The Outdoor Lifestyle Blog

Michael Dougherty

Recent Posts

Food and Wine Pairings

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Apr 21, 2016 8:00:00 AM

Do you enjoy food and wine but don't know how to best enjoy them together? Allow us to be your virtual sommelier and help you learn how to make the most of your entire meal!

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Topics: Cooking Tips

Charcuterie Boards Better Than a Main Course

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Apr 14, 2016 8:00:00 AM

Charcuteries are all the fun of cheese plates, but with the added flair of various meats and other delectable items! These exotic presentations make them the perfect appetizer, but they can also be filling enough to stand on their own... if you know what you're doing. We want you to be able to create the perfect charcuterie board every time as effortlessly as possible, so here are our tips for savory success:

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Topics: Cooking Tips

How to Plate Your Food to Look as Delicious as It Tastes

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Apr 7, 2016 8:00:00 AM

Are your cooking skills out of this world but feel that the way you present your meals leaves a lot to be desired? We want to help you be proud of every aspect of the meals you prepare in your outdoor kitchen, so we're sharing with you our tried and true food presentation tips so you can "wow" your family and friends from first sight to first bite!

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Topics: Cooking Tips

Designing a Kid-Friendly Outdoor Kitchen

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Mar 31, 2016 8:00:00 AM

When you're designing your outdoor kitchen and thinking of everything you need to make it perfect, don't forget to include some kid-friendly features! Because whether they're your own children, your nieces & nephews, your grandchildren, or even your neighbors' kids, you'll eventually have little ones running around, and you'll certainly want them to be as safe as possible as they join in on your backyard fun. Here are 4 easy ways you can make your outdoor kitchen safer for the children in your life:

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Topics: Kitchens

Party Planning and Hosting Tips

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Mar 24, 2016 8:00:00 AM
What good is an overhauled backyard if you don't make the most of it by entertaining? We say you should put your outdoor kitchen and outdoor living room to good use and host a fabulous soiree for your friends and family! To pull off the perfect party, we've compiled these planning and hosting tips to guarantee your event will go off without a hitch!
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Topics: Outdoor Lifestyle

4 DIY Ways to Build Your Outdoor Lifestyle

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Mar 17, 2016 8:00:00 AM

One of the most fun parts about any home renovation is the chance to make the space fit your personality. And while we can help you build the bigger parts of your outdoor lifestyle (an entire barbecue island, for example), only you can add the fine details that will truly start to reflect your style. To help inspire you, here are 4 DIY projects you can try to personalize your yard.

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Topics: Outdoor Lifestyle

Are You Ready for a 24 Hour Pizza Marathon?

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Mar 10, 2016 8:00:00 AM

Pizza is easily one of the most beloved foods of all time, which is highly understandable. Not only is it always a crowd pleaser, but it's affordable, ready fairly quickly, and can even be brought right to your door when you don'f feel like going out! And while all those other factors are great, our personal favorite thing about pizza is how versatile it is: you can have something as simple as a plain cheese pizza, or toppings as extravagant as caviar and lobster (we're serious).

To help you understand why that's our favorite thing about pizza, here are 4 wildly different pizza recipes that can be enjoyed starting at breakfast, all the way through your post-dinner dessert... a day-long pizza marathon! But first, you've got to have the perfect crust, and that means a lot of dough...

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Topics: Cooking Tips

All About Side Dishes

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Mar 3, 2016 8:00:00 AM

It would be a shame to spend all of your time and effort preparing a mouthwatering main course, only to find that what your guests remember later is the lackluster sides that went with it. Fortunately, we have plenty of great techniques and ideas on how to make your side dishes shine so the whole meal is memorable from start to finish. So, what are you waiting for? Let's get stared!

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Topics: Cooking Tips

The Perfect Barbecue Menu

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Feb 25, 2016 8:00:00 AM

So over the last few weeks we've been helping you learn how to choose and prepare a delicious cut of meat, so this week and next week we're going to help you with choosing and preparing side dishes. Before we move on to chicken, fish, other meats, and veggies that are good enough to stand on their own, let's stick with steak for this post as we walk you through how to make some unique sides to accompany your meat for the perfect barbecue!

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Topics: Grills, Cooking Tips

How to Grill Your Steak Exactly How You Want It (Every Time)

Posted by Michael Dougherty on Feb 18, 2016 8:00:00 AM
Last week we helped you understand the differences between cuts of steak; this week we're here to help you learn how to prepare those cuts because there are few experiences more disappointing than having to eat a piece of steak that was  not cooked to your liking, whether it was over- or under-cooked. One way to avoid such an unsavory experience is to learn how to prepare your meat so that it's impossible to ever  over- or under-cook it. 
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Topics: Grills, Cooking Tips