The Smells of Spring

Is there nothing better than the smell of freshly cut grass and charcoal grilling in the spring time? I love the smell of fresh cut grass in the spring it is a sure sign that summer is just around the corner.

I might be a few days early for our lawn actually needing to be mowed but I wanted to check out the lawn tractor since I fixed it. I had to replace both the lifting rods on the mower deck this spring. The lifting rods are what keep the mower deck level while mowing the lawn. One of the rods broke about a year and a half ago while the other one must of broke the last time I used it last fall. Now that I have replaced both rods and armed the mower deck with a new set of blades it is a mowing machine once again. That is why I wanted to mow at least part of our lawn today to make sure I had the deck level and to also make sure the height was high enough. After a little adjustment with the height I think I am ready for a season of mowing.


Another sign of spring, at least where we live in Wisconsin, is the sound of the race track Road America. Road America is about 1 mile from us but we can still hear the cars roaring around the race track. Road America is a road race track which means they just don't go around circles there. We plan on taking in a race or two while we live here. There really isn't any smells associated with the race track but it is still another sign of spring.

The last of of the smells today is the smell of the grill cooking, probably my favorite of all. Today's menu is grilled roasted turkey, garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, and grilled asparagus. The wife is working on a key lime pie which she just informed me won't be ready until tomorrow. This is the first try at the recipe she will be bringing with us to the key lime pie contest, otherwise known as John's open house.

Everything you see here was cooked on the Weber today, even the gravy. The turkey was roasted over charcoal for 3 hours with a little apple wood thrown in every now and then for a smoky flavor. The potatoes were roasted in tin foil with garlic and the asparagus was cooked over the remaining coals. Today I tossed the asparagus in olive oil, a little bit of salt and pepper before I cooked it. After it was cooked I sprinkled it with grated parmesan cheese. The gravy was cooked after the turkey was removed. I used the pan drippings and mixed some chicken broth and flour and cooked the gravy over the charcoal. The turkey gravy turned out a little darker then usual because of the smoking process of the turkey.

Overall I would rate this meal a 3.75 out of 5 forks. My only problem with the meal was it was a little salty for me and for that reason I can't give it a 4. I had brined the turkey overnight in a salt brine and I think this may be the reason for the salty flavor. I don't use much salt in my cooking so when I do use salt I can tell. For people who do use salt they probably wouldn't even notice. The salty flavor wasn't noticeable in the turkey but it sure was in the gravy.

Below is what the turkey looked like before it was cooked.

And here is a picture of what it looked like after it was cooked.

As you can see the turkey was a little dark after it was cooked. This is due to the apple wood I used to cook it with.

This is the first time I have cooked turkey on the grill so it was a learning experience. I think I will give it another try later in the summer.