Last week, I had the pleasure of joining The Motherhood and chef George Duran for an online cooking demonstration and Q&A session. George prepared two delicious meals on the grill and offered up a ton of great grilling advice. Aside from making me hungry for my past-due lunch, the half hour of watching George grill made me long for the return of warmer weather so that we can fire up the grill on a regular basis. I’m plotting ways to convince Eric to grill at least every other day. We’ll see if he’s willing to get on board with that plan or not.

In the meantime, here are some of the tips George shared with the audience.

…on grilling vegetables: George likes grilling zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant with the skin removed.  Spray the vegetable chunks or thick slices with PAM® and throw on the grill long enough to get grill marks on them, then remove and  season with salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil. Avoid thin veggies that fall through the grates, like asparagus spears. George also recommended using a grill mat by Cookina that he’s discovered for grilling veggies.

…on what fish to grill: Definitely try grilling salmon or other fish with skin. Lay skin side directly on the grill. Because it’s fatty, it won’t really stick, and you won’t be eating the skin, but it will help keep the fish moist.  Tilapia is also great to grill. It cooks quickly. Because tilapia fillets are typically skinless, be sure to use more PAM® non-stick spray to prevent sticking.

…on making burgers to please adults and kids: Put a twist on a classic cheeseburger by stuffing a cube of cheese inside a burger. To keep the cheese from melting and oozing out of the middle of your ground beef or turkey, freeze the cheese cubes before putting them inside the meat.

…on the best foods for grilling novices to try (besides hot dogs and burgers): Try thick chunks of veggies, and chicken breasts. Marinate thin-cut chicken, or use a dry rub and grill quickly on both sides.

…on cooking corn on the cob: George grills his corn with husks on, after trimming the ends of the husks. Don’t bother to soak; there’s plenty of moisture already inside the husk. Grill until husks are burnt, let cool for 5 minutes, and corn will be perfectly cooked.

…on cooking steak perfectly: Stick with grass-fed, organic beef. George says to sear the beef over direct heat, then finish cooking it over indirect heat. Use a meat thermometer to test doneness.  Digital or standard meat thermometer is fine.

…on grilling veggie burgers: Use your PAM® non-stick spray to prevent more burger sticking to your grill than ends up on your bun.  Toast the buns, too.

…on whether meat should come to room temp before grilling: George says, never, never, NEVER! A lot of bacteria can grow, and it’s totally unnecessary to have room-temperature meat for proper cooking. Sometimes George will even freeze thin cuts of meat before grilling so they have time to caramelize on the outside without overcooking on the inside.

…on grilling dessert: George says you can bake a cake on the grill using indirect heat (you can even do this on a campfire). Also recommended: Grilled Banana Split Sundae, in which pound cake, bananas, and cherries are skewered and grilled before the sundae is assembled. Grilling the ice cream is not recommended.

…on cleaning your grill grates: Have a very good, big, metal grill brush and replace it every year. Also have an adjustable spray bottle of water handy. After grilling, mist the grill, which creates steam, and scrub with your brush. Straight streams of water are good for taking care of flare-ups.

Click over to The Motherhood to watch the video and see George in action. Also, check out ReadySetEat for some great grilling recipes.

Last summer, we fell in love with grilling. For years before that, we want without grilling because we didn’t have the backyard space for a grill. But once we moved to a home with plenty of room for a grill, we started firing it up on a regular basis and my husband happily became the grill-master of the Miller household.

One of our favorite grilled items last summer was Fiesta Burgers. Simple, delicious and full of flavor!

Fiesta Burgers

• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes with diced chilies, drained
• 1 c. corn, thawed and frozen or fresh
• 1/4 c. diced fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 6 slices Monterey Jack cheese
• Hamburger buns
• Garnish: avocado slices, lettuce and tomatoes

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Ro*Tel, corn, fresh cilantro, salt, cumin and garlic powder. Shape into 6 evenly-sized hamburger patties.

2. Grill hamburgers until desired doneness. Just before removing from the grill, add a slice of Monterey Jack on top of each burger.

3. Place burgers on buns and garnish with avocado slices, lettuce and tomato slices.

We’re still learning the ropes of grilling and have been a bit hesitant about broadening our horizons beyond the basics of burgers, hot dogs, bratwursts and BBQ chicken breasts. So I am thrilled to be joining The Motherhood on Thursday, 4/5 for a Virtual Cooking Class with George Duran sharing some great grilling tips and recipes. Here’s all of the details for the class. I hope you’ll join me!

What: A virtual cooking school class called Firing Up the Grill: New Recipes, Flavors and Ingredients to Kick-Start Barbeque Season. The class is part of the Cooking Connections series on The Motherhood.  You can check out great easy grilling recipes ahead of time on recipe website Ready Set Eat here.

When: Thursday, April 5, at 1 p.m. ET.  It will last 30 minutes.

Where: TheMotherhood – here is the link to the page where the class will be held: http://bit.ly/Ha4xnV

About the class: It’s been a warm spring, giving us a head start on grilling season! Join celebrity chefGeorge Duran, coming to us via live video feed from his own backyard, as he shares his top grilling techniques and new flavor twists on old favorites.

Giveaway! We are also giving away two summer grilling gift baskets for class participation – don’t miss out!  There are TWO methods of entry if you’d like to get involved:

1) post your own idea for a hot dog or hamburger recipe in the text chat on this page: http://bit.ly/Ha4xnV. You must use one of these required ingredients in your recipe: Hebrew National, Ro*Tel, Hunt’s Ketchup, Hunt’s Canned Tomatoes, Gulden’s Mustard or Wolf Chili.

2) go to ReadySetEat.com ( http://bit.ly/HPon8R ), pick a recipe you’d like to try the next time you grill or host a barbecue, and post the name of the recipe in the text chat on this page: http://bit.ly/Ha4xnV

The class is sponsored by ReadySetEat.com and ConAgra Foods, and it is hosted by TheMotherhood.  I’ll be there with nine other bloggers to co-host the class, and I hope you’ll join us:

• Amy, Cajun Inspired Living
• Caryn, Rockin’ Mama
• Faith, An Edible Mosaic
• Jennifer, Mom Spotted
• Kelly, Kansas City Mamas
• Lisa, Life with Lisa
• Monet, Anecdotes and Apple Cores
• Vanessa, The Sew*er, The Caker, The Copycat-Maker
• Victoria, Veep Veep