First Grill of 2014

It happens every year - we always try to grill earlier than we really should, but when there's a random warm and less windy day, we jump on the opportunity to throw in an early grilling session - even if it ends up snowing a day or two later!

This year we finally had to cave in and get a new grill, as the old was rusted up and getting pretty gross after three years of freezing and thawing out in the shed. We've managed to luck out twice in a row now with grills and get the last display model pre-built and at a discount. Here's our new beauty with the charcoals heating up in the chimney starter:

Last year we kicked off the season by grilling up chicken sausage sandwiches and making homemade red pepper relish. Continuing in that tradition, we decided to make chicken burgers to kick off grilling season '14! These are made by mixing together one pound of ground chicken with whatever burger seasonings strike your fancy - onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley are all good places to start. We've also go some sliced onions and both green and red bell pepper that will be hitting the grill.

Now that it's all on the grill, Megan snapped a shot of Cristal and I sitting back and enjoying the weather.

The first sacrifices to the grilling gods were made as we turned over the vegetables. We forgot to put on the vegetable screen, so we lost a couple, but most of them made it out OK!

What's that delicious molten goodness oozing out of that burger at the back? That's Swiss cheese! When we put together our patties, we split the meat into two parts, lay down a slice of cheese, and then form them together so the cheese is on the inside.

Here we're putting together a burger with a side of baked fries. We didn't quite plan ahead enough on this first session to also grill the side, but we're planning on making some great potato and vegetable sides on the grill throughout the coming summer.

Here's a shot of the inside, which explodes with cheesy goodness!

For more outdoor cooking ideas, be sure to check out the recap of our 2012 grilling season with links to all the amazing ribs, burgers, pizzas, and more that were made that year.