Cuisinart Griddler Grill from Costco

A few weeks ago I made a big mistake. I put the "lower plate" in the "upper part" of my favorite kitchen tool- the Cuisinart Griddler Grill. It got stuck. Very stuck. So stuck that 3+ hours of pulling, pushing, reading the manual word for word and troubleshooting online didn't even help.

So I took it into Costco and didn't even have to tell my story. She took it right back and gave me Costco cash for $74.62. I was pleased as punch! They didn't have the same exact product anymore, so I took the newer model for the same price.

(Original Source for photo here)

Pros:

Heats up quickly
Brushed metal doesn't show fingerprints
Cooks evenly
Can be used for chicken, fish, burgers, steak, and delicious panini sandwiches. Even eggs, pancakes and french toast! Oh and it does great with veggies too!
Built in drip tray
Ridged and flat reversible and removable plates (for easy clean up)
Plates are dishwasher safe
Plates can clamp together, or lay flat to become a griddle
Big enough for cooking space, small enough to store easily
Seals in the juices in meat
Much better than our George Foreman
Handle doesn't get too hot
Great temperature control

Cons:

NONE yet!

CLICK HERE to find it at Costco- best price around!

You won't regret putting this at the tip top of your Christmas wish list!

A Very Small Sampling- Vietnam style!

I have had big plans for this great blog post highlighting each country of our Asian adventure. But, I never seem to finish the post, so I'll do just a few highlights of VIETNAM today!

(Vietnam is tied for my favorite Asian country, fyi)

First of all, the street food. We would just explore from sun up to sun down, and stop along the road for some food when hungry!

and... the beaches were awesome!

Aerobics in the streets downtown

Oh, the PHO! We ate here 3 times in 2 days. It tastes even better than it looks, if that's possible...

These boys were the cutest. The chunky one by my shoulder took a special liking to Scott. He launched all the boys off his shoulders and splashed around with them in the South China Sea. And then the boys brought me a "boquet" of seaweed. Too sweet :)

Oh there is SOOOO much more to tell about Vietnam. From the fragrances and crazy "moto" drivers in in Ho Chi Mihn City to the tailoring shops in Hoi An to the breathtaking Ha Long Bay and water puppeteering in Hanoi, I LOVE Vietnam! And to think we didn't even make it to the dunes in the south, or village town Sapa a bit inland. I can't WAIT to return to Vietnam one day!

a few extras:

fitting for shirts...

And here I am by a Vietnamese bush. I actually remember thinking, "Mom would love this plant, we'd better take a pic." But see my face? While everything was absolutely fantastic, I still got tired sometimes. Tired of walking, tired of trying to speak Vietnamese, tired of people trying to rip me off because I'm white. Just to give you a little perspective.

movies for .50 cents a pop!!!

Our junk boat on Ha Long Bay!

Looooooove Vietnam!!!

Loved It.

We loved it. Both of us. It was intriguing, thrilling, complicated... I left the theater saying

"Wow, I'm really glad I saw that!"

Although we were left hanging with one aspect of the story, I would definitely recommend it!

Success Story!

Two weeks ago I realized that my computer cord was literally fraying. The plastic surrounding the plug was completely gone, and strands of metal wire were poking out in every direction.

Besides the fact that it was ugly and often poked me, it rarely succeeded in charging my computer ( if I propped it up exactly right with the perfect amount of pressure from every direction, it would intermittently work…) I was also worried that it would send a weird fuse to my computer, or transfer power in a damaging way.

So I made an appointment, arrived early, and told my sob story to the “genius” at the desk. After locating my serial number, he said my applecare has been expired for 4 years and 86 days. Ooops.

“The best I can do for you is to take your broken one, and give you a new one from the wall for $61 instead of $74…”

(WHAT? That is NOT the best he could do, and we both knew it!)

So I responded, “Wow, that is more money than I can spend on a power cord. You know, I LOVE apple, but I’m newly married and my husband still uses a PC. Every positive experience we have with you really makes a big difference.”

5 minutes and 1 signature later, I walked out with a brand new power cord. For Free.

:)

I attribute this success to my mom who taught me to never take no for an answer!

DELICIOUS (and beautiful) Veggie Dish

So, as I was making this dish, I tried to photograph step by step so I could blog about it.

But, I kept forgetting with each step, so at least there are a few pics to go along with my raving:

IT IS SO TASTY!!!

Get 4-5 types of vegetables that when sliced will be the same height: Roma tomatoes, zucchini, white onions, red or Yukon gold potatos and yellow squash if available.

Slice all your SAME SIZED in- diameter- vegetables into 1/4 inch slices.

(oh, preheat the over to 400 degrees about now!)

Bring to boil and simmer the potato slices (so cut them before you boil them!) for 5-7 minutes with a 1/4 tsp salt to soften first and you won't have to worry later if the dish is done or not.

Cut the ROMA tomatoes last and seed them so they don't make the dish too juicy.

Lightly grease your large pie plate or other circular dish with 2-3" sides.

Toss your vegetables lightly in a large bowl in the following mixture:

(hold out on tomatoes so they don't get crushed)

2-3 Tbs. olive oil

2-3 Tbs of softened butter (no sub.)

Italian seasoning

fresh parsley and thyme if available (otherwise use dried)

generous salt and black pepper

*** Use whatever you have especially if it is fresh.

Now, start layering upright in dish using most pleasing color combination.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees or so, covered tightly with foil.

Grate gruyere cheese (this is the best, but parmesan works too if gruyere isn't in the budget) over the top til covered but not solid, and remove foil so the cheese can melt.

Replace foil while waiting to be served.

Prepare for Praise!

1 on1 After hours

I know you're sick of waterfall pictures, but for the sake of Scott's friends, here are the pics from waterfall adventure #3, or 4 :) These guys did a great job! Thanks for coming!

He FLEW down this time! I couldn't even take 2 pictures by the time he got to the bottom!

A day in the canyon.

xoxo,

Scott and Stefanie

Thanksgiving Point

I don't know how in the world I ended up golfing at Thanksgiving Point on Saturday.

Thanks to 1 on 1 Marketing, Scott and I joined two of his co-workers for 18 holes. I think my memory of winnning a golf trophy as a 9 year old gave me a bit too much confidence. Lets be honest, I was pretty bad. But Scott... why didn't anybody tell me he is such a great golfer!

Sheesh!

Dane and Korine let us borrow their clubs, gloves and shoes- we were totally official. Maybe I wasn't the best golfer after all, but at least I looked good, right?

It was really a beautiful course. We loved spending the day outside, surrounded by greenery and big mountains.

We worked up an appetite and ended the day with Olive Garden's never ending pasta bowl!

Yum :)

What life is about!!!

I feel like my soul is being taken from me. Every day, every minute, every hour I spend living in a realm I’m just not passionate about. I’m a worker now. 8am-5pm, my time is no longer mine.
The other day, I was explaining a bit of this situation to someone pretty close with me. She said something to the effect of, “You kind of just have to accept that this is your life now. Welcome to the real world. This is what it’s all about.”

I am here to tell you that is NOT what it’s all about. Life is not about accepting what happens to you. I am not a slave to my life. I am not a victim. I am here to be more and do more than go along with whatever situation I am placed in. The “real world” is a big place. A big place with a lot of potential and a lot of options.


Well, it took a lot to restrain my emotional reaction from showing on my face and in my words. Scott was a great listener, but I guess I needed to vent one more time. So here I am blogging about it.

i loved it

This morning was somewhat apocalyptic :)

Not a bit of blue sky, and HARD rain.

i loved it.

Oh Scott...

Scott has said a series of really funny things since last night. After work, he came up to me in the kitchen and said,

“Remember how when you used to date me, how I was a gentleman then?”

Me: “Yes, Scott, I remember.”

Then this morning, he pipes up:
“My greatest struggle day by day is finding socks to put on my feet.”

I guess his life is pretty good :)

From work, he gchatted me:
“We could go on safari around my building… It's just like the circle of life every morning.”

Happy Friday Everybody!