Grilling is a great way to enjoy your outdoor home spaces, especially during warm seasons. Relax and spend time with your family in your backyard while creating a great meal from the grill.

Here are some simple grill recipes that you might enjoy.

Grilled Tuna with Green Olive Spread

This one is very easy to prepare and the taste is marvelous. The finished recipe can be served with vegetable salad, baked potato or rice for a fabulous summer meal.

Ingredients needed:
1 kilo of fresh tuna cut into desired portions
Salt
Pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons of green olive spread

How to prepare:

1. Oil the top of the grill.
2. Get grill to heat over medium heat
3. Grill the tuna until parched on the outside but retaining the pink on the inside.
4. Turn the tuna upside down to grill the other part and then spread on top grilled portion the green olive spread.
5. Brush the same on the other grilled portion when seared.
6. Apply more olive spread on all grilled portions or as desired.
7. There you go; you have a great Grilled Tuna with Olive Spread. Serve with more olive spread or any desired dips.

If you are fond shellfish, here’s a simple fantastic grilled recipe for you!

Grilled Mussel with Garlic and Cheese

Ingredients:
Half kilo of fresh mussels
Daintily grated garlic
1/2 cup of your choice of grated cheese
1-2 tbsp of olive oil

How to prepare:

1. Soak the mussels into clear water to remove sands and to loosen the beard which should be removed also.
2. Pre-heat the grill into a medium heat.
3. Place the mussels on top of the non-stick grill so it would pop open.
4. As soon as it opens, remove the mussels from the grill and crack it open and break off the other half leaving the shell meat whole in the other part of the shell.
5. Place tiny bits of garlic to each piece with the meat, sprinkle with the grated cheese and drop tiny amount of olive oil at the meat.
6. Put them all again at the grill, let the meat cook until orange in color and cheese melts wonderfully.

This would serve as good appetizer.

For more great grill recipes, please visit Barbecue and Grill Recipes and enjoy grilling with family and friends.

References:
southernfood.about.com

Image: Gibby’s Fishing Blog

Sponsored by: Pelican Shops

Planning to sell your home in a few years, but want to enhance the value of your property when you do? Add to the appraisal value of your home by doing some creative landscaping. Outdoor patios are a capital way to begin. With a little designing effort, building your backyard patio can actually be rewarding. Create an eye-appealing gathering area for friends and family while extending your living space.

Here are a few base patio design tips to get you started.

Consider the space. Do a little architectural blueprinting to effectively redistribute the available space. If space isn’t an issue, then the old adage of “bigger is better” will give you more options for expanding your outdoor decorating theme while actually creating a better flow of traffic for entertaining.

Think of materials. Most patios are built with concrete, bricks, decorative tiles or stone. Depending on how much you want to invest, you can also opt for a more environmental touch using mulch (creating a more natural appeal) or carefully laid bleached rock (for a brighter, artistic, sun-drenched effect).

Now with baselines decided, ask yourself what accessories would compliment your outdoor oasis. Here are a few embellishments for you to consider:

Furniture
Plants (in beds, planters or pots)
Fire pit
Waterfall/pond/fountain

How about an inviting hot tub for the summer months ahead, a small gazebo or a larger-than-life island grill? The sky’s the limit! With the addition of a patio, not only has your property’s resale value dramatically increased, but you’ve creating an inviting living space for family time and entertaining.

Sponsored by: Pelican Shops

Image: DIY Start

Bocce Ball is a primitive sport that was made popular by the Roman Empire circa 800 B.C. The basic concept of this game is the idea of tossing an object to hit another object or target. Over time the game has evolved into a sophisticated activity with specific rules to follow.

Here are the rules of the game:

Open Bocce: Open Bocce is the most popular way to play. An open field is all you need to play this form of the game. You can also play at the beach, or even on an open parking lot. Open Bocce can be a great challenge if played on hilly or uneven terrain. The equipment for Bocce includes eight large balls and a small ball called the pallino. The game has to have an even number of players ranging from two players to eight players. Divide the Bocce balls evenly between the number of players. The balls are different colors so that they can be told apart by the opposite team. Chose a player at random to throw the pallino. The same player will then throw his Bocce ball in the direction of the pallino. The object of the game is for each team to get their Bocce ball the closest to the pallino. After the first ball has been thrown, that player would be considered “inside,” meaning his ball is the closest to the pallino at that time. The inside player usually forfeits their next throw, allowing the “outside” players a chance to get their ball closer to the pallino. After all players have thrown their Bocce balls, the player that is “inside” will be awarded points. One point will be awarded to this player for every ball that is closer to the pallino than his closest competitor’s ball. After the points are awarded the frame has ended. Start a new frame by picking another player to throw the pallino. A game is won when a player reaches 13 points. Play as many games needed to reach the end.

Related Searches:

http://www.bocceballrules.net/

Sponsored by: Pelican Shops

Image: Dvice

With summer fast approaching, outdoor barbecues with friends and family are already on the menu. Time for lazy afternoons relaxing and enjoying the breeze on your outdoor patio furniture. Your patio becomes your living area during warm weather seasons, and taking care of your outdoor furnishings means as much care and kindness year-round as you give the indoors. How do you protect your outdoor furniture from the elements of harsh weather, including pounding rain, blistering sun and brittle cold temps? Let’s investigate the options.

The quickest and most common protection comes from outdoor furniture coverings. There are special size-fitted coverings to fit all of your outdoor patio pieces, including chairs, tables, love seats, gliders and ottomans. Coverings are also available for outdoor accessories such as grills, barbecues, fire pits, chimeneas, patio table umbrellas, and patio heaters. If you have patio cushions that cover your furniture during the pleasant seasons, there are storage containers and other options for keeping those protected, as well.

Don’t want to spring for coverings for your furniture? Here are a few viable alternatives that will help ensure that your outdoor living area stays ready for fair weather entertaining.

Wood – Apply a good base coat of paint, stain, varnish or water repellent sealant (like the ones that are used to seal decks).
Wicker – Wicker is best protected when fully covered. Placing rubber tips on the feet will help protect the furniture pieces from the damages of dampness as well as protect them from nicks and scratches.
Metal, Cast iron and plastic - To protect and maintain, you can apply car wax or polish to protect and repel damaging seasonal elements.

Sponsored by: Pelican Shops

Image: Decoration Ideas

Who said you needed to live on a farm to grow your own food? When space is at a minimum, container gardening can be a truly rewarding effort. With the right tools and supplies, even the most garden-challenged can grow veggies in a container.

Here are a few tips to get you growing:

Container or pot – Consider the root system of the plant and how big it will get. Plants need adequate growth space to produce good yields. Purchase pots with holes in the bottom for adequate drainage, or if you have a pot without holes, place a layer of rocks in the bottom so plants aren’t sitting in water to prevent root rot.
Soil – Opt for rich organic potting soil mixed with peat, perlite or vermiculite – these retain moisture while providing adequate drainage, which in turn means less watering.
Sunlight – At least six hours of early morning or afternoon sunlight is best for potted veggies and herbs to be happy and produce a good yield. Since containers hold heat, avoid placing plants in full sun to prevent overheating the roots and drying out the plant.
Fertilizer – Plants need regular replenishing of nutrients to thrive. Avoid synthetics and opt for natural organics such as seed meal and lime.
Watering – Over-watering is one of the biggest mistakes made when growing potted plants. Water only when the soil feels “damp” to the touch. Slightly drooping plant leaves can indicate when water is needed.

Best vegetable plants for growing in pots:

Tomatoes
Peppers
Lettuce
Radishes
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Squash
Onions

Sponsored by: Pelican Shops

Image: House Plants for You

Feng Shui, pronounced “fuhng shwey,” is the ancient Chinese art of balancing the aura of energy that inhabits any given space, creating a flowing environment of harmony and serenity for those that enter. The phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” couldn’t be more true than with the designing art of Feng Shui.

“Feng,” meaning wind, and “shui,” meaning water, are interpreted and practiced by the Chinese in the philosophy that good health is derived when the soul and spirit are at peace with self and nature. The Chinese believe that positioning certain objects in a room gives a more natural flow of rhythm and creates a more relaxed environment.

There are Five Fung Shui Elements natural to the indoor and outdoor environment:

Wind
Water
Earth
Wood
Metal

The Ba-gua and Compass are the key components to defining and understanding your I-Ching. Both of these tools are instruments used to determine and model your own personal yin and yang balance of home and outdoors.

When creating your own Feng Shui outdoors, here are a few key Feng Shui landscaping elements to defining your own relaxing Feng Shui:

Natural smooth stones
Waterfall or fountain
Wind chimes
Koi pond
Scented herbs
Butterfly plants

Carefully placing the above environmental components according to your own Feng Shui compass and ba gua guide will ensure a calm and restful elemental oasis.

Sponsored by: Pelican Shops

Image: 10k Blessings Feng Shui