some girls and a grill

You might have seen on my Facebook page the other night that we had a good old-fashioned American grill party. Betsy, an amazing cook, sometimes decides to cook an entire, multi-course meal...and we usually benefit from these spontaneous inclinations! 

Betsy put Kimberly in charge of the grill...and of course, I couldn't stay away from a fire. So we started as Betsy was finishing her preparations and everything was ready to cook. 

Attempt 1: notice the kerosene.

However, we hadn't planned for the fact that neither of us really knows anything about lighting charcoal fires. Kimberly had borrowed kerosene from a friend...but we quickly discovered the veracity of the saying that 'a kerosene fire is a fake fire.' 

Soon Betsy came out to check on the commotion...and we pulled her into the grill-lighting attempt.

Attempt 2. Notice Betsy's candle...we had run out of matches, so we were lighting pieces of paper on fire to tempt the charcoal with a flame. 

Betsy soon returned the grill responsibilities to Kimberly and I. She was ready to fire up the oven, but Kimberly wasn't quite convinced that the grill was completely donzo. So we tried again.

Attempt 3. Notice the determination in our posture...

Attempt 3 was actually successful! But it did require an intervention to remain so. Kimberly pulled out all the stops and started pouring kerosene on the fire by the jarful.

Fire! 

The grill was finally lit, the charcoal burning, and the hamburgers cooking. It only took us about an hour, some kerosene, a call for advice to the single guys' house, and Kimberly's determination to have American-grilled hamburgers! 

Once the burgers were on, we kept a close eye on the grill for two reasons: to keep the fire going and to keep the cats away! 

The final result? 

Hannah & I stoking the fire

The most amazing hamburgers ever cooked in Uganda!