Tag Archives: BBQ

Get Ready for Your Memorial Day Cookout!

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Who doesn’t look forward to an amazing Memorial Day cookout with all of their friends and family in their lusciously-landscaped backyard?! But what if your backyard isn’t so luscious? Here are some fast, easy things you can do to help enhance your Memorial Day experience, your backyard and your culinary prowess!

The Backyard

If you haven’t had time to landscape your backyard the way you want it, consider sprucing it up for your party by covering the deck and yard with potted plants filled with beautiful blooming flowers. As an added touch, you can paint the pots with glow-in-the-dark paint to make them stand out when the sun goes down.

No one will be paying attention to how perfect your backyard is or isn’t as long as you have games for people to play. Buy a set of bocce balls, croquet and badminton and keep everyone entertained and happy. However, beware of mixing too much alcohol with a game of bocce ball… or croquet for that matter!

The Grill

You may already have the king of grills, but if not, think about adding this little green gem to your backyard. The Big Green Egg is a popular addition to outdoor kitchens. We’re finding that a lot of our clients either have one or want one. It may not be the prettiest appliance, but this kamado-style ceramic charcoal barbecue cooker is considered one of the most versatile cooking devices on the market. You can grill, bake or smoke just about anything with it… and it tastes delicious!

The Barbecue

You can enhance just about any protein – beef, chicken or fish with a simple pesto. San Antonio’s own, Chef Chuck Hernandez, also known as the Pesto King and owner of Arugula Catering and the soon to be open O’liva Cafe downtown, was kind enough to share his Chihuahuan-style Pesto recipe with us. It goes great with grilled meats and veggies, either as a marinade or a condiment. Chuck likes to add it to his quail diablos and grilled avocados (pictured here). If you try it this Memorial Day, please send us a pic or post on our Facebook!

Chihuahuan Pesto Recipe

  • 2 cups  fresh cilantro – rinsed, drain-dried with some stems
  • 1 medium fresh jalapeno pepper
  • 1 green onion, stalk included
  • 4 cloves  garlic
  • 1/3 cup  jack cheese
  • 1 teaspoon  prepared mole paste
  • 1/3 cup  toasted pecans
  • 1 tablespoon  orange, pomegranate or pineapple juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon  cumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon  oregano dried or fresh
  • 1/3 cup  EVOO
  • sea salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

Using a food processor, gently pulse ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. Scrape sides down with a rubber spatula. Approximately 1 minute. Serve or refrigerate in an air-tight container, up to 4 days.

If you don’t already have an amazing home and backyard for your Memorial Day cookout, we can help you get ready for next year! Give us a call at 210-494-5400.

 

Creating Your Custom Home Patio & Backyard

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Water Feature

We want all of our clients to dream big when envisioning their perfect home and that includes your ideal outdoor patio. Sometimes people are afraid to shoot for the moon and the stars because it’s simply not in their budget right now.  Sure, budgets are a fact of life, but the fact is, whether it’s in your budget or not, planning your dream house allows us to put infrastructure in place that doesn’t really cost much, but saves you time and money when you are ready to expand.

Knowing where you’re going to put your outdoor barbecue pit, rotisserie feature or future sink, for example, all comes into play when building infrastructure. It helps us to know that a few years down the road you’re going to need an electrical outlet here or additional space there. It’s much less of a hassle and less expensive than a retro-fit application.

Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor kitchens are trending in the United States, especially in warmer climates like Texas where we love to grill and barbecue.  They’re a stunning showpiece to any new home and are perfect for families who enjoy hosting parties and events. Because the outdoor kitchen should complement the architectural elements and landscape, we like to incorporate compatible materials and subtle architectural details that are aesthetically pleasing and able to easily withstand the elements.

Landscaping

One of the most interesting new landscape opportunities we’re seeing are edible gardens. We’re not talking just vegetables, but blended gardens that incorporate edibles with ornamentals, such as tomatoes mixed with roses. This fresh take on gardening is more natural to the environment and is a fun way to create your own farm-to-table dishes. A well thought-out garden, such as planting wild basil, also invites birds, bees and butterflies into your backyard.

Water elements can be a wonderful addition to enhance the zen-like atmosphere of your backyard – making it the go-to spot for relaxation after a crazy work day. With so many designs these days, there’s a water feature for every type of landscape and budget.

With modern techno gadgets like mosquito-control misters, outdoor air-cooling systems and new water-resistant acrylic fabrics in a wide array of patterns, many people are making their outdoor patio as comfortable, if not more so, than their living rooms.

Still, before you get too excited, you should first get familiar with your backyard space and then decide how you wish to use it. Stone Creek Custom Homes is here to help guide you through all of these important decisions. Call us today at 210-494-5400, and let’s get started!