Naperville's Ribfest with Ty Pennington and #CBias

So do you know where I was on Saturday?  What?  You don't have my schedule memorized?  I was at Ribfest in Naperville.  It's a local Chicago event that I've heard about for years but just never made it to before.  I mean, c'mon, Ribfest.  What a great way to celebrate summer, and I had the delight of spending the majority of my time in the Sears #GrillingIsHappiness tent with their celebrity demonstrations from Ty Pennington, Robyn Landars, George Hirsch, and Perry Perkins.

Personally, I love to grill, and we do it year 'round.  At the pre-event reception on Friday night, one of the Sears folks said something about how they don't want to be there just for the sale of the grill and outdoor living items for the four months we can grill in Chicago, but developing a relationship via #GrillingIsHappiness.  I love almost all that idea - except that part about grilling only four months a year in Chicago.  In our house, we grill all year, and that includes shoveling a walkway to the grill in February!

But Sears is doing it right with the Grilling Is Happiness website.  The four celebrities we got to hang with on Friday and Saturday - who were beyond nice - aren't the only contributors.  The site is filled with constantly updated information on decorating and bbq parties and recipes and everything you need to spend your summer in your outdoor kitchen from all sorts of experts.

Ribfest itself was a hoot.  I had a great time hanging with Laura from Mom Mart, another blogger attending.  This is is one of the great Chicago annual events, and there was far more than just ribs there.  The Steve Miller Band played on Friday night - and all concerts are included in the admission - and there was also Joe Walsh and ZZ Top, amongst others.  And just like any other festival, Laura and I found all sorts of other vendors, from the rubber chicken Laura managed to have fly into a grill to every newspaper in Chicagoland to the usual carnival rides and games.  I felt mildly guilty that I hadn't brought the wee ones when I saw the children's area - children 11 and younger are free - but then I remembered how hot it was, and I was ok again.

The carnival games make me giggle as always.  It was fun to watch other people play - neither Laura nor I had any interest in lugging around a prize for the rest of the day - and they were definitely having fun.  Our emcee in the Sears #GrillingIsHappiness tent, Alex, had no such issues and came back from the carnival tent with a giant stuffed husky.  He admitted that he'd beaten out six kids at Whack-A-Mole for it, though he claimed not to have known he was playing kids because they were on the other side.  It made us giggle, and that's what carnivals are for, right?

I loved the whole atmosphere of the day.  It was far too hot to eat much of anything, but I made sure to have a few ribs.  As I was on my way out for the day, I found a woman who had the right idea.  A vendor somewhere was selling watermelon or strawberry smoothies - or strawberry daiquiris - in a hollowed out watermelon.  I wish that I'd found it earlier, but I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my own lemonade(s).  Tell me that isn't one of the coolest things you've ever seen.

At the actual Ribfest tent, I had a blast.  Of the hours I was at Ribfest, I spent the vast majority of my time hanging out there - and not only because it had shade.  The four chefs each had a demonstration that provided all sorts of neat tips - many of which I recapped in a Google+ album about my Ribfest experience.  When they weren't cooking, they were a hoot.  I loved having a little "behind the scenes" time with them where I could chat with them and see what they were doing to prep their food - extra tips for me!

This was such a neat experience, and I got so many great tips.  The whole event was a big draw for me, and I love that this is something local to me.  The big draw for most people, however, appeared to be Ty Pennington.  Ty was at the Sears #GrillingIsHappiness Tent on Saturday with us, and oh did the people line up for their photos with him!  He was so gracious to everyone, which was great.  One lucky person even had the opportunity to grill with him, and yes, Sears gave away grills and other great prizes, too.  We all had to get our photos taken with Ty of course.  Proof that he's a good guy?  When the fan next to us kept blowing my hair into my face,  Ty took care of it - he was my fan blocker with his hand!

Yes, that is sweat on his shirt.  He had promised to wear shorts, but then didn't.  He regretted it.

The best part of the whole experience is that is isn't over.  Ribfest goes through Tuesday night where they'll have what I've been told are awesome fireworks to close it down.  I'm tempted to go back again this year, but I know no matter what I'll be back again another year.  I just hope it's a little bit cooler so I can try out some more ribs!  Unfortunately, when the winners were announced on Sunday, the ribs Laura and I tried didn't win best ribs or best sauce.  But we were happy with them anyway.  So who's heading to Ribfest with me next year?

Before I forget, I have a winner to announce, too!  In my Father's Day Grilling post, I had a grill tool set to give away from Sears.  Thank you to everyone who entered, but congratulations go to Debi Jackson who was the winner as chosen by Random.org!

In the interest of full disclosure, 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.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own. #CBias #SocialFabric

Father’s Day Grilling With Sears And Ribfest–Giveaway

Summer is officially here in our house.  No, it isn’t June 21 yet, but everyone is out of school.  And more importantly, the sun is shining and it is finally warm enough to wear shorts.  For me, that means the oven goes off for the majority of the summer, and instead we spend the majority of our time grilling.  It never ceases to amaze me what we can – and do! – grill, but we love it.  The theme #GrillingIsHappiness sums up our summer perfectly.

And really, that’s one of my husband’s favorite mantras.  “Anything can be grilled.”  And amazingly, almost anything tastes good on the grill, too.  I saw a recipe the other day for grilled watermelon that I now have to try.  Our grill truly becomes out outdoor kitchen, and I know I will find my husband out there with a smile almost every night.

Proof that we spend a ton of time grilling?  Well, let’s just say that this scraper is a really good representation of what our grilling tools look like.

Fortunately, Collective Bias sent me on a shopping mission to Sears to pick up a few Father’s Day gifts.  While that meant my husband got his gifts a little early, he definitely wasn’t complaining.  I had a blast looking online at both the Sears catalog and my local ad before I headed to the store trying to figure out what to get my husband.  I thought about sneaking in something for me, an outdoor décor item maybe – like new chair cushions for our patio set that we’ve discovered desperately need to be replaced – but I didn’t.  I did come up with some great ideas for what to buy him, though.  I absolutely love the flexible skewers, and we’re trying them out this weekend with some of our awesome kebabs!

And you know me, I love to go shopping, especially when I have a goal in mind.  There were a ton of options of things to buy for my husband, and I spent a good amount of time debating what to buy or not buy to ensure that I found the perfect gifts for him.  I definitely stuck with the flexible firewire skewers, as three of those came home with me!  My other favorite find was the fajita griller.   My husband adores fajitas and orders them whenever a restaurant has them on the menu, but we’ve never made them at home.  In fact, I’d never seen a tool to make them before, so this was perfect.  And yes, I used my Sears Shop You Way Rewards, which earned me points towards future purchases.  You can check out my full shop on the g+ album I put together for it.

Sears is really focused on grilling right now.  Their Outdoor Catalog is almost completely focused on grilling and getting ready for spending summer outside, just what I needed right now!  And this week?  All patio furniture, decor, and grills are on sale, plus there is free in-store assembly on all gas grills.  You can also get a $20 Sears gift card with the purchase of a Hamilton Beach 3 burner gas grill now through June 10.  You have no idea how tempting it is to go get a new grill right now.  Well, maybe you do.

And yes, my husband was thrilled.  In fact, he was so thrilled that he immediately – and without telling me – threw away our old tools.  That’s always a good sign, right?  Between the new tools and my husband’s instant efforts to clean the grill (did you know that your grill grates were this color?  Me neither!) with the cleaning stone I bought, we were so ready to grill.

So we did.  I just happened to pick up some steaks, and my husband was more than happy to grill them.  When you have great quality meat like this, my husband insists you need to only put a little salt and pepper on them before grilling.  Given the taste,  I think he’s right.  He also highly recommends letting the meat come to temperature before grilling it by letting it sit out for a half hour before you grill it.  It helps it cook more evenly, especially when it’s a thick cut.  The salt goes on just before grilling so that you don’t draw out any juices unintentionally.  Sear it to seal in the juices on both sides, then cook on a lower temperature, and you’ll end up with the perfect steak every time.  And please please please, my husband begs you to wait before eating.  Give your steaks a few minutes to rest after that hard work on the grill.  It will help the juices redistribute and keep them from pouring out all over when you cut into your steak to eat it.

We’ve also made Mister Man’s bacon cheddar stuffed burgers.  These are always a hit, and I’m constantly amazed by the compliments we get on them.  Our secret with hamburger meat is to always flavor it.  My personal favorite is a buttermilk or ranch dressing base as in the powder, which we mix with the meat before forming patties.  For a pound of meat, I use maybe 2 tablespoons, but it depends on your preference.  It adds so much taste to your burger, and it also keeps it nice and juicy.  We’ll also use fajita seasoning for a different flavor, and both are excellent.

When we do the bacon cheddar burgers, we make two patties, one slightly larger than the other, and both fairly thin.  Yes, they’ve already been seasoned with the mix.  Place just a little cooked chopped bacon and a little shredded cheddar on the smaller patty, then place the larger patty atop it and seal around the edges using your fingers to pinch the two patties together.  Grill as usual, and oh will your guests have a wonderful surprise when they bite into it.  We’ve also tried this adding a little homemade barbecue sauce inside with the other fixings and mmmm yum!

So speaking of barbecue, did you know that Ribfest in Naperville is coming up?  Shhh, I’ve never been before, but it’s been on my list of things to do for a long time.  And this year?  I’m going!  Any guesses who else will be there?  Ty Pennington!  On June 30, he will be with Sears from noon to 6pm in the Sears #GrillingIsHappiness tent where you can have your picture taken with him, have a chance to get your grill on with him, watch grilling demonstrations by Sears grilling experts, and enter to win a grill and other great prizes.  Besides Ty (because I’m on a first name basis with him in my head), television host and author George Hirsch, “Grill Grrrl” Robyn Lindars, and “Burnin’ Love BBQ” chef Perry Perkins will be demonstrating their favorite dishes, including healthy meals, quick fixes, desserts, and BBQ classics.  And yes, I’ll be there, too – because I know that’s a draw!  There will also be live tweeting from @Sears and #GrillingIsHappiness during the event, so join in.

You can buy tickets to Ribfest online or at the gate (if they haven’t sold out).  Best part?  Children 11 and under are free with a paying adult.  Proceeds from Ribfest go to help agencies supported by the Exchange Club of Naperville – which puts on Ribfest – to help fight child abuse, domestic violence, and to strengthen families in the local communities.  Organizations include everything from Project H.E.L.P. to CASA of DuPage County and has raised over $9 million from its service activities at Ribfest.

Keep up with what’s happening with Ribfest by liking its page on Facebook.  And hey, go ahead and like Sears, too, while you’re at it.  And yep, Ribfest is even on Twitter.  Follow them for updates on what’s happening.

Are you a little jealous of all the grilling fun going on here?  You don't have to be.  I'm giving away an awesome grill tool set courtesy Sears.  In fact, it's the Grillfinity 120100 Gourmet 3-Piece Grilling Tool Set.  I love the name alone.  The set includes a spatula, tongs, and a fork in stainless steel with a satin finish.  So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count! That means that please please please leave your contact information. If I cannot get ahold of you, you cannot win!

This giveaway is open until Saturday June 30 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me: What would you first cook with your new grill tools?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Are you ready for summer grilling? Win a tool set from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/KiERpQ #CBias #GrillingIsHappiness" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!


In the interest of full disclosure, 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™.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own. #CBias #SocialFabric