SoFabU: Sears Grilling Week 6 Party Time! #SoFabU #grillingishappiness

This week's assignment was to utilize all the skills we've learned in our SoFabU Sears Grilling photography class.  I was strapped for time all week as I had to head out of town the end of the week.  I didn't get to actually grill anything till Sunday night.  We didn't have a huge party just a more elaborate meal than usual.  Turns out it was a good thing we didn't have people over because when I was done cooking I ran out of propane.  Oh and did I mention it started to rain right when I went out to grill?  That foiled our plans to eat outside.

I made a variety of dishes to make a more elaborate meal.  I marinated some pork tenderloin slices in a honey lime marinade.

And what's a grilled meal without grilled corn on the cob?

The marinated pork tenderloin kabobs grilled perfectly.  I was worried they'd stick too much due to the marinade, but they didn't.  :)

While I like my corn grilled, I don't like it blackened.  Typically it takes about 8 minutes on the grill turning it every 2 minutes.

Like I said earlier, we got rained out Sunday night and ended up eating inside.  A lot later than usual about eight at night.  This was our feast.

The fruit salad I made was a huge hit.  Even the picky eaters didn't pick out the fruit they didn't like.  I think it was due to the dressing I made for it.

Grilled garlic cheese and herb bread was amazing and so easy to make.  Just slather spread on both sides of bread slices, put back together as a loaf, wrap in foil and grill.  The entire loaf was gone at dinner.

I absolutely love these tie dyed cupcakes.  They're so bright and cheery.  The cupcakes themselves are rainbow colored along with the frosting.

A fully balanced meal.  Fruits, veggies, meat and some bread.  Three quarters of it grilled too.  It's amazing what you can grill.

I love this close-up shot of the fruit salad on my plate.  How the picture draws your eye to the salad and the rest of the picture is blurred.

See the gorgeous rainbows inside the cupcakes?  Each one looks like this under the cupcake liner.  Check out the next picture after I took a bite.  Gorgeous right?  These are so easy to make.  Just take a white or yellow cake mix, follow mixing directions, then split into 6 bowls and color with rainbow colors (1 color per bowl) and then layer in cupcake tins.  Bake as usual.

It was great to only have to have a fancy meal this week as opposed to three meals the previous weeks.  I did spend much of Sunday prepping everything.  But I love spending time making a great meal.

Once again thanks #SoFabU and Sears for offering this wonderful class on food photography.  Because you know #grillingishappiness.  :)

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community.  This shop has been compensated as a part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Sears #CBias #GrillingIsHappiness.  All photos and opinions are my own.

Seattle's Best Red Cup Showdown at the Illinois State Fair

Illinois State Fair

Alison: Did you know that the Illinois State Fair starts tomorrow in Springfield?

Susie: Wait, why are you telling me?

Alison: Going to the state fair always makes me think of the musical State Fair and in particular the song "Our State Fair".  I've never been to the state fair here in Illinois.  But we're going this year.  :)

Susie: Hold up, what's this WE bit?

Alison: Well, someone has to take fabulous pictures of me at the fair!

Seattle's Best Red Cup Showdown

Alison: Did you know that Seattle's Best is going to be at the fair this weekend?

Susie:  I think you're tricking me.

Alison: They'll be there with a special exhibit August 9-11th.  Visitors to the exhibit will be able to sample iced coffee drinks with wild flavors like elephant ear lattes and cotton candy mochas.

Susie:  This is sounding better.  You mean I get to drink coffee for free?

Alison: Yes! Free coffee!  You love coffee! Especially Seattle's Best Coffee!

Susie:  Back up a sec, elephant ear latte?  Cotton candy mocha?  Um, that sounds a bit unusual.

Alison:  But that's the thing you're trying different flavors!!

Susie:  Alright, alright.  I'm willing to try it is Seattle's Best after all.

Alison:  Isn't it wonderful! Also fairgoers can get their photo taken inside a life-sized red mug, win prizes and receive a free sample of Seattle's Best coffee to brew at home.  All the information is on their facebook page.

Susie:  More coffee! You're just lucky, I love coffee.

Red Cup Showdown

Alison: Friday morning is the Red Cup Showdown hosted by Celebrity Chef and Food Network Star Jeff Mauro.

Susie: Morning! Ugh, that's too early!

Alison: Remember there'll be coffee!

Susie:  I'm listening...

Alison:  The Red Cup Showdown will be in the Hobbies, Arts and Crafts building starting at 8:30 am.  Competitors will be creating yummy coffee drinks for a chance to win up to $500 and a years worth of free coffee.   The finalists get to go on to NYC to compete for a chance to win $10,000 and have their drink on the menu at Seattle's Best shops.

Susie:  I love competition! It's going to be a nail biter!

Alison:  I'm not sure we can say that.

Susie:  You're right.  How do we know if these people bite their nails...Maybe they're hair twirlers!

Alison:  That's not exactly what I meant...moving on.  This is the part of the fair I'm really excited about. Did y'all know that I used to be a master barista?  I love the smell of a good cup of coffee almost as much as the taste.  The things I can do with or without an espresso machine would amaze you.

Susie: Amaze them?  Hey, I'm sitting right next to you! Where's my amazing cup of coffee?

Alison:  We're in the middle of a post! You have to wait!  I'm not competing in the #RedCupShowdown but I'm just as thrilled to get to see it.  I can't wait to see what recipes the competitors come up with.

Susie:  Me too, I bet they deliver when they claim to make amazing cups of coffee.  I'm still waiting you know.

Alison: You can follow the competition on twitter!

Susie:  Ooo and a clip from the Ohio State Fair!  Now, it's finally time to drink my coffee!

*I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Seattle's Best Coffee #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.*

Wholesome Wednesday: Orange Cream Pie with Chocolate Meringue

This week's recipe is special.  I've never had a chocolate meringue before, ever.  Neither has my mom.  Which is odd if you think about it because I have and see an amazing number of cookbooks and recipes.  I knew when I saw this that I had to make it.

This recipe comes from a really old Martha Meade cookbook from the early 40's.  I actually didn't change anything as the entire recipe worked just fine.  :)  Also the pie is amazing I made it yesterday afternoon and it was gone after dinner tonight.  Definite endorsement there.

Susie Savors:  This pie ranks quite high up on the savor scale (which I may or may not just be inventing).  Honestly, this pie was airy and cool.  A perfect summer dessert.  The fluffy meringue and thick custard melt in your mouth.  The flavors of chocolate and orange meld together for a burst of freshness.  Expect a cleansed palate after a slice.  For a person that loves fresh fruit pies, I know how dense a slice can be thick with berries or peaches or apple, but this had just the right amount of substance with a kick of sweet.  Ending with a crisp pie crust and you may find yourself sneaking a second piece.

Orange Cream Pie
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 baked 9-inch pie shell (recipe below)

Combine flour, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler.  Combine with egg yolks and milk.  Cook over hot water until slightly thickened.  Add orange juice and continue cooking until thick and smooth, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, add orange rind and vanilla.  Pour into baked pie shell, top with mounds of Chocolate Meringue and bake in a slow oven, 300 degrees, for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand, away from drafts, until cool.

Chocolate Meringue
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
3 tablespoons finely chopped nuts (I omitted these)

Add sugar and cocoa slowly to egg whites and beat until smooth.  Fold in nuts last.

Pastry Dough (enough for 1 pie shell)
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3-4 tablespoons ice cold water

Place flour, salt and shortening in medium bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, cut shortening into flour and salt until mixture is pea sized.  Add just enough water to barely hold dough together.  Turn out on a lightly floured board and roll to fit pie pan.  Fit loosely into a 9-inch pie pan, flute edges and prick bottom and sides.  Bake in a hot oven, 425 degrees, for 10 minutes.

SoFabU: Sears Grilling Week 5 Lighting and Staging #grillingishappiness #SoFabU

If you've been following my blog you know I'm currently enrolled in a Social Fabric University class hosted by Sears to learn how to better photograph food.  The first week I talked about what I hoped to learn in this class.  The second week I shopped for a grill at Sears.  The third week I actually bought my grill and brought it home.  The fourth week was all about taking pictures of food while it was cooking on the grill.

This week, the fifth week, my assignment was to take pictures of grilled food using natural light and props.  I was a lot more comfortable doing this week's assignment because plating food for photos is something all of you have been seeing on my blog for months now.  But I have learned more about using natural light and props to take a better photo.

The best place to take a photo in your house is near a window.  Not a window that gets direct sunlight, as that will be too harsh in your photos, but one that the sun doesn't shine directly into.  At my house that's a window in my bedroom.  The window is on the side of the house and gets great indirect sunlight all day long. Which made it so much easier to take pictures.

Another thing you want to do when taking photos is to use props to make the photos more engaging.  You'll see that I've added some things in the photos below that you'd typically find around plates of food to make the pictures seem more natural.

First, I've got a "grilled" grilled cheese.  :)  I love saying that.  Anyway, I wanted to make something simpler this week so a "grilled" grilled cheese.  If you've never done this on the grill, make sure you turn the flames way, way down or you'll get a extra well done sandwich.  These tasted so much better than what you'd make in a pan.  As this was my first photo of the week I totally flaked on using any props in the photo.  But I also like the simplicity of it.

That same night we also tried sticking some s'mores in a foil packet on the top shelf of the grill.  They were kind of a bust as the chocolate never truly melted and the marshmallows got more hard than toasted.  But I loved the colors in the marshmallows. 

Second, a grilled pork chop with some fresh melon and deviled eggs.  Doesn't this picture just make you want to sit down to dinner at the table?

Here's a delightful close up of the plate.  I think these food items photographed well together.  The colors are similar and complimentary to the dark blue checked place mat.

Third, Jucy Lucy burgers and grilled potato rounds.  These were the most amazing burgers.  They stayed tender and moist.  Has everyone seen those Ore-Ida grillers?  I've been wanting to try them but figured I could do it myself.  These grilled potato rounds were super easy and taste like grilled slices of baked potatoes.

Here's a close-up of the burgers.  I've found throughout the class that I really like close up photos the best.  Doesn't the burger look tasty?

Fourth, I've got a sliced grilled London Broil, grilled corn on the cob and pan fried mushrooms and onions.  Plus a crisp, ice cold bubbly drink.  A London Broil or a top round are fantastic to either grill or broil.  They stay extremely tender and slice well for sandwiches.

A different photo of the London broil.  I like mine quite rare.  :)

While pan fried mushrooms and onions aren't my favorite food, they do look juicy here.  My sister loves them cooked best this way.  They go great on burgers or with a steak.

All in all I loved the class this week.  I'm a lot more comfortable taking photos of food on plates.  I will say all of the food in these photos is real and was eaten after being photographed.  I actually made extra of everything all week to ensure I had enough food for my photos.

Once again thanks #SoFabU and Sears for offering this wonderful class on food photography.  Because you know #grillingishappiness.  :)

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community.  This shop has been compensated as a part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Sears #CBias #GrillingIsHappiness.  All photos and opinions are my own.

Blogher13' is going to be in Chicago!!

So I haven't been following everything that's been going on at Blogher12' this year because lets face it, it's depressing to not be there.  I know I'm a pretty new blogger but man oh man going there would be amazing. And I just found out that its going to be in Chicago in 2013!!  Can you say excited?!?!

Even though I live so close tickets are still pretty pricey.  I'll have to either save a lot or be on the lookout for a sponsor.

If you're a blogger and want to enter to win tickets you can find the website here.

*This post is being used as an entry to win tickets to Blogher13'.  All opinions are my own.*

Wholesome Wednesday: Fettuccine with Sausage and an Easy Egg Sauce

I did take a break from grilling last week, albeit a forced break, and tried out this recipe one night last week. I've never made a raw egg sauce in a pasta dish and now I don't know why I didn't try one sooner.  It was incredibly simple to make and the flavor was amazing.  The dish literally only took the time to prep the ingredients plus that of making pasta.  A healthy flavor bursting meal in under 30 minutes, what's not to like?

I saw this recipe originally in the Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland.  I've changed a few things which I'll note in the recipe below.  I used fettuccine because I don't typically have linguine around.  I also added 8 ounces of thinly sliced baby Bella mushrooms.  If you've noticed anything we can add mushrooms to we do.  :)

Fettuccine with Sausage and an Easy Egg Sauce

1 pound Italian sausage, I used mild Italian sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces baby Bella mushrooms, sliced thin
1 pound fettuccine
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
grated zest of 1 lemon
handful of fresh chives or parsley chopped

Shape raw sausage into small, rough meatballs.

Heat olive oil in large frying pan over medium high heat and fry sausages till golden brown, about 5 minutes.  When sausages look about half way done, add sliced mushrooms.  Continue to cook till both are done.

Meanwhile cook fettuccine till all dente.

Whisk together egg yolks, milk, half the grated cheese, pepper and lemon zest.  Drain pasta and reserve a 1/2 cup pasta water.  Add pasta back to pot with egg mixture.  Add hot sausage and toss it all together.  Let heat from pot and fettuccine cook and thicken sauce.  Add 1/4-1/2 cup pasta water to loosen sauce.  Toss with remaining cheese and herbs.  Serve.

The Rx Factor by J. Thomas Shaw

I was pleasantly surprised with this book.  It isn't generally the type of plot lines I usually read, but it kept me hooked until the end.  The political intrigue is set from the start.  We get actual news articles about drug trials gone bad in the prologue.  The scene being set, I knew I was in for a journey filled with power struggles and cover ups.


The RX Factor is well written.  Perhaps helped along by a similar series of events that happened with an ulcer cure, but in the end the United States government is viewed as a bit corrupt when it comes to corporations willing to pay for their desired outcomes.  So, we learn with Ryan and Jordan about the ins and outs of drug trials and why a particular drug may be blacklisted by the FDA.
Like the bureaucracy of government, the plot of this book has layers of truth.  Each time a new fact is revealed it paves the way for more information to be uncovered.  In the end, these truths allow for some shocking twists as our characters try to survive while  hoping to save the lives of others.
Ryan is a medical researcher down on his luck and taken to the bottle for comfort.  He meets Jordan after her aunt and uncle are killed (within the first few pages so it's not a spoiler).  They both want answers when it is deemed not to have been a mere accident.  The race begins to find answers and prevent more deaths as Jordan wants to open a clinic that will help people receive a cure for various terminal illnesses.  Only it seems that Jordan may be challenging the wrong group of people.



Even more surprisingly, my Mom actually loved this book.  She devours mysteries and thrillers, but is extremely critical.  She's hard to win over and I have to agree with her that the plot unfolded at a wonderful pace to keep the reader hooked.  We get just the right amount of information to keep us interested and reading until the final sentence.


So, if you also enjoy reading James Patterson, John Grisham, Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, or Lincoln Child then chances are you will probably enjoy this book!
Honestly, I enjoyed the ending.  Political thrillers usually end with some unsavory business and this one was not too far off the mark.  There is a good amount of arm twisting and death threats to keep us alert.  Along with our main characters we're not surely exactly who we can trust and who might get killed by the bad guys.  When a book starts off with murder, you know you're in for a twisting narrative as we try to solve the puzzle before the bad guys catch up with us. 

If you want to learn more about the book and the author you can go to www.therxfactor.com 


Author's Bio:  John Thomas Shaw was born in Quincy, IL, attended college at Illinois State University in Normal, IL and relocated to Chicago after his graduation. Following a successful career with a national mortgage company, he co-founded Guaranteed Rate, Inc. which is one of the fastest growing independent mortgage banks in the United States. The author now lives in the San Diego area with his wife and two children. Prior to his relocation to California, Mr. Shaw lived six years in Durham, NC followed by two years living in the families rustic log cabin in Cotopaxi, Colorado and has traveled extensively throughout the Bahamas', Caribbean and Mexico. The scenes throughout The RX Factor take place in the various locations that the author has lived or experienced in his travels.  Throughout the process of writing The RX Factor, the author consulted with his good friend, Johnny Powers Ph.D.

Dr. Powers holds a bachelor degree in Chemistry from Wake Forest University, a masters in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University, a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Dr. Powers has over 20 years experience in the biomedical field, with extensive experience in developing and marketing new diagnostic tests for the early detection and management of cancer. Dr. Powers most recently served as the President of TriPath Oncology, a North Carolina-based biotechnology company focused on developing innovative medical tests for ovarian, cervical and breast cancer. TriPath imaging was sold to a major multi-national medical diagnostics company in 2006. In his career, Dr. Powers has dealt extensively with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and various government agencies, and has published numerous scientific research papers and holds medical patents in both the US and Canada. He now resides in the New England area with his wife and two children.

I was given this book to review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

SFU: Sears Grilling Food on the Grill Photos #grillingishappiness #SoFabU

If you've been following my blog you know I'm currently enrolled in a Social Fabric University class hosted by Sears to learn how to better photograph food.  The first week I talked about what I hoped to learn in this class.  The second week I shopped for a grill at Sears.  The third week I actually bought my grill and brought it home.  Well this week's class, the fourth week, was all about taking pictures while things were cooking on the grill.  I wasn't as excited with this week's class as it was only photos of food on the grill.

I had a little problem with the grill itself this week.  After using it for the very first time, it didn't get hot enough to clean my grill grates.  Which is definitely a problem.  I spent most of Tuesday afternoon soaking and scrubbing the grates with vinegar.  This removed most of the mess but I figured something else had to be wrong.  I talked with Sears and they offered to send out a tech to check my grill.  The older gentleman they sent changed out all my hoses and still the grill didn't get as hot as it needed to be.  He told me there was a design flaw in the grill.  There's a gap in the back where the hood meets the rest of the grill block.  It's only about an inch but that's enough to keep the grill from reaching 700-800 degrees.  This means all the crud on the grill grates won't burn to ash each time I leave the grill on after cooking.  Major sadness.

Anyway, back to my assignment this week.  This week our assignment besides taking pictures of grilling was to make sure the subjects were not in direct sunlight.  Direct sunlight often looks great to the naked eye, but causes colors to be off when you take a photo.  All of my photos were lucky enough to be taken in the shade.  Another thing to take into consideration was the rule of thirds.  The rule of thirds basically means to make sure the most important thing in your shot is in the center.  I've tried to do that with most of my pictures.  Another thing I try to do in all my photos is adjust the white balance on the camera.  This allows things that are white in photos to show as truly white and then the rest of the colors show correctly.

The first thing I cooked on the grill was a fresh chicken Parmesan with a basic marinara sauce and some veggies I tried in the grilling wok I got.  This is an above shot.  With the below shot being a diagonal which means the subject fills the shot from one corner to another.

The side burner worked great for my sauce.  It bubbled merrily away while I worked on everything else.

I also tried out the grilling wok I bought, but there must be a trick to it or maybe it has to be on the grill while the entire thing heats up for cooking.  I love the idea of the grilling wok, but it barely cooked the carrots, red peppers and squash I put in there.  I ended up taking the veggies inside and finishing them on the stove.  The second photo is an example of above with perspective to draw in the viewer's eye.

The next thing I grilled were some thick cut boneless pork loin chops.  I absolutely love either grilling or broiling thick cut pork chops.  They're fantastic with some olive oil brushed over them and then whatever spices you prefer.  I love mine with any kind of spicy rub on them.  YUM!!

And of course I had to grill burgers cheeseburgers.  I used a 75% Angus ground chuck to make these with some thick Worcestershire sauce on both sides.

I guess the 75% Angus was a little too greasy because I got smoke and flames on the grill.

Due to all the flames I was pretty cautious when putting the cheese on but it all worked out to gooey cheese burgers.

My last meal is something I love to make on the grill, PIZZA!!  There is nothing better than making a homemade pizza on the grill.  Besides having to make and let the dough rise (or letting the bread machine do all that for you) and prepping the toppings, it takes no time at all to grill up a pizza.

The dough has to be pretty well oiled before you put it on the grill.  It takes about 2 minutes to do one side.

Then its time for sauce and toppings.  We went with sliced baby Bella mushrooms, pineapple, fresh ricotta cheese and mozzarella.

Then you carefully put it back on the grill and cook it until the cheese is melted.

So that's my week of grilling on my new Sears grill.  It's awesome that Sears is sponsoring my photography class at #SoFabU because #grillingishappiness.  :)

I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Sears #CBias #GrillingIsHappiness.  All photos and opinions are my own.

Wholesome Wednesday: Zucchini Lime Bars

It's been incredibly hot here in Chicago the past couple weeks and then we'll have the extremely odd cool day.  Last Friday, when I got my grill from Sears it was cool.  I promptly came home and baked something.  I've been having baking withdrawal lately and its hard to get excited about making yet another no bake anything.

I found these Zucchini Lime bars in a new cookbook called Eat More Vegetables.  Most of the cookbook didn't appeal to me as I rarely look for veggie side dish recipes.  Y'all can probably tell by now that I prefer one dish meals to just about everything.  :)  But these bars were really appealing in the recipe.  And I love baked things with oatmeal.

Zucchini Lime Bar Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 cups grated zucchini
zest of 2 limes
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oats
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cups powdered sugar


Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Beat together butter and sugars till fluffy.  Beat in egg till thoroughly mixed.  Stir in zucchini and lime zest.


In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir into butter mixture.  Stir in oats.  Dough will be thick and sticky.  Spread into prepared pan.  Bake 35 minutes, until firm and barely golden brown.  Let cool completely.


Stir together lime juice and powdered sugar to make a thick but pourable glaze.  Add a little more sugar or juice to adjust consistency.  Drizzle and spread on bars.  Allow to set.  Cut into squares.

Quick Tip: Spray your berries with vinegar

So I've got a quick tip for everyone.  I've seen in several magazines lately that spraying your berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries) with vinegar will extend their shelf life.  Since strawberries are my one of my fave foods I had to give this a try.  I can say it does work!!  We bought some strawberries okay a lot of strawberries at Valli last week and I still have a lone package left in the fridge that are still fresh!!  They taste delicious and like they just came from the store.  This is a great thing for me to have discovered as I love berries and always worry that they will end up molding before they get eaten.

As long as you rinse the berries there is no vinegar taste either.  I just spritz mine with a spray bottle filled with vinegar and put them in the fridge till I'm ready to use them.

Enjoy!!

SFU: Sears Grilling Week 3 Grill Photos #grillingishappiness #SoFabU

If you've been reading the past few weeks, you've seen that I'm participating in a photography class run by Collective Bias and sponsored by Sears.  In the first week, I talked about what I hoped to learn in this class. In the second week, I went to Sears and did a path to purchase shop for a brand new grill.  In this week, the third week, I actually went to Sears to purchase a new grill.  :)

Sears was nice enough to provide our class with gift cards to use at their store to purchase a brand new grill and accessories.  My week was a little nerve wracking because on Monday I ran right out to Sears to purchase a grill, only to find that the one that I really truly wanted wasn't on sale any longer.  So after much hemming and hawing, along with the sales guy coming to check on me about 10 times to see if I'd made a decision, I purchased a grill that was okay.  It wasn't what I really wanted, but a new grill is still great.  Later that afternoon, I found out that Sears was going to have the grill I actually wanted on sale Friday.  Lucky for me Social Fabric was nice enough to allow me to exchange my grill.  But this also meant I had to put it together myself.  I think I did a pretty darn good job of that.

Besides purchasing a new grill, this week's assignment was to take pictures of everything we bought using natural lighting.  Late afternoon is a great time for me to take outdoor photos because there isn't much direct light on my patio.  I did try to play around with a bounce card a little, but it was hard to focus the light or there wasn't enough to focus.  I think it worked best in the photo of the grilling wok.

Here are some pics of my brand new Kenmore grill.

I'm excited because it has these awesome stainless steel rods for grates.  Their close enough together that I'll be able to grill all kinds of foods on them without worrying about food falling into the grill.

It also has 4 (yep I said 4) separate burners.  This is a feature I also love because I normally grill things other than just meat.  This way I can get everything done cooking at the same time.

I also really like these side storage shelves.  My previous grill had these huge wing shelves on either side of the grill that just made it awkward to use.  These shelves are out of the way when you cook, but oh so convenient.  I also suspect a very large orange cat to try them out for a sleeping spot before too long.

This Kenmore also has an extra side burner.  I'm excited about this because I can see me using it to get things ready like a fresh chicken Parmesan.  I can do some sauce and pasta on the side to have it ready to go with a marinated grilled chicken.  It'll also be great to use on hot days when you want to use the stove, but don't want it heating up the house.

I also bought a grilling wok which came with a pair of tongs.  This will be great to saute cut up veggies and also seafood.

Being ever practical, the last thing I bought was a heavy duty cover for my grill.  I know its a boring purchase, but living in Chicago we get nasty weather at different times throughout the year.  This way my grill will be protected while its outside.  I plan on making room to store it in the garage over the winter.

Pretty awesome, huh?  I'm very excited to try it out very soon.

I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Sears #CBias #GrillingIsHappiness.  All photos and opinions are my own.