Unique Serving Platter

My favorite thing about summer is being able to fire up the barbecue and enjoy good food outdoors with family and friends. It’s the best way to have a party and the food always tastes great. For me, BBQ recipes should be cooked on charcoal barbecues. No gas fuel cookers for me. The charcoal should be good quality too, either lumpwood charcoal or briquettes. If you grow fruit trees, the dried cuttings also make an excellent fuel.

A barbecue feast should smell, look and taste good. Be careful not to undercook anything as that can be harmful, but there’s no need to set everything on fire either. Good cooking outside comes with practice. Just do the basics to begin with and then confidence will come with experience. Then you can experiment with different BBQ recipes.

Barbecues don’t have to be just sausages, chicken drumsticks and burgers, although there should always be some of those, as people expect them! Even these can be spiced up with marinades and sauces etc. There are traditional, classic sauces such as aioli sauce. This is the basis of mayonnaise and consists of garlic, egg yolks, olive oil, lemon and seasoning. A tasty barbecue sauce can be made with garlic, salt, paprika, clear honey, tomato puree, orange juice, white or red wine vinegar and soy sauce. You can also make Japanese marinades that use sake and Indian marinades that use cumin and coriander. The use of herbs and butters also adds to the flavor of BBQ recipes. You can have accompanying butters with foods such as lobster, shrimp or anchovy.

There are lots of BBQ ideas for meat dishes to satisfy the carnivores. One of my favorite BBQ recipes is fillet steak with blue cheese. I also like lamb chops with tarragon and pork chops with fennel. Poultry can include less common items such as pheasant, quail or guinea fowl. Fish lovers will also enjoy barbecues and there are certain types of fish that are suited to being grilled. Bass, mackerel, swordfish, cod, bream and sardines are just some examples of tasty BBQ recipes using fish. Vegetarians and lovers of vegetables generally should also enjoy going to barbecues. There’s nothing more full of flavor than grilled sweet corn or aubergines. Mushrooms are also very tasty, cooked in garlic butter.

People tend to forget pudding at barbecues. I have come across some imaginative BBQ recipes for fruit deserts, including caramelized bananas and apple kebabs. If you prefer cheese as a last course, there’s nothing finer than barbecued goat cheeses.

When we go on vacation somewhere tropical, the beach is where we want to spend the majority of our time. The cool, crisp water can splash on our feet as the warm sun beats down on us and gives us a beautiful tan. There’s a lot to do when you are enjoying some beach time, including watching the surfers and searching for treasure. Small and large seashells are plentiful on the beach and they make great keepsakes and souvenirs to share with others.

Having something natural and beautiful in your home is always welcomed. Most of us love the look of large seashells and they can be incorporated into almost every room in the home. Not only do they make wonderful accent pieces but they are functional too.

The powder room is a great place to have one of these. If you use one in a guest bathroom you can fill it with brightly colored, wrapped guest soaps. Your guests will love the look of the large seashell and will also like having their own selection of soaps.

A foyer can often be something of a mundane space. No one stands there very long yet you want it to be bright and cheery. Having seashells on tables by the door is a great idea. You can fill them with colored pebbles or even clear marbles. They make a terrific conversation piece because they are so unique. If you find some seashells while you are away on vacation this is a great way to put them to use.

If you have any dry flowers that you’ve been wondering what to do with, why not add them to large seashells and put them in a window frame? You can cut the stems down so the flowers are just peeking out of the exterior of the shell. This looks great and adds a vibrant touch to your home.

There’s really no care that needs to go into these items. Dusting them is easy and if you have to, you can always give them a quick rinse. Most big seashells are delicate though, so you’ll want to keep them out of reach of small hands so they don’t become broken. Even if you don’t have the chance to venture to the beach you can still get your hands on some beautiful large seashells. Many retailers now carry these items and you can pick and choose exactly which one you like. It’s a great way to bring a little taste of the tropics to your home.