Clipping coupons is a ritual that takes place in many American
households. In some cases, it is regarded as a sport where savvy
shoppers only fork over a few dollars for a cart full of groceries.
That is just one account of individuals who seek out coupons. There
is also another group of people who look for accompanying recipes.
If you are very fortunate, you may even come across a few for the
grill.
Clipping coupons is a ritual that takes place in many American households. In some cases, it is regarded as a sport where savvy shoppers only fork over a few dollars for a cart full of groceries. That is just one account of individuals who seek out coupons. There is also another group of people who look for accompanying recipes. If you are very fortunate, you may even come across a few for the grill.
I don’t think the true purpose of coupons is to save money. While saving a few cents is great for the individual, the company reaps the reward. After all, the time and effort it takes for many people to search and clip coupons may not be worth the savings. The companies view coupons as a way of developing loyalty and future purchases.
What about old products? Those products seem like a little more of a challenge to promote. I think most customers are brand loyal. Unless there is something new about the product, they will not switch. There are other ways to make older products stand out and change your thinking about them.
While searching through some coupons a few weeks ago, I came across a coupon page for peanuts. I like peanuts, but they are just peanuts. Unless you are George Washington Carver, peanuts are not very exciting.
The coupon was for $1 off of two jars of Planters Peanuts. Not a bad deal. But the coupon is not what gained my attention. What did was the aluminum foil shape of the Planters mascot, Mr. Peanut, on a grill. I had to question the advertisement, “Peanuts on a grill?” I know heat is used to roast nuts, but I never heard of roasting peanuts on a grill. This is something I had to try for myself.
With a little hesitation and doubt, I followed the directions. I formed the foil container, added the nuts, grilled them for the directed time and allowed them to cool for a minute. Since I had a little bias, my grandmother served as an additional taster. Both of us thought the grilled peanuts were not too bad. Although we tasted the grilled peanuts right away, it is good to let them cool for five minutes. Not only were they still a little too hot after only one minute, they were a little soft. A few minutes later, the peanuts became crunchy again and they were just fine.
Towards the bottom of the recipe is where the creativity starts. The additional note suggests tossing the peanuts with one tablespoon of a specific brand of barbecue sauce prior to grilling them. The taste seemed like it would be interesting, but I wasn’t sure about how the barbecue sauce would work with the method.
After mixing the peanuts and barbecue sauce, the peanuts stick to each other. As the peanuts begin to heat, the barbecue sauce begins to caramelize. The sauce dries and the peanuts separate. The peanuts in this method were very good. The barbecue sauce added a hint of flavor and did not overpower the taste of the roasted peanut.
After realizing that this method works well, I became a little more adventurous. If barbecue sauce would stick to a peanut, other flavors would too. I tossed a few peanuts with a little olive oil and chili powder. I followed the same method as I did for the barbecue sauce version. They were good, but over time, the heat burned the chili powder. Adding the chili powder to the peanuts two minutes before they come off the grill solves this problem.
Coupons may save you money, but some of the recipes featured are worthy of a try.
Instead of serving plain peanuts at your next barbecue, consider the unique flavor of grilled peanuts. The fresh roasted flavor is unexpected, but also something to remember.
Planters Peanut Grillers: Warm nuts off the grill
(From Planters Peanut Company; Serves 4- 1/4 cup servings)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
Step 1: Preheat grill to medium heat. Stack two large sheets of heavy-duty foil and fold up the sides. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.
Step 2: Spread the peanuts in a single layer on the foil and place on the grill.
Step 3: Stir the peanuts often, grill them for 6-8 minutes or until the peanuts have become lightly toasted
Step 4: Cool the peanuts for 5 minutes and serve.
Planters Barbecue Sauce Peanut Grillers
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce
Step 1: Toss the barbecue sauce with the peanuts. Grill the peanuts in the above method.
Savory Chili Grilled Peanuts
(From Mitch Mariani; Serves 4- 1/4 cup servings)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
Step 1: Using the same method above, toss the peanuts with olive oil before adding them to the foil.
After grilling for 4 minutes, add the chili powder.
Toss the peanuts and chili powder together and grill for an additional 2 minutes.
