cookbook offers it all.