Summer Grill Techniques


It’s National Hot Dog Day so we thought it would be best to share some quick tips for summer grilling and tasty recipes to go along with your hot dogs!A blue circle with an image of a bag.

Tips

Don’t put cold meat on the grill

If you put a refrigerated piece of meat on the grill without letting it thaw to a higher temperature can keep it from evenly cooking. According to theKitchn.com, you should place steaks in warm water for 30 to 60 minutes prior to cooking. Don’t let them sit past the point of reaching 100 degrees otherwise it could be susceptible to bacteria.

Make sure your grill is clean

Clean your grill after each use, as it is easiest to clean when it’s still warm. You don’t want your foods to mingle because you cooked fish one night and pork the next.

Don’t move the meat too much

According to Food Network, it’s unnecessary to flip the meat or move it too much while grilling. This goes especially for steak. By constantly flipping a steak you aren’t allowing the juices to stay locked into the meat and could end up with a drier taste.

Recipes

One of our Marketing and Communication Coordinator’s favorite side dishes in the world, especially when grilling, is potato salad. Rachel’s mom is from the south and as such it has always been a staple dish. To make the dish:

You’ll need

4 yukon potatoes

4 eggs

¼ cup of bread and butter pickles, diced

¼ cup of bread and butter pickle juice

¼ cup of Vidalia onion, diced

½ cup of mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Dice potatoes and place in pot with eggs. Cook until tender and drain.
  2. Peel and chop eggs.
  3. In a large bowl mix all ingredients. Mixture can be placed in a large serving dish and placed in the fridge until ready to serve.

Another Potential side dish is cole slaw. This recipe from Food & Wine is quick and easy to make.

You’ll need

1 cup of mayonnaise

3 table spoons of cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard

¾ teaspoon celery seeds

12 cups of shredded cabbage

2 shredded carrots

Salt and Pepper

  1. In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, celery seeds, salt, and pepper.
  2. Toss cabbage and carrots in mixture
  3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Insurance Myths Debunked


When it comes to insurance it can be hard to distinguish what’s a myth and what’s the truth. Did your mother once tell you that she couldn’t buy you the red car of your dreams because the insurance would be higher? Did you get a ticket while on vacation in Georgia and think it won’t follow you home to Florida? Here are some common myths in the insurance world and the hard facts about them all.

Red cars are more expensive to insure

 Despite their inherently flashy nature in reality color isn’t a factor in determining insurance cost. According to Esurance, the most important factors that influence your premium are your driving record, age, marital status, gender, and where you live. If a red car is your dream don’t worry about it increasing your insurance costs!

If someone borrows your car and damages it then their insurance covers it

We’ve previously done a blog about how insurance is determined when you borrow a car or lend someone yours. If you give an individual permission to borrow your car then your insurance coverage will follow them in case of an accident.

Purchasing insurance for a home? Base it on real estate market value

 According to Insurance Journal, this is a myth that more than half of the individuals surveyed thought was true. Rather than using the real estate market value to determine your insurance needs you should figure out the cost of rebuilding. According to the Wall Street Journal, having a homebuilder walk through and estimate the cost of a rebuild (and taking into consideration furnishing) is an effective way to ensure you’re getting proper coverage.

Out-of-state speeding tickets can’t follow you to your home state

 This myth may seem more like a wish especially when a ticket comes at the end of a vacation, but make sure you’re taking care of tickets. The DMV website claims not only are states probably sharing driver database information, but your home state could end up penalizing you for lack of payment. It could be tempting to ignore the ticket, but in the end it will catch up to you.

You can only sign up for health insurance during the open enrollment period

While in most cases you will be penalized for not purchasing insurance during the open enrollment period there are some exceptions. If you have a life event that qualifies you for the Special Enrollment Period, such as, getting a new job, having a baby, or getting married then you can sign up outside of the enrollment period.