Cooking Out in the Rain

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous outside and (bonus!) it was my day off (for once). I went to the local garden center and to Home Depot to check out all of the new annuals and perennials that have arrived for the spring. When I got home, I planted some peppers and herbs in the garden, pulled some weeds and trimmed the shrubs. Then my husband and I took our dog for a long walk around the neighborhood.

It was so beautiful and sunny that we decided it would be the perfect day for a cookout and headed for the store in search of all the fixin's. We prepped the hamburger patties to suit our desires...giant burger for hubby and little burger for me; preheated the oven and popped my famous homemade steak fries in to cook for a good half hour; cut up all of the vegetables and green chile (an absolute must for hamburgers) to top our finished products.

Then, at the moment we stepped outside to fire up the gas grill, the sun disappeared behind ominous clouds and the sky opened up. And the rain came down in buckets. Just like that. For three hours. We discovered after the first hour of waiting patiently for it to clear up that you can indeed operate a grill in the pouring rain. It takes much, much longer for the food to cook, but it can be done. What is really interesting is watching the top of the grill sizzle and steam as the giant raindrops land on it. One can really open their pores standing over it...curious way to get a facial. Those burgers were mighty tasty, but I think that we'll watch the weather forecast next time. At least my new plants got a healthy drink. They'll be ready for the grill in no time!