So I'm still eating reasonably healthy compared to my usual diet, and it tastes pretty good, too. My main complaint is that it takes a lot of prep to cook vegetables, and a lot of planning in terms of all the stuff you have to buy. Pictured at left is acorn squash with pecan butter glaze and a spicy-rubbed corn, both done on the BBQ.

Pictured next is the same squash, with some grilled asparagus. I've found that asparagus is one of my favourite things to grill; when cooked correctly, it's fantastic with just a bit of oil, salt and pepper, and even if you overcook it, it's still pretty damn good.

I can't imagine being a vegetarian-- I love eating meat too much. But I say that the same way that any addict says they love their fix. Eating meat is as much habitual as it is nutritional, and I'm taking an overdue look at my eating habits.

This is all prompted from a video I watched on TED.com presented by Mark Bittman about how meat production adversely affects the world. It's not a political or moral polemic, it's just a scientific look at how things would be better if we'd eat less meat.

I know that I like to BBQ, and I do enjoy how some BBQ'ed vegetables taste, so I've decided to spend a week trying to eat vegetarian via my BBQ.

After some quick Googling, I picked out a half-dozen recipes and bought all the ingredients. It was the most vegetables I'd ever bought at one time. Tonight I made mediterranean grilled vegetable sandwiches with grilled asparagus and prosciutto with orange mayonnaise (pictured above).
The verdict? The asparagus was delicious, but the mayo was a bit fatty and overwhelming. The sandwich was much more bland than I'd expected-- some fresh basil will spice it up-- and I need to use a roll, or simple split bun instead of slicing the french bread diagonally (which lets the juices leak out, and shreds the roof of your mouth). In fact, the sandwich was so bland, I had to have another to be sure.

I also really underestimated the portions. When the recipe says "serves 4," it's not like how a pack of Kraft Dinner, or a large steak can serve 4. I couldn't have eaten another bite, and I have at least two full portions of everything left over.

Funny thing: a little while after dinner, I had an orange. It was fantastic. Then I had an almost nervous tic for some chocolate; I had a brownie in the fridge given to me by a student, but after a couple of bites, I felt kind of grossed out and couldn't finish it.

Yes, that worries me too.

I have had the patience of a Sith Lord in exile, but finally, all my appliances, including my insanely expensive Vermont Castings barbeque, are finally working.

The manager at Calgary Home Appliance was kind enough to send over a replacement unit after only 3 failed repair attempts. The delivery guys who brought it in told me there was a BBQ cover inside the unit for me (it was all wrapped up and I couldn't check.

"If it's not in there, just call the store and they'll have one for you."

After I unwrapped it, I was overcome with complete not-surprise at the total lack of BBQ cover contained inside the grill.

I have to return a quick-connect doohickey to the store anyhow, so I'll update you on whether I get my cover or not.

The good news is that all the burners light, crossover, and heat up perfectly. In fact, with them all on high the thing gets so hot that it doesn't register on the thermometer (that's over 600°F)!

My favourite BBQ trick it to leave all the burners on high for a few minutes after I'm done cooking. This chars any food bits stuck to the grill and makes scraping it clean dead easy.

Now all I need is my furniture, and I can have my housewarming party! Watch for your invitations in early November, 2009!

Like most things I set my mind to, the decision to put off buying a stove is putting a huge cramp in my lifestyle. But on the flip side, as it usually happens when my lifestyle is cramped, I have adapted with only minor discomfort, and a good story. In fact, it's amazingly easy to live with only a microwave and fridge, as long as you are willing to eat out a lot.
For example: 2 large pizzas from the place down the street cost me $24 including tip. These pies will last me at least 4 dinners, and I do have a fridge and microwave in order to make them palatable.

If I want to eat better, I splurge on sushi, or a dinner or soup/sandwich combo from The Main Dish.

All of these places are either attached to, across the street from, or within a 5 minute walk from, my condo. It's awesome.
I understand that some people live by microwave and fridge alone, and I intend to investigate this phenomenon the next time I visit my grocer's freezer aisle. I am very interested in a specific brand known as Hungry Man, that focuses on the weight of their dinners, rather than the taste.
I have several pounds of Alberta beef in my freezer, waiting for my barbecue to be delivered, but after I put it together and connected it to the gas, the burners acted... well, funny.
I'm going to take a video and put it on here soon so you can see what I'm talking about. And so I can blackmail the repair company until they hurry up and fix it.

Meanwhile, I use my microwave so much that I've actually appreciated its feature to turn off the beeping noise. BEEP... BEEP... BEEEEEEEEEEP.

When we last left our intrepid new homeowner, he was considering having gas installed in the kitchen. Let's join the adventure in progress....

The builder says $3,500 to run gas to the kitchen. I am skeptical. I call a private gas fitter who confirms that this is probably more than double what it should cost. I can't get the private guy in until the builder is finished, at which point I will need to OK the work with the Condo Board, which isn't even established yet (and may not be for months).

Sigh.

Always looking for the silver lining, I went back to the appliance dealer. I found a nice gas BBQ for my balcony: $879. I looked at the price tag on the stove included with my basic appliance package: $879.

"Hey," I said to the dealer. "I have a crazy idea." I explained my situation, and he agreed to swap the BBQ for the stove, so that I can wait until the whole kitchen-gas thing gets resolved before I make my stove decision.

Cool. I love BBQ cooking. I just have to figure out how to make cookies in there.