New BBQ

Matthew and I have been saving our Canadian Tire money for a while in hopes of getting a new barbeque. We had our sights set high for a $250 one, but got a little bit impatient in our desire to grill, and so decided this past week that we could definitely settle for the $190 one instead. I mean, a free barbeque is a free barbeque. Do we really need a shiny one? (which, by the way, was totally the only reason I wanted the other one. Don't tell Matt. I fed him some story about how important it was that the side grill had a cover and that that was absolutely worth the extra $60.)

So we bought it Tuesday, Matthew set it up on Wednesday, and Thursday we were grilling grilling grilling! Thursday we had hamburgers, Friday we cooked up some ribs and had Dave and Farrah over for ribs and wings, Saturday was more hamburgers, and Matthew is cooking up some steaks right now as we speak. Or rather, as I write. Type. Whatever.

I had to document our first grilling adventure, because it was just that exciting.

Our new bbq, in all its black glory. I think I'll call it Blacky, so that it doesn't feel sad that it's not Shiny. It needs to know I love it.

Insert an, "Arrrrrrg!" and you have Matthew: the lean, mean, grilling machine!

Chef Master or Master Chef? I'm not too sure. It doesn't matter either way though. He'll always be Blacky to me.

Matt says this shot is overexposed and that I shouldn't post it, but I just don't feel like altering a shot of ketchup in photoshop. Nothing spells waste-of-time better than fixing a shot of condiments. Besides, I like the exposure. And the shot. So let him eat cake.

We already knew that cheese went well with burgers, but I'd like to personally thank and shake the hand of the person who thought to put the cheese IN the burger!

You're hungry just looking at it, right? And yes, I artistically arranged the lettuce and onions on my burger, and squished it down a little to let the mustard and ketchup ooze out the side just so. What you can't see in this photo is Matthew's nearly empty plate, as he unartistically but very practically went ahead and ate his burger without any attention to detail and every attention to taste.

We are very happy with our barbeque and so glad we decided to buy it when we did. Thursday, Friday and Saturday were days straight out of summer, with the temperature getting as high as 28º C at one point (which is around 86º F for you American-minded Canadians and what-not!)

The weather has cooled off again (only up t0 18º today. Wah.) but I don't mind so much when I think of what it could be like. The following is a photo of almost this exact date 5 years ago, when we had a big snowstorm the first weekend in April, causing power outages and the like. That's unpredictable Canadian spring weather for you, though. It could be sweltering hot. It could be frigidly cold and blizzarding. Or it could just be plain old Spring.

I'm so glad this year, when we bought our barbeque, that the first weekend in April (which also happened to be Easter) turned out to be so gorgeous and conducive to grilling. Because we'd have been outside in the snow anyway, we're that jazzed.