Behind every grilling man...

may stand a grill-savvy woman!

Note:  This is a veggie burger with faux grill lines. 

According to this article from the NY times, Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for the Weber Grill hotline.  Here's the interesting kicker:  most of the callers are men and most of the help desk operators are women.  These grill savvy gals answer questions ranging from "How do I cook a squirrel?" to "What is the importance of a damper system in a charcoal grill?"
 
Hope you have a safe and tasty Memorial Day!

3223 reunion

During college I lived in a large rickety house with some great friends.  I always look back fondly on those days with my "3223 gals" because we laughed so much, shared so much, grew so much, and threw such great dinner parties.  With everyone now scattered to the four corners of the earth, it's always a special treat to meet up and share what's happening in each others' lives.  This year four of us are meeting in Philly and skyping another gal in Thailand.

Good-bye Michigan.  Hello Philly and gals!

I wonder what Hubby and Charlie will be up to while I'm gone...

       

An ode to basil

I'm so glad that summer is finally here.  The grocery stores and farmer's market have an abundance of affordable and delicious fresh produce.  Last night I paid an homage to one of my favorite herbs:  basil.

Classic margarita pizza

Roasted corn on the cob with basil butter

Summery deliciousness!

The gardens (pt 2)

After visiting the desert and the tropics, we ventured into the children's park.

I used the children's entrance and felt like Alice in Wonderland.

A large mouse greeted me with a kiss!

Hubby tried to reenact this pose with Charlie when we got home.  Charlie was not pleased.

These beautiful tulips reminded us of the Queen of Hearts' garden.

We also awoke a large sleeping dragon.  Lucky for us, he was quite friendly and showed us the way to the airport.

It was such a magical way to end a week with a good friend.

The gardens (pt 1)

Yesterday was Kim's last day with us.  We ended her visit with a trip to Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.  Below are some photos from our trip.  (I'm so pleased with how they turned out. Thanks hubby for showing me how to properly use our camera and thanks Tito Ric for showing me the magical 'rule of thirds.')

First, we saw plants that lived in arid climates.

These cacti look like living rocks or elephant trunks.

Doesn't this cactus look like a baseball or an Easter egg?

Then we visited the tropics.  Hello orchids!

This orchid looks like it's about the cast a spell.  "You shall not pass!"

There were huge leaves everywhere!

Tomorrow- photos of the children's park...