Jucy Lucy Burger Recipe

Months ago we saw America's Test Kitchen do a segment on these burgers which had lots of gooey cheese inside them.  :)  I did make them for one of my meals in the SoFabU Sears Grilling Photography class.

For the class, we weren't posting recipes.  I think my brain would have imploded if I'd had to worry about recipes along with all the meals I was planning and photographing at the time.  I'm very glad I took the class because my photos have majorly improved but it was a lot of work.

The Jucy Lucy burgers were really good.  I haven't made them since the class, but we'll definitely keep them in rotation.  The trick is making sure the cheese is entirely encased and sealed in the ground beef.  I had a couple of burgers which I thought were sealed, but leaked a bit.

Biting into one and getting that gooey cheese is truly amazing.  So much better than a cheeseburger.  The meat also stayed moist and tender even after handling it so much.  If you're looking for a stand-out burger, this is it!!

Jucy Lucy Burgers from Cook's Country 9/07

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
1 slice deli American Cheese (1/2 inch thick), cut into quarters

Using a potato masher, mash bread, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth.  Add beef and gently knead to combine.

Divide meat evenly into 4 equal portions.  Using half of each portion, encase cheese to form a mini burger patty.  Mold remaining half portion of meat around patty to seal edges and form a ball.  Flatten ball to form a 3/4-inch thick patty.  Transfer to plate and refrigerate 30 minutes-24 hours.

Grill over medium heat till well browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes per side.  Transfer to plate and tent with foil, let rest 5 minutes.

This last photo is a cooled Jucy Lucy burger.  But it definitely shows how much cheese is actually in these burgers!!  Just imagine fresh from the grill...definitely juicy!!

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.*

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.

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.

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.

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.