The Outdoor Lifestyle Blog

The weather outside is warming up nicely. Warm weather and blue skies means more outdoor time for you and your family and friends.

But you know who else is enjoying the outdoors and warm weather? The bugs. All of them. And if you grill up a steak on a warm day and serve it to others, you're bound to run into some pests looking for a free meal. So how can you keep all these bugs away?

We've got a couple of solutions for you on how to keep your backyard bug-free. All of these are cruelty and pesticide-free too!

Edible bouquets are a lovely way to show your love on Valentine's Day. After all, who wouldn't want a bouquet that tastes even better than it looks?

Like any bouquet, edible bouquets come with a price tag. Vendors put a lot of work into edible arrangements, and they charge a pretty penny for their time and creativity. If you're looking for a frugal way to pull off an edible arrangement this Valentine's Day, the best solution is to do it yourself.

We've found four edible bouquets that even the most novice creator can assemble. So, if you have a Valentine who craves fruit or candy, bacon or pickles, we have the perfect bouquet for you!

Sometimes it actually is possible to have your cake and eat it, too. In other words, you can design the outdoor kitchen of your dreams and still stick to your budget.

How? There are several ways to cut costs on your outdoor kitchen project, and it's not by cutting corners. We have better ideas — 5 in fact — that will help you design your dream outdoor kitchen on a budget you actually follow.

The holiday season means Christmas parties in abundance. Charcuterie boards are a favorite for hosts and guests alike at just about any social event throughout the year, but at Christmastime, the expectation for food is so much higher. 

Don't let that intimidate you, though. It's possible to knock the holiday charcuterie board out of the park. We have everything you need to know right here.

Your daughter is getting married, and there's only one place she wants to say her vows...

At home.

In your backyard.

You've been told the occasion is going to be intimate in your outdoor living space but you also know the expectation is that this wedding is done with all of the elegance and class (and expense) of a traditional wedding at a traditional venue.

So... How do you do this?

Some foods immediately make us think of grilling out — steak, hamburgers, wings. Other foods seem hard to imagine with grill marks or an added smoky flavor.

It's easy to get stuck in a rut with food and how we prepare it, which is why we wanted to share an article about very common foods that taste uncommonly delicious on the grill.

The ironic thing is that these foods almost never get grilled. It's as if they're every grill master's best kept secret. But that secret is about to be out because we're confident that once you start grilling these four foods, you won't want to stop.

There's nothing more frustrating than planning a backyard barbecue in your outdoor kitchen only to have it rained out. Either you end up taking the party inside or cancelling it completely. Both scenarios are less than ideal because no venue can really compare to an outdoor kitchen.

So, if you want to ensure that the rain never hinders your plans for hosting a party in your outdoor kitchen, you should consider designing an outdoor kitchen that's weatherproof and protects your guests from the rain. 

Your outdoor kitchen is your cooking haven, but nothing can change that faster than a run-in with food poisoning. One evening you're having a relaxing dinner on the patio with your family, and the next morning you're suffering the effects of food poisoning. Or imagine how horrified you would be if you hosted a dinner party and served a meal that caused food poisoning.

No one ever plans for food poisoning, but neither do people consistently take the proper precautions to avoid it. Every ounce of effort you put into keeping your food sanitary is worth it. This blog will help!

If you're like the majority of the American population, you're probably grilling burgers for the 4th of July. You'll also toss some hot dogs on the smoker just incase you run out of burgers or to give the kids another option, but burgers are usually the main event.

What if you did something different this year? What if you made hot dogs the highlight of your 4th of July cookout? Grilling them is easy; it's the toppings that make them truly spectacular! Since we're celebrating America's Birthday in just a few days, let's look at some truly American dogs that are inspired by different parts of the country.

Kitchen islands seem to be a staple in most kitchens today. Maybe Chip and Joanna Gaines are are to blame, or perhaps people are just realizing how nice it is to have added counter space. Either way, kitchen islands are more than a fad. So does that mean you should put one in your outdoor living area? 

Instead of giving a simple answer to a question that doesn't have one, let's cover the do's and don'ts of building kitchen islands, and then you can decide if you think an island is still appropriate for your outdoor living space.