We did NOT go shopping. In fact, I have never been to a store the day after Thanksgiving. Why ruin a perfectly happy record. What we DID do is remodel the outdoor cooking area in our front yard. And when I say WE, I mean the Farmer Man did all the work while I supervised from a lawn chair.
This is the old, much beloved cooking area. We have made many meals here in the last two years. We learned that it had some flaws, however. Notice the crab apple overhanging the whole affair. Every summer for the last two years that poor tree has borne the crisped evidence of a family who loves to cook out. We also learned that our original plan was too small and it blocked traffic flow in the yard. So, we finally set out to improve the plan and clean up the mess.
Here is the site for the new cooking area. Everthing was leveled, mostly, and roots etc were removed. The excavated area behind the cooking area will eventually be a small patio where I can set up a prep/serving table. We do a lot of entertaining in our yard in nice weather.
The base is being laid. Moving these cinder blocks wasn't too bad, though a couple of them are fairly heavy.
Here is the finished overview of the new cooking area. There is a flat spot to the left where we can put lid lifters, rest lids, put the salt and pepper shakers, etc. Next to it there is a cooking well that accomodates on of our grill racks perfectly so it can be used for either dutch oven cooking or grilling. The next well will serve as a place to start the coals and keep additional coals heating. Love this! It also fits the smaller grill perfectly so we can use it to cook if needed. The third bay is perfect for dutch oven cooking or for setting finished ovens to rest before serving. There is another, smaller, flat area to set lid lifters and utensils. The front features a lovely stone landing which I adore. Now, those stones were a buggar to move. Made me hurt to watch!
A close up of one of the paver stones. Isn't it cute?
Here you can see the diffenrent wells and the grills we use. I can hardly wait to cook here!
This is the old, much beloved cooking area. We have made many meals here in the last two years. We learned that it had some flaws, however. Notice the crab apple overhanging the whole affair. Every summer for the last two years that poor tree has borne the crisped evidence of a family who loves to cook out. We also learned that our original plan was too small and it blocked traffic flow in the yard. So, we finally set out to improve the plan and clean up the mess.
Here is the site for the new cooking area. Everthing was leveled, mostly, and roots etc were removed. The excavated area behind the cooking area will eventually be a small patio where I can set up a prep/serving table. We do a lot of entertaining in our yard in nice weather.
The base is being laid. Moving these cinder blocks wasn't too bad, though a couple of them are fairly heavy.
Here is the finished overview of the new cooking area. There is a flat spot to the left where we can put lid lifters, rest lids, put the salt and pepper shakers, etc. Next to it there is a cooking well that accomodates on of our grill racks perfectly so it can be used for either dutch oven cooking or grilling. The next well will serve as a place to start the coals and keep additional coals heating. Love this! It also fits the smaller grill perfectly so we can use it to cook if needed. The third bay is perfect for dutch oven cooking or for setting finished ovens to rest before serving. There is another, smaller, flat area to set lid lifters and utensils. The front features a lovely stone landing which I adore. Now, those stones were a buggar to move. Made me hurt to watch!
A close up of one of the paver stones. Isn't it cute?
Here you can see the diffenrent wells and the grills we use. I can hardly wait to cook here!
This is so neat:)Hugs Darcy
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