Time to check out those cupboards, basements and attics

By Margi Washburn

A month or so ago hubby and I went to a holiday party. There was the familiar white elephant gift table with pretty, wrapped packages piled high and most of us were curious as kids about what was inside certain ones.

It was fun watching the unwrapping, then we would groan or gasp and watch as folks decided they wanted what someone else had. You remember how it is on Christmas morning with kids and their toys, only we were better-behaved than that. Really.

Hubby ended up getting a leather satchel which I promptly claimed for myself. I held onto it with both hands and kept a look on my face that I hoped would discourage anyone from wanting what we had.

I don't think anyone wanted my satchel. One of the most popular items was a George Foreman grill. I tried to understand why that was such a big deal; after all, we'd received one for Christmas a few years ago and I wasn't really impressed. (Gee, I hope our youngest isn't reading this.)

Maybe I should explain. If one fries burgers in a skillet, you wash one round surface. You put the pan in the sink and let it soak. It's easy. With the grill, I made a mistake. I let it cool down and it got all crusty. It seemed to take forever to clean it, so after I was done, the pretty, white oversized appliance went to live with other seldom-used items in my cupboard.

A week or so ago I happened to talk with the lady who won the grill at the party. She loves it. And she told me how she cleans hers, which is exactly how I'd heard you're supposed to. After you finish cooking and the grill is still warm, you wipe it with a damp sponge. Easy.

So, on a weekend with hubby watching, I dug out the grill. It was beautiful, all shiny and white. Miraculously, the cord was attached so I hadn't lost it. But the booklet was missing.

Ah, another miracle. I found it and guess what I learned? The grill was bought for me in the year 2000. The like-new appliance was five years old and it looked like we'd just taken it out of the box. Hubby just smiled and I knew why.

Throughout the years I have begged for and received a lot of things I thought I desperately wanted. An easel, a new steam iron, an iced tea brewer, a bread machine, a popcorn popper and I'm sure there are others. In fact, as I pulled out the grill I noticed a shiny silver thing with holes in it. Hubby was standing near the counter, so I set it there.

“What do you suppose this is?” I asked him.

“Don't know,” he said. He picked it up, turned it over, set it back down and shrugged.

“Think it goes in one of my pans?”

He nodded, then looked down at the collection of nearly-new pans. I pulled one out and the shiny pot fit nicely inside. A glass lid completed the ensemble.

“Why would that go together so perfectly?” I asked. We both looked at what I'd put together, then at each other.

Hubby laughed; there was no need to bring up for the umpteenth time that I'd bought something I would likely never use, so I took the pans apart and put them back in the cupboard.

The grill is sitting out now just waiting to be used. I'm making hamburgers tonight and I promise to fight the urge to use my favorite skillet. Besides, I just entered a contest to win an outdoor grill. I've always wanted one of those.