Yup, I'm crazy for the grill

Last Saturday morning I was bored and went for a hike through the snow way out in the woods on top of the mountain. Sorry but after a few hundred feet into the woods I realized I had not picked up my camera. There really wasn't much to take shots of anyway, just lots of snow and bare trees.

I was surprised because I didn't see any critters on my hike. Perhaps because I was making way to much noise crunching through the snow. I did see the tails and rears of several deer who had heard me and decided to take off running instead of meeting me.

Maybe they thought because they were so hungry and working so hard digging through snow hunting for a meal that I too might be looking for a meal!

I spent about three hours out in the sunshine but it was still very frigid and there is always at least a breeze blowing up on the mountain which makes one feel even colder.

I eventually came back home and immediately the feeling of boredom returned.

So what's an ole country boy do?

Well by now my son had managed to drag his tired rump out of bed and of course the first words from him were “what are we eating?”

Oh well I was a bit hungry myself, so I began thinking. That gets me in trouble quite a bit.

While going over in my head what I felt like making and eating there was a cooking show on TV. A lady was making spaghetti. My mind said spaghetti and meat balls. While watching and thinking I could see the sun shining outside through the window.

So as the son went out, got into his truck and went to cut some more firewood I decided spaghetti it would be. He almost seemed to be ready to drool when we were watching the lady make her spaghetti.

So I went to the kitchen and tossed the ingredients for a loaf of bread into the bread machine and got that started. Then I pulled the burger from the refrigerator and began getting the rest of the fixens for the meatballs ready.

I was really hungry so I fried myself a burger while I mixed them up.

I rolled the meatballs then sat down and ate my hold me over burger.

Then I went to the front porch. I never can leave well enough alone it seems...

Now I have two grills.

The big one,

which I use for really big grilling jobs. Many times an entire meal since there is also an oven attached which is great for smoking potatoes and other vegetables while baking them and it has enough grill surface to make enough to feed a crew. It's also great for smoking a roast or a stuffed chicken or small turkey.

I also have a small kettle grill, a really small easily portable kettle grill.

This I use for smaller grilling jobs and also take it along on day trips when we're going fishing or just hiking for the day.

And yes, that is about eight inches of snow laying on the railing. Hey we've been known to use the grills when the snow is falling and the wind is blowing. It kinda makes a winter day feel not quite so cold. Makes one appreciate getting back inside too.

So I got the charcoal started, went back to the kitchen and got the meatballs and put them on the grill.

Put the top on the grill and went back to the kitchen to get the spaghetti boiling and open a jar of the sauce I made last fall.

There is not a meatball that doesn't have a fantastic flavor when it's cooked on a grill. Mmm, smokey flavored meatballs.

By the time my son got back from the woods with a truckload of firewood the meal was ready to warm his body and fill his hungry belly. Uhh, we did not eat outside. We did that at the table with a warm radiator beside us.

So don't let the weather stop you from getting out and using the grill. You don't have to stand out in the cold watching it every minute. You know about how long it takes to cook and you just go back out when it's about time. You can watch from the window or door for any flareup problems. You can even sneak out to turn whatever your grilling and then run back in.

It's a great way to bring a smile to a cold hungry face.

Have a fun and smiling weekend!