It’s something of a late birthday/anniversary present. My husband didn’t get it on time because we had so much else going on at the time. But this is something I’ve really wanted.

My husband already has a Weber charcoal barbeque. It’s great for a lot of things, great flavor when you cook with it, but the new one is a propane barbeque. Why? Because when it’s really hot out it’s nice to be able to cook a good dinner without heating the house up. When I lived with my mother while going to college, during the summer I would cook our dinner outside several times a week. It was just so nice to keep the heat out of the house.

The one feature I insisted upon was the side burner. Why only cook part of the meal outside? With a side burner I can do pretty much everything outdoors.

Cooking outside is also just a nice chance to spend time with Ariel. She loves to play outside, and obviously I can’t leave her alone with a barbeque running. And if I cook outside, we’re more likely to eat outside, then play together some more.