Jayni Carey’s first experience with a Weber grill was in 1983, when she was dating her now-husband, Frank.

Frank grilled steaks for dinner on the charcoal-burning grill.

“I instantly knew I was in love – and not only with Frank,” Carey said.

Now, Carey, host of “Jayni’s Kitchen” on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6, has a new way to show her love for Weber grills. She’ll be featured in a national Weber TV advertisement starting this spring, giving a testimonial to the Weber gas grill she’s used for 17 years.

A crew was in Lawrence last week to film the commercial.

“Nothing has ever broken on this grill,” Carey said. “We’ve had to replace the grill grids and flavorizer bars, but we’ve never had a knob break. The thermometer’s never broken. Nothing’s ever rusted. We haven’t babied it that much.”

Carey first shared her story about the grill on Weber’s Web site, www.webernation.com, which posts stories from grill users. The company contacted her last month, asking her to do the commercial.

Jamie Fleischel, left, and Matt Leonard, of Picture Show video production studios, film Jayni Carey using her 17-year-old Weber grill. The crew was in town last week filming for a Weber advertisement that will air beginning in April.

“The whole theory behind the campaign is there’s people from all walks of life, all stages of life, all over the country, and the one thing they have in common is they cook in their backyard with a Weber grill,” said Jamie Fleischel, a partner with Picture Show, the firm that filmed the ad.

He expected Carey’s commercial to focus on her show. The ad crew filmed a taping of her show in addition to filming her cooking a rack of lamb on her grill.

“It’s about her as an owner and the fact she’s had a gas grill for 17 years,” Fleischel said. “It’s made it through 17 Kansas winters outside. The part that makes her a little unique is she uses this grill on the TV show filmed at her home.”

The commercial is expected to begin airing in April. There will be 30-second and 60-second versions for TV, a two-minute version for trade shows and a three-minute version for the company’s Web site.

Carey said she pretty much grills everything on her Weber – hamburgers, seafood, lettuce and other vegetables for salads and even desserts. And she uses it year-round.

Now, Carey said, she’s eager to see what kind of national exposure “Jayni’s Kitchen” gets out of the commercial.

“I don’t know if I can stand it,” she said. “I can hardly wait.”

As seen (soon) on TV

Recipes Jayni Carey cooked for the Weber grill television commercial filmed last week:

Grilled rack of lamb

2 racks of lamb, trimmed

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Remove all fat from the lamb. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine mustard, rosemary and garlic. Spread half the mixture evenly over the meaty side of each rack. Place the bread crumbs in a bowl. Add the melted butter and toss to coat. If using a gas grill, preheat the grill on high heat. Place the racks of lamb in the center of the grill. Cover the grill and immediately reduce heat by turning off the center burner to allow the lamb to cook over indirect heat. Lamb is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees for medium rare, or 140 degrees for medium, or approximately 15 to 25 minutes. If using a charcoal grill, heat the charcoal until very hot. Carefully arrange the coals around the edges of the grill. Place the racks of lamb in the center of the grill over indirect heat. Cover the grill and proceed as directed above. Remove the lamb racks from the grill and place them on a platter. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. To carve, slice between each rib into individual chops.

Grilled potatoes and onion

4 white potatoes, 4-5 ounces each

1 medium onion

Salt and black pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Rinse potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Thinly slice each potato about three-quarters of the way through, leaving the potato intact. Place each potato on a large piece of aluminum foil. Slice the onion in half. Place each onion half cut-side down on a cutting surface and thinly slice. Insert some of the onion slices between slices of potato. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and pour 1 tablespoon of melted butter over each. Wrap the potatoes tightly in the foil and place them on the grill over medium heat, or medium charcoals. Cover the grill and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the onions begin to caramelize.

Grilled tomatoes

4 small tomatoes, 2-3 ounces each

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

Slice off the tops of the tomatoes. Season each tomato with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Place the tomatoes on the grill, cut side down, over high heat on a gas grill, or over hot charcoals. Cover and grill the tomatoes for about 2 minutes, until lightly charred. Turn, cover and grill for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Rum-grilled peaches with ice cream & rum sauce

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup dark rum

3 peaches, ripe but firm

Vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

To make rum sauce, combine buttery, honey, brown sugar and rum in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and cool to room temperature. Peel the peaches, pit and cut each into 12 wedges. Place them in a shallow baking dish. Stir the cooled rum sauce and pour 1/4 cup over the sliced peaches, turning gently to coat with the sauce. Marinate the peaches at room temperature for about 15 minutes before grilling. Place a grill basket on the grill and heat over high heat on a gas grill, or over hot charcoals. When hot, spoon peaches into the basket, cover and grill them for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Turn the peaches over with a metal spatula. Cover and grill for 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the grilled peaches to a platter to cool.

To serve, place large scoops of vanilla ice cream in dessert bowls. Arrange the grilled peach slices around the ice cream. Stir the reserved rum sauce and spoon over top. Garnish with toasted almonds.