Wednesday Cookout: Same foods, two very different plates

Greetings from the heat wave!



Like most of the country, we are having a terrible heat wave here in Illinois, and the 4th of July was one of the worst days. 103!! We just don't get highs that high here, and delicate snowbirds like us are not equipped for it. So we spent most of the day indoors, and didn't regret it. I took the photo above of my patio; knowing the sun was only making everything even hotter did not make sitting out there a very appealing option.

However, when it was time to grill, Hubby and I both braved the elements, at least for a short while.

Me in my patriotic outfit. So glad I found that Gap tee from a few years ago in the bottom of my drawer!



I am madly in love with my new sandals, you guys. The stripes make me grin every time I look down. I did get another pedicure with a more opaque pink nude. I know I am in the minority, but I like it for now. But next week I am going back to a hot-pink watermelon shade. :)



Hubby accidentally matched the colors on his beer bottle label (Bell's Oberon). Well, matchy-matchy is pretty trendy right now! I guess he's a hipster. 



Onto the important stuff: the food.



On top is pineapple, our new favorite grilled item. Hubby gobbles it up, so you know I have to keep buying it. When I get a winner, I milk it for all I can. We tried grilling corn this time; it came out fine, but I prefer my method of boiling for 3 minutes instead. Last but not least is the slices of white onion. We don't even need to season any of this, we just cook it as is and add the seasonings later.



The sausages were already done. We get these from a Wisconsin mushroom vendor at the farmer's market, and they are SPECTACULAR. They're portobello mushroom swiss cheese brats. They're earthy and juicy with sweet melted chunks of swiss cheese mixed in, and OMG. They're the only sausages I buy regularly that aren't chicken or turkey based, and I don't care. Sometimes it is worth getting the real thing.

Once everything was grilled, we hustled back inside to the blessed air conditioning. But it was worth braving the heat when we had this to feast on:



You'd think that with all those veggies we would both end up with healthy plates, right? Wrong.

This is what I served myself:



Grilled corn, chopped up pineapple, blue cheese coleslaw, brat on whole wheat bun with grilled onions, pineapple and BBQ sauce. (I went for Hawaiian-flavored, one of my favorite combos at fancy burger joints.)

This was Hubby's:



Two brats with grilled onions, stone-ground mustard and spicy gardiniere on whole wheat bun, one lone pineapple ring.

Let's review. Excluding condiments:
-the ratio of fruit/veggie to meat to bread on my plate is 3:1:1.
-the ratio on Hubby's is 1:2:2.

So if your husbands ever complain that they don't want to eat "rabbit food" if you are trying to eat better, you can show them that they don't have to, even if you have the same foods to choose from. LOL!

Happy grilling!