SFU: Sears Grilling Photography Final Portfolio

I can't believe this is the last week of my SFU Sears Grilling Photography Class.  The past seven weeks have just flown past.  It was more challenging than I thought it would be to plan ahead and grill so many meals that needed to be photographed in a week.  Probably more so because I tend to look in the fridge mid-afternoon and that decides what I'm making for dinner.  Planning is a lot harder.

My last week's assignment was to pick my favorite ten photos from all the photos I took during the class.  Easy peasy, right?  WRONG!  If you've been following along the past month or so you've noticed that most of my posts for each week have had close to ten photos each if not more.

It's hard picking favorites.  All the photos in my previous posts were favorites.  That's how they ended up in the post and not just saved on the computer.  So I'll try really hard to narrow it down to ten favorites.

This shot was from before we got any instruction on how to take photos.  It's from the Jellies exhibit at the Shedd (I know, totally doesn't have anything to do with grilling!?!?) but I used it in my first post as an example of what the settings on a camera could do to change a photo.

I really like the photo of this pork chop on the grill because it just looks so juicy and yummy.  This photo focused on using indirect light and proper white balance to get a good photo.

These next photos are examples of staging.  Staging is when you put a product in a realistic setting to make the photo look more natural.  This first one is a close up of a Jucy Lucy burger (these are stuffed with ooey gooey cheese in the middle).  I love this pic because of all the colors in it.  

I love these mushrooms too (even though onions aren't my fave) because they look succulent.

This is such a dorky pic but I love it because its a "grilled" grilled cheese.  I'd never thought to put these on the grill but they took no time at all and tasted amazing.  Just make sure to use real butter as the fake stuff turns black pretty quickly.

Are you seeing a theme yet in the photos I've been picking?  Most of them are close up shots focusing on something in particular.  This kind of photo shows the most detail and highlights what I think are important in my dishes.

The last set of photos is from my grilling party that got rained out.  Our assignment this week was to utilize all we'd learned to show off our skills.  This first photo is a close up of pork tenderloins cooking on the grill.  Don't they look juicy?

I like this photo because the fruit salad has so many colors in it.  The photo makes it look bright and inviting.

This cheesy garlic bread not only looked amazing it tasted pretty darn good too.

This photo is an example of focusing on the fruit salad in the foreground while the rest of the plate blurs.  This draws your eye to the salad and makes it the focus of the photo.

The last photo I picked is a good example of staging.  The cupcake liner has been peeled back to show the viewer how awesome the cupcake looks inside.

All in all I feel like I've learned a lot taking the #SoFabU Sears Grilling Photography class.  My blog food photos have definitely improved.  I'm so thankful to Sears for sponsoring this class.  Without it I wouldn't have had a chance to grow as quickly as a photographer.

*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.*

Our Trip to the Seattle's Best #RedCupShowdown at the Illinois State Fair

Alison:Remember last week when I told you we were going to the State Fair?  Well we did go Friday for the Seattle's Best Coffee #RedCupShowdown.

Susie:Duh, remember who drove the whole way?  I think I know that we went.

Alison:Yes, but they don't know!

Susie: You just told them that we went.

Alison: *rolls eyes*It started quite early at 8:30 am and was two intense hours (for the competitors).  There were thirteen people competing at the fair for a $500 first prize which also included a trip for two to New York to compete in the final Red Cup Showdown.

Susie:Hey! Don't think I didn't notice that eye roll just because you typed it instead of doing it!

Alison: So, you do proof read the posts?  At least you're paying attention.  While the audience didn't get to sample the entries, I do have a special treat for you.  The three finalists all offered to share their recipes with me to share with my readers.  So now when you make these amazing drinks it will be almost like you were there with us at the competition.

Anthony won first place with his Cafe Mocha en Fuego pictured above:

Ingredients:

3 oz chocolate chips, chopped finely

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon chile powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 dash of cayenne pepper

5 tablespoons Seattle's Best Dark Roast, ground

15 oz. water

15 oz. 2% milk, cold

Whipped Cream

Chocolate Sauce

Directions:

1.  Heat first seven ingredients in a saucepan on medium-low heat stirring until combined, then take off heat.

2.  Add ground coffee to filter and add water to coffee maker and brew.

3.  Fill bottom 1/3 of coffee mug with milk

4.  Microwave until steam starts to come off milk, around a minute

5.  Take mug out of microwave and insert a wire whisk.

6.  With the whisk in between your hands, roll the whisk back and forth until the desired froth is obtained.

7.  Mix the chocolate mixture, coffee and frothed milk in equal parts.

8.  Add whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top.

9.  Dust with spices (chile powder and cinnamon).

Second place went to Seattle's Best Almond Joy pictured above:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Seattle's Best Level 4 Coffee
4 quarts cold water
coffee ice cubes
2 tablespoons Cream of Coconut
1/2 cup Chocolate Almond Milk
1/2 cup Soy Milk

Directions:

In a large container combine coffee and cold water. Stir well and cover container and let steep overnight (but no longer than 12 hours).  Strain using a strainer and cheesecloth to get the coffee filtered.  Refrigerate. This gives you cold brewed coffee.  You can use this to make coffee ice cubes, just pour into molds and freeze.

In a shaker add; ice cubes (coffee ones preferrably), cream of coconut and both milks.  Shake vigorously and pour into a glass.  Fill the rest with coffee.

Optional Whipped Topping:

1 can (about 1/4 cup) Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Native Forest Organic) mixed with powdered sugar.

Optional Garnish:

Mix 14 ounces of shredded coconut with 15 ounces of corn syrup.  Chill.  When firm, roll into balls and press into melted Baker's Chocolate (three ounces).  Dip balls into slivered almonds and put in freezer.  Throw ball on the end of a swizzle stick, such as a sugar cane.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a great shot of the third place winner's drink.  But Patricia did supply me with the recipe to share!!  It's called Christmas in July:

Brew 4 cups water with one coffee scoop of Seattle's Best Coffee #3.  After coffee is brewed, freeze into ice cubes.

Combine:

1 1/4 cup egg nog
1/4 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons malt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend in a blender.

In bottom of Melitta pot place two scoops of chocolate covered toffee pieces.  In the filter place one scoop of Seattle's Best Coffee #3.  Pour boiling water over the coffee grounds and let drain into the carafe until 1 1/2 cups of coffee is reached.  Add this to the mixture in the blender with 6 coffee ice cubes and blend again.

After blending, set aside.

Place:

1/4 cup egg nog into a small deep bowl
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon of clear vanilla

Whip into soft peaks.

Pour mixture from blender into three glasses, place a layer of the whipped cream on the top and add sprinkles of chocolate toffee pieces on top of the whipped cream.

Alison: Jeff Mauro, who has a show on the Food Network and another starting this fall, was the host and one of the judges.  He's originally from the Chicago area and it showed that he loved being at the Illinois State Fair.

Susie: Let's be honest, who wouldn't enjoy the fair?  An excuse to eat strange foods and make weird sound effects.  Check and check.

Alison: Sound effects?  Are you certain we're related?

Susie: Hey, you're the older one, I'm pretty sure you know I'm not adopted, but you can always ask Mom.

Alison: I'll pass. And we're focusing...he was pretty entertaining too.  He kept the crowd laughing and the competitors from getting too nervous.

Susie:Anyone that can keep me laughing before I've had my coffee is in good in my book.

Alison: I also got to take a picture with him.  :)

Alison:Besides being at the fair to see the Red Cup Showdown we also wanted to see some livestock and sample some amazing fair food.

Susie: It was more like how far can we walk; you are just lucky I know how to read a map.

Alison:We saw a gorgeous sheep being sheared and groomed for showing.  Love that it had a dark black face and such a snowy white coat.

Susie: I keep telling you that it's a Suffolk sheep.  That breed naturally looks that way!

Alison:Then we found this perfect spotted pig.  We actually watched it for a while and it actually moved closer and stuck its head under the feeding trough so we could get a better picture.  :)

Susie: I swear she wanted to take this pig home with us.  Truly, if she could have gotten it into the car she would have smuggled it out.  That's how much love she has for this pig.

Alison:Then off to see the cows.  I'm always amazed at how huge they are.

Susie: That's normal! It's like you've never seen animals before!

Alison: This one was poised perfectly to get a photo.  Love the brown and white markings.

Susie: *sigh* I'm telling you it's the breed! Hereford cows are brown and white!

Alison: After all that it was time to sample some fair delicacies.  This is a red velvet funnel cake.

Susie: Which I practically got dragged to, you say red velvet and she'll do anything to get there.

Alison: OMG it was soo good.  Almost like a red velvet donut.

Susie: See she doesn't even know I'm talking about her, she's imagining it all over again.

Alison: There's only one booth that sells these at the fair and it's definitely worth seeking it out.  I was told that the first day they actually sold entirely out of red velvet funnel cakes.

Alison:Next we stopped at the Dean's Dairy building where they were carving this cow entirely out of butter.  It's not quite finished here in this picture, but the details are amazing.

Susie: Shortcuts always lead to the best finds.  We were all set to go around it, but we found a statue made of butter.

Alison:We did stop to sample a cream puff there and it was huge.  The biggest I've ever seen.

Susie: I think they can figure that out since you can tell it's almost as big as my entire face.

Alison:Also the tastiest.  I've never tasted a better cream filling.  It was so good I've already emailed Dean's about maybe sharing their recipe.  We'll see if I get a reply.

Susie: We can only hope.  My cream puffs are good, but that was like rainbows dipped in clouds good.

Alison: I'm going to just pretend I know what you're talking about so we can move on.

Susie: You weren't exactly selling the awesomeness of the cream puff.  I think now they'll know how good it was.

Alison:On the way out there was this really, really big statue of Lincoln which actually looked like it was made of papier mache.  Quite imposing.

Susie: You think I could get away with building one of those in the backyard?

Alison: No. On so many levels no.

Susie: You just don't understand my need for artistic creativity.  Plus that would take care of our crow problem.

Alison: The Seattle's Best Red Cup Showdown is now off to the Iowa State fair.  That's the last stop on its tour with the final showdown taking place later this August in New York City!!  You can find all the details on their facebook page and follow along on twitter.

*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: Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

I've been really wanting to make a dessert in mason jars for a while now.  They're just so incredibly cute!!  And its in a jar so you can see everything that's in it and its portable.  Ummm...now I really need to calm down before I end up scaring someone.  It's probably due to all the whipped cream I just had on the strawberry shortcakes.  :)

I'm loving just about everything I'm having the urge to make out of that old Martha Meade cookbook.  The recipe actually called for bigger shortcakes, but I cut mine to fit into the jars and used two instead of one.  This allowed me to layer the shortcakes and make them seem bigger.  The rest of the recipe was easy to mix and bake.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcakes

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup whole milk
Strawberries
Whipped Cream

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter, add whole milk and mix lightly.  Turn out onto lightly floured surface, roll 1 inch thick.  Cut with biscuit cutter (I used 1 1/2 inch).  Re-roll scraps to cut 12 rounds.  Place on greased pan and bake in a hot oven, 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

For the strawberries I cleaned and sliced 1 1/2 pounds into a medium bowl.  Added a couple of spoonfuls of sugar.  Stir and let sit at least an hour.

For the whipped cream, I made two separate batches.  The first batch, I used 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.  Whipped till peaks form.  Second batch, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 ounce raspberry syrup.  Whipped till peaks form.

Assembly:

Place a shortbread in bottom of mason jar.  Spoon on strawberries and juice to cover.  Plop on some plain whipped cream.  Add another shortbread pushing down slightly to flatten whipped cream.  Then spoon on some strawberries and syrup.  Finally, plop on some raspberry whipped cream.

This recipe made extra shortbread, but the strawberries and whipped cream make enough for 4 servings.

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.