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Outdoor Living at it’s Finest!

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Grilling Tips, Tricks & Recipes

Grilled Apple-brined Turkey
Shrimp & Andouille Dressing

Barbecue Safety Fact Sheet
Outdoor Room Design
Grill Buying Tips
Before You Buy, Decide….Quite simply, there is a wide world of outdoor cooking choices available. From gas to char-coal and electric to pellet, it’s important to buy the one that best fits your grilling lifestyle. So, before you buy, know what type of grill best fits your needs. • Gas–The easy convenient choice, gas grills can be ready to cook in 10 minutes. Gas grills also make it easy to regulate the heat and to cook at several different tem-peratures at the same time.• Charcoal –Some people swear charcoal cooking pro-duces better flavor. Charcoal can create a high tempera-ture for searing, but can also be used for "low and slow" cooking. These grills can also double as a smoker.• Pellet–Wood pellets, come in a variety of flavors such as hickory, mesquite, and oak, provide the energy source and infuse food with flavors from the resultant smoke. Increasingly popular, pellet grills are attractive because they are energy efficient and clean burning.• Electric–Electric grills are higher performance and ideal for apartments or condo dwellers. To use this type of grill you must position it within reach of a nearby outlet, since an extension cord will greatly reduce grill perfor-mance. These models are easy to turn on just like a kitchen stove.
Once you’ve decided the type of grill, the next step is to evaluate your grilling needs and bud-get. Make sure you ask yourself...What’s my budget?Whatever your budget, there is a grill for you. Basic backyard grills can sell for as little as $50 while top-of-the-line gourmet grills can sell for $5,000 or more.Where will I use my grill?Will you be using your grill on a small balcony, on your backyard patio or in your custom-designed outdoor kitchen? Today’s grills are specially designed for specific areas ranging from small apartments and condos to fully-equipped, perma-nent outdoor kitchens.What features do I want?Are you an adventurous gourmet griller or just a basic hot-dogs-and-hamburgers type of griller? Grills today come with all sorts of interesting "bells and whistles." Be sure to make a list of your must-have features before shopping.What’s my style?Today’s grills are no longer "basic black." Manufacturers are catering to consumer demand for interesting design includ-ing sleek stainless steel, colors, and a variety of styles ranging from traditional to modern.Don’t Forget the Accessories!The grill is just one-third of the tools needed for grilling. Once you’ve decided on a grill be sure to invest in accessories such as: - Grill cleaning brush- Long-handled tongs- Long-handled fork- Long-handled brush
Trends for Outdoor Fireplaces
As the Outdoor Room continues to growth in the American Home, the Fireplace still is a major Anchor of the Outdoor Room, same as it has been for decades inside the home.
There are certain Trends being seen in nearly every marketplace. The Homeowner wants more options in Free-Standing / Stand alone Fireplaces. The Trend appears to have swung in favor for Gas Fireplaces, not only because of the convenience factors, but rather due to Local Codes & regulations. In climates that experience Dry-Hot Summers, Gas Fireplaces have the ability to provide a controlled flame that prevents sparks from “pitch-pocket” explosions which can cause fires around the exterior of the fireplace.
The designs for Fireplaces are now coming in virtually every shape and form, to meet the demand for specific design requests. Listed below are some things to consider for various types of fireplaces for your Outdoor Room:
Masonry Fireplace is the so-called traditional fireplace. This is constructed by using bricks, stones and concrete blocks. In short, this kind of fireplace is tremendously heavy which typically weighs 5 to 7 tons. Because of the complex construction of masonry fireplace, it is usually built along with the construction of the actual house.
Patio Fireplace is a free standing enclosed fireplace that has an attached chimney to release the smoke being emitted from the fireplace. Such fireplaces make use of firewood or logs but modern construction of patio fireplaces is designed to produce fire using natural gas, propane or electricity
Outdoor Gas Fireplace is a fireplace that makes use of fuel instead of real firewood. Just like wood burning fireplace, this fireplace is capable of generating efficient heat minus the ashes and sparks that traditional wood burning fireplace produces.
The Gas Fireplace Insert is becoming very popular over the past several decades because of its convenience and efficiency. A fireplace insert is installed in a fireplace to produce a cleaner burning fire and a more efficient gas fireplace. If you are having difficulty maintaining a stable source of woods or logs to fire up your traditional fireplace, you may want to use a fireplace insert. Source; Outdoor-Fireplace-Home 2007©
If there is one part of your home that can significantly change your home’s ambiance; it will be your fireplace. And whether it is a traditional fire place or not, the fireplace decorating design ideas for your are simply numerous. Fireplace accessories are not just necessary to facilitate easier fire creation and fireplace maintenance. Nowadays, people buy fireplace accessories to complete the look of their fireplace to make it even more attractive. Having just a nice flame over your fireplace is not enough if you do not have any accessories around it. The options seem to be endless for creating your perfect outdoor space!
Outdoor Kitchens/BBQ Islands/Grill Islands
Outdoor Kitchens, also known as Grill Islands or BBQ Islands, are a great addition to anyone’s Outdoor GreatRoom or backyard. There are many options available for design and finishes, and just about every amenity that you could have in your indoor kitchen is available for the backyard. When considering this investment, it’s very important to determine what you’ll use your Outdoor Kitchen for most; grilling for family and friends, grilling and entertaining, entertaining for large groups, etc… Once your main use has been determined you can think about design. The Outdoor Greatroom Company’s St.Martin and St.Johns island are great for grilling and entertaining for small to large groups. With included options like their Cook Number Grills, you can entertain while your food is watched by the Cook Number System, which has a built in temperature probe system. You can crank out your favorite music on the built in stereo, cool down your favorite beverages and condiments in the refrigerator, or heat up side dishes on the side burner. And when the sun goes down, turn on the under counter lighting for great nighttime ambience. With a new Outdoor Kitchen, your backyard will surely be the hot spot to enjoy.
Outdoor living with the changing seasons
Cool Weather Campfires
Outdoor living is In; Indoor Living is Out! As the seasons change, so do the trends, and the ongoing trend hitting homes all over the country is moving your indoor living room to the outside. One of the key elements to this brand new ‘outdoor living space,’ especially in the cooler months, is a campfire or fireplace. Now, in places like the midwest we may have to take a few months off from enjoying our favorite spot outdoors while the snow settles, but we can still dream about that perfect space outdoors that will great us when the seasons change again! For people in warmer regions, they are hitting the time of year when days are a moderate temperature with cooler evenings - perfect weather for cozying up around a campfire. Think about it…what could be better than spending your evenings under the stars, talking with friends and family while sitting around the glow of a campfire? Especially one that gives off plenty of heat and runs for many hours without having to chop wood (runs on natural gas or propane) so you can relax outdoors, without the distractions that may come from being inside (i.e. the television). Living in the Midwest, we don’t get a lot of opportunities to enjoy the nights outdoors (in the summer there are always bugs buzzing in our ears or humidity that makes it too uncomfortable to be outside, and in the winter it’s just plain cold), so once the cool fall or spring night hit, it’s the perfect time to be outside and enjoy the weather! In warmer areas, that time is now… So turn off the TV, head outside, turn on the campfire, and take part in the newest fall trend to hit homes all over the place; Outdoor Living!