The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department will ban open fires in city mountain and desert preserves effective Monday, May 13. In consultation with the Phoenix Fire Department, smoking and charcoal fires are included in the ban due to the extreme fire danger that the combination of low humidity, increasing temperatures and frequent high winds creates each spring. Additional information on the ban is available online at phoenix.gov/parks.

Super Bowl Sunday surely is one of the meatiest eating days of the year. But it’s still somewhat surprising the lengths some people will go to push their game day feed over the top. Last year, for example, some enthusiastic carnivores went as far as to build football arena replicas out of deli meats, cheese and bread.

My mouth is watering, and there’s not a thing I can do about it.

Few foods are as satisfying as a golden potato pancake that is soft and tender inside, but crispy outside. But this simple dish so often is bungled. It can be undercooked, overcooked and/or soaked in grease.

Mmmm. Nothing says good eats like soy residue.

A few years ago I created a recipe for a killer barbecue sauce. It was exactly the way I like it — thick, rich, a lot savory, a little sweet and bursting with cumin, smoked paprika and so many other delicious seasonings.

When we think of steaming, we generally think stovetop cooking. And during the heat of summer, that can make this very healthy form of cooking seem very unappealing.

Remember wine coolers? Turns out they’re not actually all that cool these days.

From the Department of Things You Did Not Know You Had to Worry About comes a new advisory: Don’t eat your barbecue cleaning brush.

The best dinners are those that not only are delicious in their own right, but that also leave ample leftovers that can be easily reworked into an equally delicious lunch the next day.

The best dinners are those that not only are delicious in their own right, but that also leave ample leftovers that can be easily reworked into an equally delicious lunch the next day.

I recently spent two glorious barbecue-filled weeks in Austin, where I happily cooked for 1,200 hungry folks at a food festival.

Ahwatukee’s Independence Day fireworks celebration will be fired from its location at the Ahwatukee Country Club. Enjoy great food, live music and fireworks at the 37th celebration of Red, White & Boom! Presented by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, Red, White and Boom will be on Tuesday, July 3 starting at 3 p.m., and will be one of the most exciting events to hit our streets all summer.

Ahwatukee’s Independence Day fireworks celebration will be fired from its location at the Ahwatukee Country Club. Enjoy great food, live music and fireworks at the 37th celebration of Red, White & Boom! Presented by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, Red, White and Boom will be on Tuesday, July 3 starting at 3 p.m., and will be one of the most exciting events to hit our streets all summer.

Many are braving the Phoenix heat for staycations this summer. If you go to the Arizona Grand Resort in Ahwatukee, be sure to check out this offering:

Ready to meet the new meat?

Whether you prefer your tacos hard and crunchy or lean more to the softer side, this grilled shrimp filling perfect for a summer barbecue will leave you satisfied.

Memorial Day may be the official start of summer, but I’ve always thought of Father’s Day as the kickoff of serious grilling season.

Memorial Day may be the official start of summer, but I’ve always thought of Father’s Day as the kickoff of serious grilling season.

Dads love grilling. Dads love burgers. Trouble is, good burgers don’t always love Dad back.

Dads love grilling. Dads love burgers. Trouble is, good burgers don’t always love Dad back.

So you’re having a barbecue this weekend and you want to keep it at least a little healthy.

So you’re having a barbecue this weekend and you want to keep it at least a little healthy.