I have considered buying a small indoor grill since my apartment does not allow my gas grill. I so miss outdoor grilling. Excited about the prospect of using "my" grill, I thought I would cook some kabobs for my sister and I on my last night at the house. Of course, as things go, it decided to pour rain that night. It was beautiful weather the whole week prior! I guess planning a grill night is like getting your car washed. That is the time the sky opens up and let's you know who "really" is in charge!
My mother has a George Foreman indoor grill and I have always wanted to see how well it worked for vegetables and fish. This was my chance.
I cut up some green pepper, yellow squash, mushrooms and onion then marinated them in an Italian Vinagrette (I chose whatever my mom had in her fridge!). I also took some already cooked and cleaned shrimp that she had in her freezer and defrosted them in water, then marinated them in a combination of Sonny's Barbecue Sauce mixed with a Mango Sauce she had on hand (obviously my mother has a well stocked fridge!).
So here is what happened.... I put the vegetables on the grill first. I don't think I preheated it enough and the first thing I noticed was, I had forgotten to put down the drip pan. Between the the water in the vegetables and the vinagrette, I had to rush to contain the drippings! Not only that but the vegetables were sliding down the grill.
Once I was able to slow down the sliding vegies and close the grill, all seemed in order. You know the saying, "a watched pot never boils" ? Well checking the vegies constantly does not help the grilling process. Not only that, but with the lack of preheating, they seemed to be stewing not grilling.
Having a degree of ingenuity, I came up with a not so healthy but equally tasty solution, garlic butter. Yes, my mother also had a tub of Land o Lakes Garlic butter in her fridge (she's such a thoughful mother!). I melted a bit of it and brushed a little on the vegies. Voila' my vegies quit stewing and started browning, leaving some very attractive grill marks.
I did try putting some vegies on a skewer but that didn't fare too well. The grill didn't close down enough to create enough heat. So, when the (loose) vegies were done, I simple replaced the grill pan with a plate and slid them onto it.
I did skewer the marinated shrimp. With them all arranged in the same direction, they were flat enough for the grill. I added a little...yup..here it is again...garlic butter to the marinade, (Paula Deen would be proud of me) brushed a little on each shrimp and grilled them to perfection.
In the meantime, I cooked the only rice my mother had available (you didn't think I was actually going to the store for anything did you?), long grain "white" (blasphemy) rice.
Dinner was delicious! Once I get the hang of it, I think old Georgie will be a great addition to my pescatarian lifestyle. A little butter won't kill me. Will it?
