The Outdoor Lifestyle Blog

The kitchen can turn into a pretty messy place — with or without a child's help. If you are cooking with a kid, though, you can expect it to get even messier much faster.

In this article, we'll talk about the best ways to teach kids to cook, not so much with the goal of helping you avoid a mess, but instead with the intent of making memories and instilling in them an invaluable skill.

It's about that time when people start giving up on their new year's resolutions to cook healthier and eat better. If you're one of those people who are falling off the bandwagon, we're here to help you hold on for at least one more month! 

We have some incredible recipes for every day of the week. Try them out!

If you think that the perfect steak is determined solely by the precision of grill marks, there's a strong possibility that you may be falling into one of the 6 sins of grilling steaks. 

There are certainly many different ways to prepare a delicious steak, but there are several foundational rules that should be followed every time you grill.

Unfortunately, the outdoor kitchen owners and grillers who are not aware of these "rules" end up committing some serious steak sins. Let's look at those 6 sins so that you can avoid them the next time you're tempted to grill. 

There's no getting around it. This time of year is the season for sweets. From sugar cookies to eggnog, it seems like everything we put in our mouths from Thanksgiving to New Years is packed with sugar, carbs and fat. 

This sugar overload presents a major challenge for those who are trying to lose weight, or at the very least, maintain the weight they're at. But who wants to fill up on celery sticks while everyone else is indulging in cheese boards and chocolate-covered Oreos? Not us!

That's why we found some delicious holiday recipes that are a lot healthier and just as tasty as the traditional options. We're confident that when you taste these recipes, you won't even miss the calories!

While popping a turkey in the oven or dropping it in a crockpot may be two of the most obvious and traditional ways to prepare Thanksgiving dinner, they are certainly not the only ways.

There are many ways to cook a turkey that don't require a conventional oven or crockpot, and if you have an outdoor kitchen, these additional cooking options are literally in your backyard.

Let's look at three...

For most of us, when we think of desserts and treats over an open flame, s'mores are likely the first that come to mind. There are good reasons why s'mores are such a popular classic, but what about when you're grilling out instead of sitting around the fire pit? You can still enjoy some incredibly tasty sweets on the grill.

Here are some of our favorites...

Finally, fall is here and campfire weather is on the horizon — even if it's not quite here yet.

When you decide to have your next campfire in your outdoor living space, we want you to knock it out of the park. Hot dogs and s'mores are fun, but there are so many more creative foods to cook over the fire.

From appetizers to desserts, the complete outdoor feast described in this article will leave your friends and family both speechless and stuffed. Try these recipes and see for yourself!

People are much quicker to talk about food and wine pairings than beer and food pairings, but with the plethora of beer options available and the countless breweries popping up around the country, it's just as important to know which beers go with the food you're grilling in your outdoor kitchen.

While flavor is a fairly subjective topic, the reasoning behind food and beverage pairings is surprisingly straightforward and scientific. The basic rules of beer pairing are this:

• Carbonated beers go with rich food because they offset it
• Crisp IPAs do well to cut through spice
• Light beers pair best with light food
• Heavy beers go with heavy food

Now, with a foundational understanding of the principles of beer pairing, let's look at the different meats you'll be grilling and decide which beers to recommend.

Last week we proved that food can still taste good on the keto diet, and this week, we're going to prove the same point about the Whole30 diet.

You'll definitely want to work these grilled recipes into your Whole30 meal planning. Each recipe is free of processed ingredients and full of good clean flavor!

Enjoy!

Too many diets take the fun and flavor out of food. If not done right, the ketogenic diet is one of them. If you're not familiar with the ketogenic diet (or keto), the basic concept is to eat foods that are... 

• high in fat
• low in carbohydrates and
• moderate in protein

With more fat in your system and fewer carbs, your body doesn't burn carbs for energy like it typically would. Instead, it takes the fat, turns it into ketones and then burns the ketones (fat) for energy. 

Now that we're clear on the science behind keto, let's get clear on some tasty ways to enjoy it in your outdoor kitchen!