Day 2

This picture represents one of the only redeeming features of life in the suburbs. That's right, I have three (count 'em... three) charcoal cooking implements out back. I've got the itty bitty Thermos brand grill, my Brinkmann smoker, and the Weber. This time of year, the Weber becomes a major factor in my weekly diet. I grill whenever there is time, rain or shine.

I know the folks two houses down probably look down on me for using charcoal, but I prefer it. If I wanted to cook over a gas flame, I'd go upstairs and turn on the stove. I enjoy making the fire, smelling the food mingling with the smoke, the idea that getting the proper cooking times and temperatures is a bit of an art... basically everything about cooking with charcoal.

Tonight, we had a small steak, a porkchop, garlic-chicken brats, italian sausages, grilled plantains, and potatoes cooked in the coals. I want to experiment with more grilled fruits and vegetables as the summer progresses, and if I can find a cheap one, I'd like to get a dutch oven for cooking in the coals.

As I stand back and look at this picture with a stranger's eyes, I have to laugh a little bit. Yes, our backyard is all-concrete. How Boston is that?

This picture also represents my discovery that blogger lets me send pictures directly from my phone to my blog. That's a cool little piece of software, but I don't know how much I'll use it. I would end up paying more for messaging and I can't exactly type one of these little missives on my phone's number pad. Still, as the year progresses, it may come in handy.