The Weber

I would have to say that this experience is on the same level as the birth of your first child. The emotions that rush through you when you bring home and unwrap that little bundle of joy. Eagerly watching the maturation as time passes on; as winters fade away to springs and summers to fall. The overwhelming feeling of unconditional love that washes over you when, at first glance, you realize you can love something THIS much. You know what I'm talking about... those feelings you get when you purchase your very first Weber Gas Grill.

 It was so exciting unpacking and assembling this brazen little beauty.  I didn't realized I was so amped about up this thing until I was asked, "are you still talking about grills?" Yes, as a matter of fact I am!  I'm in awe, and possibly obsessed, by the amount of food possibilities that seem to have opened up by having a gas grill. Up until this point, our house was an all-charcoal-house and I became seriously reluctant every time I realized that if I wanted to grill something, I had to get the coals, heat them up, wait 30 minutes, blah, blah, blah, work, work, work...Ugh, so much time wasted!!

But the Weber, oh the Weber, with your beautiful, individual electronic ignition and your 3 stainless steel burners with 38,000 BTU-per-hour input... AMAZING!!

We thought we would welcome the lovely new addition to our family by coming up with an entire dinner menu that can be done via grilling. Below, is what we came up with and I have to say, it was a mighty fine way to inaugurate The Weber (yes, capital T, The. If The Ohio State can do it, so can my grill!).

For the salad portion, we started off with a little Grilled Romaine with a Blue Cheese and Bacon Vinaigrette. Instead of cooking the bacon in a pan, we cooked it on the grill (need to get those porcelain-enameled Flavorizer® bars seasoned somehow, right?).  Next, we grilled the fattiest thing we could think of, some good ol' fashioned burgers. Normally, I go for the lean beef or even a turkey/chicken mix but for the sake of those Flavorizer® bars, I bit the bullet and got the 75/25 ground beef.  We didn't put anything fancy on them, just a little ketchup, mustard and Merkts Cheese. 

For dessert, we followed this recipe and whipped up some AMAZINGLY delicious Grilled Peaches. Granted, we had to veer away from the "everything on the grill" philosophy for a moment... but it was well worth it.   You know, it's well balanced meals like these that let you know that summer is on its way :)  So, all I have to say is... let the grilling adventures begin!!     

Pancake Muffins: Breakfast To-Go

I love pancakes! I mean honestly, who doesn't love a stack of fluffy deliciousness, topped with some creamy butter, covered in maple syrup with a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning? Oh, man, yum! If you don't, well then... I... I have no words. The only problem I have with pancakes is that they can be mildly time consuming to make, particularly when I'm only functioning at 1/4 my normal rate (let's just say it takes me awhile to wake up in the morning) and especially when I have house guests and need to provide an abundance of sustenance to six hungover individuals. One could be at the skillet for hours (more like 15 minutes, I know, but it FEELS like hours). Ugh, so daunting. It was while contemplating this little quandary that Pancake Muffins were born!!

I decided to make both blueberry pancakes and an updated version of "pigs in a blanket." So, I started off by browning some Jimmy Deans breakfast sausage in a skillet until it was golden brown. Then, I used some instant pancake mix (just some good ol' Bisquick) and whipped up a batch of batter (say that ten times fast... a batch of Bisquick batter... anyway), according to the directions on the box. I sprayed the muffin tin with Pam (I find it far less messy when I do this outside) and then divided the pancake mix accordingly.

I divided the sausage and blueberries, evenly, into the various compartments.

Then, using a spoon, I pushed the toppings towards the center until they were covered by the batter and popped the whole tin into the oven (preheated to 350 degrees) for 15 mins. I checked on them regularly, using the toothpick method to verify when they were done. After a couple minutes of cooling, I popped them out of the tin, cut them open and slobbered them with maple syrup. The consensus among the formerly intoxicated was unanimous... MMMMMMM.

I had some leftover muffins and realized that they would make perfect to-go breakfasts during the week. However, since they were thicker than normal pancakes, they were a little too dry to eat on their own. So, I channelled the geniuses at McDonald's and using a meat injector, injected the muffins with some maple syrup a la the McGriddle. No mess, no fuss, pure delight!