Summer is the season to do a lot of outside activites — including cooking and eating! Give your indoor kitchen a break by turning your backyard into a simple summer kitchen. Here are 4 simple ways to take cooking outside this summer:
Fire up the grill.
The grill is a must-have item for simple summer cooking. You don’t need a big fancy gas grill to eat well. A small charcoal grill will do just fine if you’re cooking for a small family. Other than a grill, you may need a few outdoor kitchen utensils like heat-proof tongs, stainless steel skewers, a spatula and a wok for the grill for small vegetables that might fall through the grates. Check out The RTA Store on Pinterest for great grilling ideas and recipes!
Build a backyard fire pit.
You don’t have to go to a campground to use a fire pit — you can build your own! Head to your local home improvement store to get everything you’ll need for your DIY firepit like gravel, big stones, a level and shovel if you don’t already have one. (Be sure to build the fire pit far enough away from your home and other building structures to meet fire codes.) Get your kids to help pick up sticks to build the actual fire. Then roast hot dogs or sausage, cook foil-packet dinners, and make s’mores in the comfort of your own backyard!
Plant an herb garden.
Leave the dried herbs in the kitchen cabinets — summer cooking calls for fresh herbs! Plant a small herb garden in planters on your back deck or in a raised garden bed in your backyard. Try to keep them close to the grilling/cooking area to quickly add them to meats and vegetables. Or sprinkle them on grilled food as a bright garnish when it comes off the grill. Great herbs to plant are basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley and dill!
Arrange an outdoor eating area
While you could take the food inside and eat it, it’s more fun to eat outdoors when the weather’s nice (and the bugs aren’t biting). Create a seating area around the fire pit with lawn chairs, purchase a picnic table, or add an outdoor table to the patio area. If you want to go really casual, throw a picnic blanket on the lawn!
Summer is a great time to give your indoor kitchen a makeover — especially when you’ve got an outdoor kitchen to use! Maybe you’ve been dreaming of white kitchen cabinets or a new kitchen island for summer entertaining. The RTA Store has both and much, much more! Take advantage of our free kitchen design online and get started on your kitchen makeover today.
