Make the Most of your Backyard

Summer is here again- time to get outdoors with friends and enjoy barbecues, watch your kids run through the sprinklers, or simply relax in a hammock and watch a lazy afternoon drift by. This time of year, your backyard turns into another room of the house, for as much time as you and your family are spending out there. But what can you do if your backyard could use a little design help? Here are some tips for maximizing space, upping the “wow” factor, and turning your backyard into a summer paradise!

Break it into “rooms”- Rather than view your backyard as a whole, separate it into a multi-functional group of “rooms.” Have separate zones for grilling, dining, gardening, playing- whatever you wish to use your backyard for. By creating the visual separation, you will give the illusion of a much bigger, more organized yard.

Let the exterior match the interior- To create a better sense of “flow” from your home’s interior space to the backyard, try to select the same colors and styles of furniture that are present inside your home. Affordable lounge-style seating homier and encourage relaxation and conversation.

Play with angles- For smaller backyard spaces, why not create more area by shifting the angle of the paving? Doing your stamped concrete or brick patio in a diamond rather than a square, for instance, gives you more room on each side for grass, trees, bushes and flowers for landscaping.

Cut down on clutter- Of course, the easiest and quickest way to get your backyard looking good is to clean it up and minimize the clutter and junk. Treat your backyard like any other room in the house, and pay attention to its cleanliness and style. By reducing the number of planters in your backyard and making them all one uniform style, for instance, you will make your backyard design seem much more purposeful and less chaotic.

Recipe- Summer Peach Pie

 Nothing says “summer” like a tasty pie made out of one of the best fruits of the season. Enjoy this peach pie hot or cold, with or without ice cream. It’s sure to be the hit of your next barbecue or summer dinner party!

Pie Crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½ inch cubes

½ cup ice cold water

Pie Filling:

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup corn starch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon bourbon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

4 lbs. peaches (peeled, pitted, and chopped or sliced)

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Sugar in the Raw (Turbinado sugar) for garnish

Directions: 

      1.       In a large bowl, whisk flour with sugar and salt. Add butter. Using your fingers, press the butter cubes into the flour mixture until they are breaking apart in pea-sized crumbles. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the ice-cold water. With a fork, flick the flour from the side of the bowl into the water while turning bowl, and toss until all water is absorbed and the dough has a crumbly texture.

   

       2.       Scoop dough onto cutting board or other work surface and press dough together until it forms a small disc. Separate disc in half and then form each half into a smaller disc, then wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

       3.       In a large bowl, stir granulated sugar with cornstarch, lemon juice, bourbon, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add peaches and toss until evenly combined.

       4.       Heat oven to 375 degrees. With a rolling pin, roll one disc of dough into a circle that is about ¼ inch thick. Arrange circle into 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Let excess dough hang over edge. Pour pie filling into pan and distribute peaches evenly. Roll second disc of dough into ¼-inch thick circle and cut into 1-inch-wide strips using a knife. Arrange strips in lattice pattern on top of the pie filling and then trim both top and bottom crust so 1/2 –inch of dough hangs over edge. Lift up and fold under dough edge to make thick crust at sides, and then press or crimp as desired. Brush dough with beaten egg and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar.

       5.       Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling in center (approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes). Let cool completely before serving. Serves 8.

Share with us your favorite moments eating pies in the comments section.

Should You Hire a Lawn Service?

Spring is upon us once again, and pretty soon the world will be an explosion of leaves, flowers and greenery. Unfortunately, flowers won’t be the only thing popping up everywhere: we’ll soon have to contend with weeds sprouting between the cracks of our sidewalks and on the sides of our driveways. If the thought of mowing, trimming and weed-whacking have got you down, you might want to consider hiring a lawn care service. Here are some factors to consider when thinking about outsourcing your landscaping needs.

Cost

Most lawn care services charge between $18-$25 per week for their services, which include mowing, trimming and weed removal. More specialized services such as aeration and yard cleanup will cost extra. This sounds like a lot of money unless you consider that a new lawnmower costs around $150 for a basic model, not to mention other lawn tools such as hedge trimmers, weed whackers and edging tools, which run between $50-100. Figure in gas, oil, repairs and maintenance and you’re looking at a bill of at least $50 per season. All things being relative, the benefits of paying for a lawn service may outweigh the initial output of money for all the lawn care tools, as well as the headache of finding a storage space for everything in the off-season.

Convenience

If you love the outdoors and enjoy spending time tending your yard and garden, by all means continue mowing your own lawn. However, for many people with family and work commitments that take them away from the great outdoors, it can be a struggle to find the time to properly care for your lawn. When considering a lawn care service, be realistic about the number of hours you can put into your yardwork each season.

Ability

Have you ever mowed a lawn in your life? How are your edging skills? Do you know which things are weeds and which are plants? Does everything you water turn brown and die? If you’re not exactly Mr. Green Thumbs, you might be better off letting the pros handle your lawn. Not only will your house look more beautiful, but your HOA board will get off your back with their violations for having a dead lawn.

Which are you- Team DIY or Team Hire Somebody? Let us know in the comments.