Archive for February, 2010
Valentines Gifts for the Grilling Fanatic
Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Grilling Fanatic
What’s the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the grilling fanatic? A brand new, shiny red George Foreman grill, of course! Not only do several of our grills come in red to give a little nod to the holiday, but they’re basically gifts that keep on giving. Your valentine gets the grill on Valentine’s Day, then meals made with love for many days to come. Not only that, but the healthy cooking technology with our patented slope and nonstick coating help them eat healthier, too – and what better way to show someone you care! So much better than a box of chocolates in our opinion.
Amongst the grills we offer in red is our premier 360 Grill with 5, round, removable plates that let you grill, griddle, bake and make quesadillas all in one appliance. It has variable temperature control for precise cooking, plus the plates and accessories are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
We also have the G-Broil Grill that features a special, extra-high float & lock hinge that lets you grill thick cuts of meat or even melt cheese to top burgers directly on your grill. For a burger-loving valentine, this makes a perfect gift, because you can get the perfect melt on a cheeseburger without a lot of extra work.
Locking side latches for vertical storage also make this a good grill for homes with tight spaces like condos and apartments, so your valentine can have their grill even if they don’t have a big backyard for BBQing.
Our final featured, Valentine’s Day red George Foreman grill is our classic Next Grilleration G5 Grill. Like the 360 Grill, it has additional plates so you can do more with one appliance. This grill comes with plates to grill, griddle, bake and make waffles. The plates are removable and dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning. The grill also features variable temperature control and all of our Healthy Cooking features.
All of these grills are available for purchase, both in major retail stores and online.
A Romantic Dinner at Home
How to save money and calories by doing Valentine’s at home
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and it’s time to start planning something special for your sweetie. Although Valentine’s dinner is often a meal out at an expensive restaurant, a pricey meal may be prohibitive this year for lots of people. Instead of scrimping on dinner, why not bring the meal home? You can keep the romance and elegance – and possibly have an even better romantic meal than you could ever have in a restaurant packed with other people!
The Refined Flavors of Romance
Numerous books and recipes exist for romance-infused foods – certain types of foods, spices and seasonings that are said to spark romance around the table. Master of Gastronomy Amy Reiley includes the following foods as romance enhancers in her book, Fork Me, Spoon Me:
- Almonds
- Chile
- Chocolate
- Figs
- Ginger
- Honey
- Mango
- Mint
- Peach
- Rosemary
- Almonds
- Saffron
- Vanilla
Many of the above ingredients can be used in marinades and sauces for grilled meats like lamb, pork or chicken. Just a subtle hint of any of these ingredients can bring passion to your dinner plate and add to the romance of your Valentine’s Day celebration at home.
The other nice thing about cooking at home besides adding a bit of romance directly to your plate is that you can control what you and your significant other are eating. Portion control, cutting the fat by cooking on your George Foreman grill and limiting fattening ingredients means that Valentine’s Day dinner won’t destroy any diets or health commitments. You can treat yourself without packing on the pounds or weighing yourself down with a lot of rich, fattening foods. It’s a romantic meal without the day-after guilt.
Setting the Mood
Once you have your romance-infused menu, you just need to set the mood in your home to bring out the passion. In Entertaining Simple, Matthew Mead champions the idea that you don’t have to be extravagant to make an event special at home. The idea is that you can “restore sanity to entertaining, without sacrificing style.”
To do this, you just need to plan well and focus on using what you have so you don’t break the bank in bringing your Valentine’s Day dinner home. Instead of investing in expensive special tableware, use what you have and get creative. “Use your computer to print out designs to dress up glass plates, wrap around napkin rings or dangle from drinks; or employ low-tech rubber stamps to achieve similar effects.”
In addition to using prints and stamps to decorate, Mead also recommends that ribbons, stickers, buttons or charms can be used around the table in the centerpiece, on plates or as baubles on the table. You can even use cheaper flowers like carnations or daisies, rather than expensive long-stem roses.
The really great thing about bringing Valentine’s Day dinner home is that you can make it extremely personal to you and your valentine. The items that you use to decorate can be anything from trinkets you’ve picked up on your travels, to personal photos printed and laid under your glass plates. Everything from the food that’s served to the table settings is done with love and just for the two of you. It’s a truly personal Valentine’s Day experience, done simply at home.
Super Bowl Party Snack: Grown-Up Grilled Cheese
This recipe is a grown-up take on a childhood classic. The sandwiches can be made on any George Foreman grill – just make sure not to overload the grill plate if you have a smaller model. After you’re finished grilling the sandwiches, simply quarter them into triangles and lay them on a platter for a perfect Super Bowl party snack.
Also makes a great Sunday afternoon treat for the family!
Gourmet Grilled Cheese
- 4 slices hearty wheat bread
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 6 slices crisp bacon
- 4 slices (about ⅓ lb.) white Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup arugula
- 2 tbsp. bottled balsamic vinaigrette
Spread melted butter on one side of each slice of bread.
Place 2 slices of bread buttered side down on a cutting board. Top each slice of bread with tomato, bacon, cheese and arugula. Drizzle each sandwich with 1 tbsp. vinaigrette. Cover with remaining slices of bread with buttered side up.
Place on your preheated George Foreman grill (set at HIGH for variable temperature control grills) and close lid. Grill 3-4 minutes or until sandwich is golden and cheese is melted.
Makes 2 sandwiches.
Temp to Taste™ Grill
Controlling Temperature for Better Results
If you like cooking a lot of different types of food on your grill, then variable temperature is almost a must. Although you can use a grill with no temperature control to cook things like fish and veggies, you need a thermometer to measure the internal temperature and avoid overcooking. Temperature control allows you to set your grill more precisely to the type of food you’re cooking, leading to better results on your table.
Our Temp to Taste™ Grill series is designed with just that in mind. An easy to use slide temperature control lets you set the temperature specifically for the type of food, so it’s easier to get the best results. The extra-high floating hinge automatically adjusts to the thickness of food, so you can do anything from sliced zucchini to lamb chops in the same appliance, cooking each to its best with the precise temperature control. In short, it’s got the versatility to fit your versatile tastes.
In addition to these features, the Temp to Taste™ Grill series also features our signature Healthy Cooking combination. This includes our patented sloped design, George Tough™ nonstick coating and Signature Foreman embedded heating elements. These features together allow you to cook without oil or butter, while allowing unhealthy fat and grease to drain away from food. The embedded heating elements also help in providing better heat across the entire surface of the grill plates, plus faster temperature recovery once food is placed on the grill surface. This temperature recovery helps to better maintain your desired cooking temperature to ensure the results you want.
The grill size is 80 Sq. In., which fits 4 servings of chicken breasts, burgers or most other grill items. Other grill features in the Temp to Taste™ Grill series include an on/off switch for added peace of mind, plus dishwasher-safe accessories for easy cleaning. You can get the grill in silver from a number of major retailers – online or in-store. There is also a black version that will be available next month at select retailers.
Super Bowl Snack Attack
Make your party food a hit with George Foreman
Super Bowl XLIV is set for February 7th of this year. To make your Super Bowl party planning easy – and a little healthier – we’re giving you a few ideas on how to use your George Foreman grill to handle all the party snacks you need to satisfy your Super Bowl crowd.
Tailgate Party Fare
From cheeseburgers to hot dogs, your George Foreman grill can bring all your favorite tailgate foods inside for your Super Bowl party. Depending on where you live, it’s probably still too cold to BBQ outside, so your electric grill is the perfect way to keep your favorite football foods supplied. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and brats can all be done in less than ten minutes, so it’s easy to make enough for all your guests.
Tex-Mex Treats
If you have a 360 Grill™ with quesadilla plates or our Quesadilla Maker, you can do stuffed-pocket quesadillas for another party platter. Since you make 6 quesadilla slices at a time, you can do several rounds of cooking to get a full spread with several stuffing options, like beef, chicken and vegetarian or plain cheese.
Another great Tex-Mex party food is fajitas. For quick and easy fajita meat, just marinate your chicken or beef in some lime juice with cilantro, cumin, pepper and chili powder to taste (you can do this the night before to make game-day cooking easier). Cook the meat, then cut across the grain in finger-length strips. To make this a party platter item, simply use mini tortillas, add the meat and let you guests go to town with toppings.
Mini Sandwiches
Finger foods make the best Super Bowl snacks because your guests don’t have to look away from the action to get a bite to eat – just reach and grab. Store-bought mini sandwich platters aren’t the most exciting thing in the world, but if you make the sandwiches from scratch at home, you can take standard party fare and make it masterful. You also get the added benefit of doing hot sandwiches, instead of cold, to make the platter a little heartier for all your hungry guests.
You can do this with any of your favorite sandwiches, but we highly recommend adding the Grown-Up Grilled Cheese recipe from this month’s recipe feature to your list.
Party Day Tip:
Making full-size burgers for a large number of guests may be too much. If you have a lot of guests coming, divide your burger meat into 3.5-ounce servings to make mini-burgers or sliders.
Party Day Tip #2:
Always check with your guests to see if you have a vegetarian or vegan in your group. If so, make sure to have some non-meat options on your party menu. Hot veggie sandwiches are a great way to ensure your vegetarian guests don’t get stuck with just veggie dip.
Game-Day Desserts
If you have a variable temperature grill with a deep-dish bake plate (needs to have high sides), you can do desserts directly on your grill, too. From sweet corn griddle cakes to brownies, you just have to adjust the cooking time for the different type of appliance. Simply set the cooking temperature to the same one listed on the package directions and check the dessert for doneness periodically before the listed cooking time to avoid overcooking.
