Weber, Better Homes and Gardens seek local grilling gurus
Were you the one who brushed the snow off the grill and tended to the flame-cooked fare for Sunday's playoff festivities?
If you have an enthusiasm for grilling, a great grilled recipe, an understanding of grilling techniques and a personality that translates well to video, you should enter the Grilling Showdown Contest.
Through March 15, Better Homes and Gardens and Weber are giving people a chance to cook with a celebrity chef at the Chill and Grill Festival May 21 and 22 in sunny (we hope by then) Lincoln Park.
Contestants must submit an original grilled recipe and upload a video that showcases their grilling techniques at bhgchillandgrill.com. The BHG Test Kitchen will select two finalists to compete for the grand prize ($5,000, a new gas grill and two minutes of fame) at the May event. Entries will be judged on on-air personality and grilling demo technique (30 percent), recipe appeal/ease of preparation (30 percent) and recipe flavor and taste (40 percent).
The two finalists will be paired with a celebrity chef to compete in the final showdown — live on stage.
Those who don't make the contest cut can still enjoy two days of cooking and equipment demos, live music and more. The two-day event is free, but there will be a charge for some tastings and classes. Online tickets will be available starting in early March.
That's my boy: I hope you'll indulge me for just a minute. In today's Suburban Parent magazine (you'll find the tabloid section tucked into your paper) a kids' cooking column debuts featuring my 11-year-old son, Jerome.In the column, Move Over Mom #8230; Jerome's in the Kitchen, he hopes to encourage his peers to give cooking a try and expand their food experiences.Jerome is no stranger to the kitchen #8212; as you can see in the photo at left he's been helping me since he was knee-high to a pea #8212; and often likes to improvise, which is fine when he's making a salad, not so much when we're making cookies and he wants to add another egg.My challenge in the kitchen has been guiding him toward ingredients that work together; my challenge with the column will be in helping him pick the right words to tell his story.I get a little space with the column myself, a few words to my peers to further explain an ingredient or a technique.We both hope that you'll read the column with the emerging cooks in your life. Meatless Monday: This week's recipe comes from Stephanie Witt Sedgwick, Nourish columnist for The Washington Post. #8220;Roasted pears and butternut squash bring their sweet, deep flavors to the bitter arugula,#8221; she says. #8220;The dressing uses some of the roasted pear as well, helping to keep this salad light.#8220;Serve as a side dish or as an appetizer; dress it up with chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts.#8221;bull; Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at food@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4524. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on Restaurant Radio, 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560 AM.