Growing up in sunny southern California where every day is 75 degrees was something I definitely took for granted. These days I love being outside in our backyard, watching our kids play, and having dinner outside on the patio. Now that we live in Utah we can’t do this year round, only a handful of months a year. This year I decided to try something that would make it possible to enjoy dining outside a bit longer, even through the cooler months of Fall!
We built our outdoor dining area a couple years ago – I can’t believe how far the backyard has come! We had the cement pad poured and built a covered gazebo with a dining set underneath. I decorated the space with outdoor string lights, hanging basket lights, a cute rug, and some real and faux plants. The one thing I didn’t until this year was an outdoor heater.
I hesitated in the past because all the heaters I have seen before were larger and took up too much space. Since this area is only 10ft x 10ft, space is a huge factor. That’s when I came across the Dimplex DIRP15A10GR. It’s an electric plug and go mountable heater! It’s the perfect solution for this area. We mounted it inside the roofline of our gazebo and it was super easy to do. We just plumed it in and we were ready to go! This particular model is also remote controlled, which was a huge selling point for me.
One of these units is enough to heat a 10ft x 10ft space so it worked out perfectly! This will now make it possible to enjoy our outdoor dining space through the Fall and I could’t be happier about it. I see lots of chili and cornbread, soups, and stews being enjoyed out here this year!
If your family is like ours chili is a staple when the weather cools down and there is only one recipe I have that everyone loves, even my picky eaters!
-Grey Birch Designs-
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Fall is making its appearance around our home and I couldn’t be happier. This is my favorite time of year! I love the crisp cool air, the sweaters and boots, pumpkin spice everything, and of course the Fall decor!
I love the warm color palette Fall brings to my home – it instantly gives it such a cozy vibe! This year I’m drawn to deep burgundy, gold, cream, and rust colors for the season. My dining room was one of the first places I decided to decorate this year, and that meant a trip to Walmart. It’s one of my favorite places to find affordable decor and this season they didn’t disappoint
Walmart is where I found my all time favorite dish set. They are great year round, but with the gold rim on this set and color palette I’m going with this Fall, they are perfect. I wanted to do a mixed table setting so I paired them with the black Onyx Stoneware set with the same gold detail around the edge that I love so much! These two sets together are beautiful and can be dressed up or dressed down for casual dining!
Next, I put together the centerpiece. I found the perfect dried eucalyptus in the deep burgundy color I’m loving right now. I grabbed a few bunches to add to my vase for a warm, classic feel for my dining room centerpiece.
I didn’t need a lot to make this space feel like Fall and I didn’t need to spend much either thanks to the prices at Walmart! The only thing missing to get fully into the season is my favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! I have been making this same recipe every year since my kids were little. It’s going on 15 years now and we all look forward to it each year! Here’s my favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe:
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What are your favorite things about summer? For our family it’s swimming, boating, riding bikes and of course eating lots of ice cream! I recently picked up this ice cream maker from Walmart and it has been the best purchase. With ice cream being my kids’ treat of choice it’s been getting a lot of use!
With the holidays around the corner, one of my favorite things to make in the kitchen is a charcuterie board. There are so many different varieties but my favorite is the traditional cheese and meat board. Before I head off to the market, I like to make a list of everything I need. My Samsung refrigerator has a super cool voice controlled assistant called Bixby that makes things really easy. I say “Hey Bixby, add Brie cheese to my grocery list” and it does the rest. Then I can quickly send the list to my phone and head out the door. On the off chance I forget to send the list, I can view the inside of my refrigerator from my phone at the market. Pretty cool!
When I build a charcuterie board I like to include fruit, crackers, meats such as prosciutto and salami, and a variety of cheese. My favorite is baked brie. For my baked brie recipe you’ll need:
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This recipe is delicious! I have a lot of fun making these charcuterie boards with my family and awesome appliances like my Samsung refrigerator make it stress free! To read more on some of the awesome kid friendly features our Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator has to offer check out my blog post here
-Grey Birch Designs-
We recently upgraded our microwave oven to the Sharp 1.8 Cubic Feet Stainless Steel 1100W Over-the-Range Microwave Oven and could not be more excited to share all of the details with you all. I have to say, the edge-to-edge stainless steel, black glass, and discreet branding (yes, the logo is on the inside of the oven) make this oven pair beautifully with our other stainless steel kitchen appliances.
Our Sharp above range microwave oven saves on counter space without compromising functionality in our kitchen. This full-feature over-the-range microwave oven from Sharp offers convenient Sensor Cook Technology and Auto Defrost, making cooking and reheating my favorite foods, snacks, and beverages easier.
During the day, our kids love to use our Sharp microwave oven to make a quick meal and hit the Express Cook +30 button to warm their food up; it truly makes cooking more simple during the day. The kids are super impatient, so it’s an excellent one-button feature. Given that our family uses the kitchen appliances in our home MUCH more now than we have in the past, the Simply Better Clean enamel coating inside the oven is a life-saver because it is stain resistant wipes clean with a damp cloth.
This Sharp over-the-range microwave oven also includes a super cool setting to soften ice cream for dessert time! If you don’t have a sweet tooth, worry not. The Melt/Soften feature is also specifically tuned to quickly melt cheese, chocolate, or soften butter, making impulse baking a breeze.
My daughter’s most recent baking obsession to make when she is craving something sweet (which is all the time) in our Sharp Microwave Oven are mug cakes! By far, their favorite is the Chocolate Banana. It’s super easy to make:
Overall, we’ve been very happy with our new Sharp over-the-range microwave oven and recommend incorporating a Sharp microwave into your kitchen design. The microwave oven is very well made, making it super practical for everyday family life, and it looks so sleek and premium in our newly remodeled kitchen!
-Grey Birch Designs-
-Grey Birch Designs-