If any of you follow me on Instagram, then you know that me and my family are always using our outdoor kitchen . You can read more about our backyard transformation here - spoiler alert: worth. every. penny.

Why you ask?

1. The outdoor kitchen is perfect for entertaining. I usually like to style a signature cocktail here along with an assortment of disposable tableware, bottle openers, and water bottles so my guests can find anything they need here.

2. When the kids are outside in the pool and getting filthy in the yard, I don’t need the mess being brought into the house so this way it can STAY OUTSIDE.

3. One of the biggest reasons why I love the outdoor kitchen is that you don’t need to stink up your home as you cook! I always refer to my bacon on the barbie trick because while I’m a bacon fiend, I don’t need that greasy smell tainting my clean home!

I could name a hundred other reasons why I love grilling, and cooking outside but those three reasons really sum it up pretty nicely.

That being said, I’ve been trying to mix up some of our outdoor meals. I went on a bit of spiral through our blog and found a ton of good recipes that I know my family will enjoy so I’m laying them out for you guys here in case anyone else needs a bit of inspiration too!

When my aunt Debi was visiting a few years back she made this Grilled Chicken Salad with Spiced Nectarines and it was beyond delicious. My mouth is just watering thinking about grilled fruit. We are lucky enough to have a farm stand close to the house here on Long Island so we can enjoy fresh fruit like this all summer long.

Next on my list of upcoming meals are these Citrus & Garlic Salmon Skewers. I personally love making skewers because I am able to incorporate a lot of fresh herbs from my garden. I also always try to sneak in a lot of veggies here for the kids!

Usually, I have my LMP dream team out here with me for a few weeks out of the summer (so sad that that probably won’t be the case this year) and we style up the most gorgeous table settings (these pictures are making me yearn for dahlia season). We also always try to come up with a creative menu for dinner. This Mexican Street Corn recipe really stuck with me. It’s such an easy way to dress up a simple veggie you can find anywhere in the summer!

And of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without some sort of grilled chicken. My friends and family always make jokes at me because they know I am a total NUT over some good chicken skin. And let me say, the skin on these BBQ Chicken Wings will leave your mouth watering, even after a full meal.

Now… go get your grill on!