Memorial Day Treats

Ok so everyone knows that Memorial Day kicks off the summer. What do we expect? Barbeques and more barbeques. Of course there will be the essentials - chicken, ribs, burgers, hotdogs, spaghetti, potato salad, yada, yada, yada. How about throwing some fruit and veggies on the grill too. It's simple! It's healthy! It's tastey!

So you're ready to grill some fruit. Flair wants to give you a few tips for your Memorial day cookout. Fruits such as pineapples, pears, plums, and apples are hard textured fruits and very easy to grill. However, grilling soft fruits like bananas, mangos, peaches and papayas requires a bit more attention. They will turn to mush if overcooked. Softer fruits only need to be heated which can take less than 10 seconds. To prevent the fruit from sticking to the grill, you can baste the fruit with melted butter, a non-stick vegetable oil or marinade. If you want to add a burst of flavor marinating your fruit, hard or soft, is the key. The best marinade would probably be the puree' of the fruit itself with a hint of lemon juice.

However, bottled puree's can also be purchased at the market or grocery store. Brushing your fruit with your chosen marinade while it's still on the grill adds to the flavor as well. So you've decided to grill peaches,eh? Buy a few at the market, rinse them thouroughly, cut them in half, remove the pit, marinade them and grill for a few seconds. Voila!! To really give them a flavor boost, try drizzling honey on them...yum! How about fruit-kabobs? You can place the smaller pieces of fruit on skewers while the larger pieces remain on the grill. Satisfy your pallet by pairing your delicious grilled fruit with grilled chicken breasts. The herbs and spices of the chicken blended with the sweetness of the fruit will not disappoint. Trust me! The doctor always said eat your fruits AND vegetables, so don't forget those. Season up your veggies with lemon pepper and garlic salt. Adding seasonings like red pepper or Mrs. Dash Extra Spicey Seasoning Blend can give your veggies a spicey kick. Be sure to put vegetable oil over them and add thyme leaves, rosemary leaves or both on the skewers along with the vegetables to really give it a taste of fabulousness. It's whatever you like. Go ahead get to grilling. Adding fruits and veggies will add FLAIR to your memorial day menu. Grill fabu!!

FlairTV would like to wish everyone a safe Memorial Day!! Happy eating!