BKYD Life

Gather. Create. Grow.

Parties

Best Pizza Crust, Ever!

My Ooni Pizza Oven arrived and I am so excited to start making pizza in my backyard. In my opinion, great pizza starts with a great crust. It might seem simple, but on doctors recommendation, I am on a gluten free diet. Most pizza crust is not gluten free and it takes more than just modifying a recipe.

I have searched many websites for a great gluten free recipe and here is what I found ~

PS. my family is not gluten free, but they like the gluten free crusts I have found.

  • Cauliflower crust – both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods has frozen cauliflower crust available and I do enjoy them. I like to keep a couple in the freezer for quick week night meals.
  • Premade mix – I have tried a few, but even following the directions on the back of the package hasn’t helped.
  • Homemade dough – when it comes to gluten free recipes, there are two sites I trust and turn to for great recipes that turn out every time. Danielle Walker’s gluten free pizza crust recipe is fantastic. And, the other one I enjoy is from the Minimalist Baker. There are many pizza recipes on this site. Danielle Walker’s recipe does have cheese in the crust, but this allows for an added dimension and flavor. The Minimalist Baker recipe takes a little practice to get it just right. I like both and really couldn’t pick a favorite. I would suggest you try them and let me know what you think.

Soon, I will give that new pizza oven a try and give you my honest opinion on it. Stay tuned…in the mean time, please follow me on Instagram, to see me open my Ooni!

Planners are Planters, part 2

Here is the link if you need to reread part 1. In part 1, I created a list of ideas you might want to include in your backyard plan. Remember you need a plan to get the most out of your space and time in the backyard. You may have, even, thought of more ideas for your backyard than I listed as possibilities. If you did, that’s great. I’m glad you were being creative and thinking outside the box.

Now, with your list, let’s start creating zones. Let’s start with the big items. If you are putting in a pool or play structure (or both), you will need to decide where they should go first. Think of things like are they visually pleasing? Do you want to see them from a certain window inside the house? What spot in the yard makes the most sense? Do you need gas, electric or water lines, then make those as short as possible and place the pool or other large item in close proximity to the source.

Maybe you have a small space and you don’t want or need items like a pool or play structure. What you really want is a garden, a place to eat and a place to cook in your backyard.

Those zones fit perfectly together. You could even put a lovely table in the midst of your garden beds. As you can see in these two photos ~ the garden beds are on the edges of the yard while the table is in the middle. What a fantastic way to enjoy an evening, with or without company!

If you need any other assistance planning your backyard space to incorporate all that you want, I would suggest reaching out to a professional. You can find options online or locally. Yardzen is a great online option. Check out their website for details. If you want a local option, you can visit a nursery in your area, some have designers on staff. Of course, asking friends and family for recommendations is always a good place to start!

I hope this helps you start planning, not just what elements to include in your backyard plan, but also what you can accomplish in your backyard. You can grow your own food to nourish your family and friends. You can gather in community to share a meal and stories of the day while creating fabulous memories. After all, the backyard was meant to gather, create, and grow!

Planners are Planters

Are you a planner or would you characterize yourself as more spontaneous? Do you like to think about things, write them down, have a list to check off? Maybe you just go with the flow, see how you feel in the morning kinda person?

Neither one is right, neither one is wrong. I would like to think of myself as somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I have a plan and sometimes I don’t. 

Many plans for 2020 had to be changed or discarded all together. New plans had to be created. Some people faced more anxiety than ever all because they didn’t know how to plan with all the restrictions. For that very reason, I don’t think plans should ever be etched in stone. They need to be flexible at all times. There are just too many factors that we can’t control. Even if there isn’t a pandemic to deal with, we can’t control the weather or the needs/wants of those around us. There will always be parameters we need to work within.

According to Wikipedia, 

Planning is the process of thinking about the activities required to achieve a desired goal. It is the first and foremost activity to achieve desired results. It involves the creation and maintenance of a plan, such as psychological aspects that require conceptual skills. There are even a couple of tests to measure someone’s capability of planning well. As such, planning is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior.

So how does a flexible plan work within an outdoor space? Well, to get the most out of your time and outdoor space you need a plan. You can create zones that are multifunctional. Let’s start with a few simple questions about how you want to use your outdoor space, as you answer these don’t focus on the outdoor space you currently have, just what you would like to have even (if it is eventually):

  • Do you want to garden?
  • Do you want room for animals (even just 1 dog)?
  • Do you want to play games outside?
  • Do you want to watch movies outside?
  • Do you want to have a fire pit?
  • Do you want to cook outside?
  • Do you want to eat outside?
  • Do you want a swimming pool?
  • Do you want a play structure or trampoline?
  • Do you want space to exercise, maybe meditate outside?

Once you have the answers to these questions you can move forward with the next part of the plan. If you don’t have the space for what you want, you have a couple choices ~ 1. Save up so you can eventually get what you want; 2. Decide what is most important to you right now (for example a garden to grow healthy food) and find a solution (use pots on your balcony to grow a select group of vegetables and herbs), or; 3. Contact a realtor and get moving!

For the sake of this article, let’s say you have space for a few items on your list and you are happy to make that work.

Next, it will be time to create zones within your outdoor space. But let’s table the discussion for now. This topic will be discussed more in-depth later this month. For now, continue to look over this list and envision you, family and friends using your outdoor space. You will need that vision when we come back to this topic.

To be continued…

Gathering made Easy

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down to talk with the owner of a favorite restaurant here in the Phoenix area, Kirsten of Chestnut @ The Vintage.

We talked about the restaurant industry during Covid, creating community and safe gatherings during this uncertain time.

Kirsten didn’t set out to be in the restaurant industry. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t even planning on opening up a restaurant until her sister approached her with idea. They bought the concept and recipes for Chestnut from the original owner, Paulie.

They worked with restaurant consultants about next steps and best practices. Together they planned on opening something small. Kirsten thought this would be a great side hustle, with plans to keep her position in the medical industry.

But you’ve heard the saying about best laid plans…

Well, Kirsten ended up opening a much larger location than originally planned, by herself and the consultants practically disappeared. And, while there were challenges, Kirsten learned the business and it grew. Chestnut was not the side hustle she thought it would be, but her main focus.

This past February of 2020, she moved into a new location. Then Covid hit and we are all way too aware of what happened then. Many restaurants just couldn’t function and many closed their doors forever. Kirsten found a way through and realized that serving her customers, community and her team was what really filled her cup.

Add this one to the list of stories of blessings found during a pandemic.

Kirsten and Chestnut have been serving up delicious food for over 7 years now. She still uses about 20% of Paulies original Chestnut recipes, but has developed new ones that the community came to rely on during lockdown. I know our favorite lunch was her chicken salad. And, we really couldn’t have made it through the last few months without those chocolate chip cookies!

Do you have a favorite restaurant? Have you ever asked if they could cater a gathering either at their location or at your home?

Kirsten is happy to help. If you are in the Phoenix area, give her call or email. She has a catering menu but will work with you on ideas to fit your budget.

Gathering in the backyard can be safe and good for the soul. But sometimes we don’t have the time to cook, that’s were knowing you have a great catering option comes in handy. The Chef that works with Kirsten is very talented and can do anything.

Don’t let this holiday season go by without sharing a fantastic meal with friends and family. You can do it safely and joyfully ~ right in your own backyard, with a little help from Kirsten and her team at Chestnut @ The Vintage.

And if you aren’t planning on a little get together, at least stop in for a pastry and cup of coffee ~ believe me, you’ll be glad you did!

Thanksgiving Table Scape

Thanksgiving is next week and it is my favorite holiday! My love language is Acts of Service (want to learn more about love languages ~ here’s a link). I love to serve my family and community. Feeding them a yummy and nourishing meal is my favorite way to serve them. I think I get that from my Italian grandmother ~ her first question when you walked into her house was, “are you hungry, can I get you something to eat?” My husband quickly learned to ALWAYS accept. Personally, I think that she helped me land the guy, but that’s another story for another day!

Later this week, I will share some recipes and ideas for the big meal. But for today, I wanted to share an idea for the table settings.

Thanksgiving Table

I choose to keep to muted colors with only a few orange pumpkins for a pop of color. I might not even go with them when all is said and done. This year has felt full of hard edges and I wanted to set a mood of comfort by keeping the decor soft, muted and cozy.

Table Cover and Candlesticks

I started with a linen table cloth that I folded in half and used as a runner then layered it with a gauzy scarf. Both I have had for years, sometimes you just need to try things you have in new ways. This set the stage or foundation of my table and definitely put that feeling of soft at the forefront of my table scape. Next I used some brass candle sticks I purchased from Target, I tried to find a link but they don’t seem to be available. I’m sure you can find similar ones at other retailers. The white pumpkin salt and pepper shakers are from World Market, but again there isn’t a link available. I wouldn’t copy this and my actual table my look a little different when the holiday finally arrives, the point to this post is to try new things in different ways, to inspire you to be creative and work outside the rules of traditional table settings.

Table Setting

For my table setting, I, again used what I have. The gold placemat was from a few years ago, purchased at Sur la Table. The filigree and gold elements of the placemat adds to the soft and muted emphasis of the theme I am trying to accomplish this year. Next I layered a wood charger, again from World Market (also from several years ago) along with my everyday dishes from Sur la Table, a simple linen napkin and my grandmothers silver.

Layering, thinking outside the box, using what I have, a nod to everyday and keeping tradition present through thoughts of my grandmother are my focus this holiday season. Those elements bring the theme of soft, cozy and comfortable alive. 2020 hasn’t been easy, everyone has had their own struggles this year. I like to focus on what we have in common and I do believe that is one thing that has been common for each of us ~ we have all struggled in our own way with our own difficulties this year.

Thankful

I hope you find the blessings and feel full of thanks this coming holiday. I know I will be focusing my attention on what truly matters ~ being grateful for family and the opportunity to take more memories with them!

And, lastly, I am grateful for you. It has been my pleasure and privilege to share my BKYD Life with you!

Don’t be Scared!

No, I’m not talking about the election. I wanted to do a Halloween recap! How did you celebrate? We set up the movie projector and outdoor movie screen in the backyard and enjoyed movie night in the crisp fall air.

It was a perfect night. The moon was playing peek-a-boo around the clouds to add to the spooky-ness of the evening. We enjoyed homemade pizza, yummy cocktails and a couple movies ~ right in our own backyard where we were safe and sound.

Here are the details. The set up couldn’t have been easier. I ordered the projector and the movie screen from Amazon.

Projector

This projector worked great and was easy to set up and use. As you can see, we plugged in our Amazon Fire Stick and we were able to quickly access many movie options for the evening. We chose a couple on Disney+.

Screen

While the projector does come with a screen, I chose to order this one because it comes with a frame. We don’t have any walls to attach a screen for viewing. I was able to assemble the frame and screen by myself in just a few minutes, it was quite easy.

If you click on either photo (the projector or screen) it will link you right to the item on Amazon, and yes, we get an affiliate link. We did purchase these items so I am not being paid to sing their praises.

I just can’t emphasize enough what a simple and enjoyable evening we had. Our children are grown so anything we can do to make memories and have them continue spending time with us we will try. This definitely fit the bill. Everyone had a great time and we can’t wait to do it again.

What is your favorite family activity in the backyard? Tell us in the comments below!