As Seen on TV

First, a confession.

I have coveted a GT Xpress 101 for the better part of a year now. I have pridefully applauded myself for doing some research first and not acting on this urge, but I have secretly wondered if my overall lifestyle and general happiness wouldn't be greatly improved my this magic cooking device. What with its deep non-stick wells and hinged lid that cooks omelets to perfection but then turns around and delivers a stunning Pan-Blackened Swordfish with Sun-Dried Tomato Mayonnaise, topped off with an "Almost Instant" Coconut Custard Pie, I can just imagine the bliss of a full week's worth of half-moon-shaped delicacies.

Imagine my delight when a co-worker casually mentioned a crazy cooking device her Grandma had purchased off TV and that she was the recipient of the BONUS 2nd GRILL. (Warning: You cannot actually order just one of these things, you have to get two and pay $14.95 shipping on the second one). She had no plans to ever use this gift, mostly because she hates eggs, doesn't have the ingredients in the house to make much else, and unlike me, does not care to store every cooking gadget known to man in her kitchen...and pantry...and basement. She offered to me, free of charge, none other than the GT Xpress 101 with 3 recipe books (I already had the easy-shaker), on the condition that if said Grandma ever came to visit her, I may have to loan it back to her for a day or two so as not to hurt her feelings.

I couldn't pass it up. Now I feel an obligation to give this magical meal-making device a whole-hearted try. So, after sleeping in an embarrassingly long time this morning, I decided to try the Western Vegetable Omelet. Ten minutes of chopping, mixing, measuring, and shaking later, I poured the mixture into the 2 wells, watched the lid rise after 10 minutes of cooking, and proudly delivered the results to DH.

The verdict? The omelet was good and it motivated me to use all the leftover peppers and onions from last week's fajitas, but I'm thinking it will be reserved for weekend breakfasts as I'm never on the ball enough to have breakfast cooking a full 10 minutes before heading out the door. On second thought, the results of most of the breakfast recipes do look drive-worthy (or more so than oatmeal or Golden Grahams), so I might try some more out.

I'm committed to trying out a few more things, so I'll let you know what other adventures in convenience cooking I take on.

Florentine Chicken Pinwheels, here I come