Carpe diem

It's January. In Nebraska. And guess what? This past weekend it was 65 degrees. Hey-O! So, we did what any sane couple would do: fire up the grill.

Getting hot, hot, hot. And what goes well with grilling? Beer. Actually, it's a necessity.

Devin added some nice seasonings to the beef, and we headed outside to enjoy the sunshine and the wonderfully pleasant, summery scent of goodness on the grill.

Here's to grilling in January. Gorgeous day!

We used our fun burger press from our wedding registry to make some massive burger patties. I have absolutely no regrets. While we waited, Devin whipped up a pasta salad to accompany our side of fruit and prepped burger toppings. Then suggested we throw the onion slices on the grill. Um, yes!

Cheers to onions and grill marks!

So, here's your brief moment of summer for the day: hamburgers AND onions on the grill. Yeah, imagine that lovely scent. Nice, right? You're welcome.

That's an undeniably beautiful sight.

Devin even branded the burgers before serving, putting a most excellent birthday gift from his sis to good use.

Add a little extra flair to those grill marks.

Boom.

Own your burger.

There's no shyness allowed when building a burger. I mean, this is a burger created on a 65-degree day in the middle of winter. Do it up right.

Pile on the goods.

It was the ultimate burger experience. I savored its towering, saucy goodness because it could be weeks before the next bearable day to pour a beer and stand outside sans coat becomes available. Chances are it will be in the middle of the week. Or worse: on a Monday.

We like to take advantage of these opportunities in the off-season because they're uncommon. As of today, we started below zero with (20+ mph) wind chills in the 10 to 20 below zero range. Why does Mother Nature tease us so?

Until next time, here's to spontaneous, unseasonable meal prep that's good 'til the last bite. *Cheers*