Posts Tagged ‘Outdoors’

With the warm weather we’ve been having the last few days, I think its officially safe to say summer is on it’s way in! And what better way to spend a summer than outdoors with good friends and good food?

As a kid, I had the pleasure of growing up in the suburbs - while it could be pretty boring sometimes – there was no shortage of nearby parks, a large shady backyard for me to hang out in, and a BBQ to grill on (and most importantly, a dad who was WILLING to grill ;)

Even when I moved away to attend University, I often would return home to my parents for the summer – or, the few times I did get an out-of-town job I was always renting a house; which meant we had our very own yard, deck/patio, and barbecue. One particularly  hot summer, I recall my roommate and I even went as far as to buy one of those inflatable pools from Walmart and set it up in our backyard – now THAT was a cool summer (pun intended). 

Self admittedly, I’m a country girl at heart – I spent many summers at my grandparents farm in Creemore tanning, swimming, and playing in the fields… so this urban living thing is mildly new to me.

Even last year, when I moved to the city(ish) for school, I lucked out and lived in an awesome 3 bedroom house (in a not-so-awesome area, sadly, which is why I moved).

For the first time, I’m living in a low level apartment building; which equates to no backyard, no deck, no front porch or balcony, a very small “front yard” (I did manage to squeeze my plastic lawn chairs out there with a small table)… and no barbecue. 

What’s a girl to do?

After pouting over the prospect of cooking on my stove all summer (and constructing a list of nearby friends and relatives with barbecues and yards I could mooch off of), I had a brain wave – camping. barbecues.

They typically fold up and they take up very little space – so you don’t have to worry about one, where to store the darn thing, or two, your grill disappearing overnight from your front lawn. And the best part is you can get them at a very affordable price AND use them anywhere (like… taking camping, which I’m pretty excited about – no more dropping hot dogs into the camp fire!)

There’s a lot of options to choose from though, so I compiled a list of a few I think are great choices, depending on your lifestyle:

1. Camp Chef Weekender 2-Burner Stove, available for $108 at Walmart. This one comes with legs (whoo hoo!) so you don’t need a picnic table to cook on – huge bonus.  This one’s actually a stove with two burners, so it’s great for all your on-the-go cooking needs if you’re into outdoor living. That being said though, keep in mind that in ORDER to grill, you’ll need to purchase a barbeque box or grill top for it. It can also be used with a bulk propane tank.
2. Landmann Barrell Charcoal Grill, available for $129 at Walmart. If you’re looking for a BBQ to double as a camping grill, move on to #3. BUT – If you don’t camp, and just love barbecued dinner, read on. If you’re not in an apartment with a balcony you can grill on, you’ll need some semblance of storage for this grill – a shed? a storage locker? – as it doesn’t fold up. However, it DOES come on wheels so you can move it around fairly easily, and it doesn’t take up a lot of space either.
3. BBQ In A Box Charcoal, available for $29.99 at Canadian Tire. I just love this one – it’s so darn cute! It’s great for camping or road trips, as it’s absolutely TINY and travels well. No propane needed, and it even comes with a bag of charcoal and a spatula/tongs and fork. Awh!
4. Coleman Tabletop Grill, available for 79.99 at Canadian Tire. This is my new baby. I love to camp, so it will be great to bring along. The mini-propane tanks for this one run about 4.99, or $15 for a 3 pack. It’s easy to light, easy to use, and easy to clean. You will need a table or something to put it on thought, because it doesn’t have legs.
5. Woods Deluxe Single Burner Propane Stove with Grill, available for $79.99 at Canadian Tire. Again, this is one that’s great if you’re a camper, boater, or tailgate partier – it has both a grill AND stove top, and is pretty affordable. No matches needed to light (it has a button you push to ignite it). Like the Coleman one, you’ll need to make sure you have a table/surface to use it on.

I know I’ll be enjoying BBQ’d food in my little apartment this summer – and I can’t even begin to describe how awesome that is and how excited I am  - so I think I will leave it at that.