Get Your Dishes Sparkling

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating, however all of the opinions regarding the product are mine.

As I grow and learn more about blogging one of the biggest lessons I have learned is the importance of a photo. Many think it is more about the writing but that is not the whole truth. Pinterest has become the #1 referring site for most food bloggers and lets face it the picture is what grabs your attention

Recently I started noticing when Garrett emptied the dishwasher many items still had food stuck on them. I was also finding that after a greasy dish all of my Tervis Tumblers were coming out with a greasy film on them. Yuck! Consequently I would have to run them again or hand wash them.
At first I thought there must be something wrong with my dishwasher. I went online, got out my manual and could not figure it out. A girlfriend said it might be hard water and told me to try something for that. It got a little better but I was still doing double duty. My mother says it’s because I don’t rinse my dishes enough, I say why do I need to wash my dishes to then go put them in the dishwasher and wash them again….I hate redundancy! That is when Cascade Platinum come to my rescue.

When it comes to doing the dishes I am L_A_Z_Y. I hate doing them so when I bought my whirlpool dishwasher there were some very important features that sold me; the silver wear tray hangs on the door so you can fit more dishes on the rack, the top rack is adjustable for my jumbo sized wine glasses because who wants to wash those puppies by hand everyday, there is a food blaster in the back for those pans that are left on the stove all night when I’m too tired to clean up, and it has an automatic food disposal in the dishwasher so that I don’t have to get down and pull out icky left on stuff out of the bottom of the dishwasher. This meant no having to completely clean dishes before you put them in the dishwasher! SOLD.

Cascade contacted me and asked me to try Cascade Platinum. I admit they are not the cheapest, but momma always said, “Good stuff doesn’t come cheap!” I fell in L_O_V_E with these packs. First they are pretty (can you say that about dishwasher detergent) They remind me of little stained class windows but there is a method to this.

 Each of those pretty colors has a purpose they

• Power away tough, 24 hour stuck on food
• Eliminate the need to pre-wash dishes
• Help Maintain the look of new machines and help prevent additional hard-water film build up
• Deliver exceptional shine on your dishes

Now for the fun, Cascade has partnered with Gail Simmons, editor of FOOD &WINE and Top Chef Judge to help us all to understand how important presentation is. Go see her videos here.  Gail recommends impressing with a Platinum Presentation: “The easiest recipes pop with unexpected, gourmet presentations. Drizzle bright sauces on sparkling white plates or layer desserts in crystal-clean glassware. Keep your presentation sparkling with Cascade Platinum, which keeps dishes perfect for anytime entertaining and impromptu guests.” I can tell you these tips have made a difference in my food photography. Take this before and after of the same recipe with the same camera:

The first picture was taken in my 2nd month of blogging. I knew nothing about natural light and presentation. You can hardly see the pork chop for the flash glare. I re-took the picture a few moths ago, updated the post and the page views have tripled from Pinterest traffic because of the change.

Now you can show off what you can do to Cascade and have a chance to win a Whirlpool dishwasher like mine! Two will be given away each week and one lucky grand prize winner will receive a Platinum kitchen makeover! To enter each week will have a 6-day entry period where Instagram users can enter the contest with their #MyPlatinum Photo. Cascade will choose two weekly winners and one final grand prize winner after the entry period has ended. Please be sure to include both the #MyPlatinum hashtag and tag @MyCascade in your entries to the contest!

· Week 1: My Platinum Plate (Entry Period: 6/3-6/9) Show us your best dish styled from the sparkling plate up!
· Week 2: My Platinum Bite (Entry Period: 6/10-6/16) Show us your best bite and most creative use of sparkling silverware!
· Week 3: My Platinum Clink (Entry: 6/17-6/23) Show us how you serve up creative concoctions in sparkling glasses. Cheers!
· Week 4: My Platinum Table (Entry Period: 6/24-6/30) Show us your sparkling tablescape for your most special celebrations!
Grand Prize Winner (Entry: 6/3-6/30)

If you want to follow along you can go like Cascades Facebook Page, Good Luck and let me know if you win!