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We had guests staying with us at the beach this weekend, so I decided that we would have a cookout on Friday night instead of eating out at one of the overpriced, under-delicious restaurants in town.

Everyone loved the idea, and then I panicked, because cookouts actually mean cooking out, which means that I would have to cook, or do some reasonable facsimile of cooking.

What to do?

I chose a simple menu. I decided on hamburgers, potato salad, green salad, corn on the cob, and strawberry shortcake.

Then, I braved a trip to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for the feast.

I made a list so that I wouldn't forget anything, and off we went. As I was reviewing the list, I walked past the deli counter.

"Look, Joe! I was going to make potato salad, and they've done it for me!" I exclaimed.

You know what? Not only did the grocery store make the potato salad for me, they also made the green salad, and they shucked the corn, and they even formed the hamburger patties!

Who knew? (Okay, I did.)

I did make the shortcake (using my favorite staple food) and cut up the fresh strawberries and whip the cream. But mostly I dumped stuff into bowls or put it on plates.

And Joe cooked the burgers.

Everything was wonderful and everyone had a great time - especially me. I could concentrate on my guests instead of chopping onions, boiling potatoes, washing lettuce, and slicing tomatoes.

Now that's my idea of a cookout!