DIY Life

I'm planning a backyard bbq baby shower (say that three times fast!), which means one thing -- I need to kick my grill into high gear, and FAST! Our DIY reel this week arrived just in time with Eric Stromer sharing his Trade Secrets on cleaning and caring for an outdoor grill.

Best tip, hands down? Keep your grill covered to avoid summertime rust, cobwebs and other gross things that you don't want crawling around your food when it's time to cook out. In addition, be sure to frequently check the propane tank, firebox, and grates. If you have heavy rust or orange hues to any, chances are they'll need to be replaced. After all, you wouldn't cook on a rusty stove, so be sure you don't cook on a rusty grill.

And while we've got grills on the brain, have you seen this cutie grill from Traeger? Ha! Cute enough to make me switch to vegan bacon... forever.

Here's to outdoor bbq fun!

July 4th is tomorrow, and if you're throwing a big party you're probably busy with last-minute prepping. But don't forget the basics -- before you throw the burgers and dogs on the barbie, make sure that you give the grill a good cleaning.

AOL Living home improvement expert Eric Stromer shows you how to gear up your gas grill to take front and center stage in eight easy steps. All you need is soapy water, a grill brush, a sponge, hose, and few other common household items.

And before you can say 'perfect patriotic party' five times in a row, you'll have a lean, mean and clean grilling machine. Not only will you ensure its best performance, but you'll also provide a clean canvas on which to fire up the juicy, delicious centerpieces for your Independence Day picnic table. Our mouths are practically watering!

• Begin by selecting a seat for your guests ... make sure you've got plenty of comfortable places to sit and an ample table. You can place tables together if needed and hide them under a fitting table cloth. The key is to make everyone feel like you were expecting them -- use place cards for large groups! If children are invited, make a separate table for them and use place cards so that they feel just as important.

With the high price of gasoline, we're all looking for ways to stay home, rather than loading up the car with the kids and heading off to have some summer fun elsewhere. One solution kills two birds with one stone: building a deck will give you a place to hang out and entertain, and add equity to your home.

Of course it's no secret that DIY deck building takes some careful planning, some tools that you probably already have, and lots of elbow grease. What you might not know is the construction details and tricks that the pros use. Read on and you'll be an expert!

We love making homemade pizza at my house. We do it up right: homemade crust in the bread machine (easy!), gourmet toppings, and if weather permits, we cook it on the grill.

For three of us, though, we make two huge pizzas, which means a lot of leftovers. We haven't yet found the ideal way to reheat it, although about 350 degrees in a toaster oven until the cheese begins to bubble is pretty close. My only complaint is that there's sometimes still a cold spot, even when the crust is beginning to overcook.

What to do? The Chicago Pizza Club has some answers on the best way to reheat pizza.

Green? I bet you thought red, white, and blue would be the appropriate colors for an Independence Day BBQ, not green.

Think again. Clearly, most people are interested in doing even little things to help keep their families healthy and preserve the environment in this age of toxins and pollution. Here are some things you can do to help while throwing a bang-up July Fourth party:

• Skip the plastic plates and cups. Go for anything recyclable or reusable, even bamboo.
• Natural gas grills pollute the air less than charcoal grills.
• Don't shoot off polluting fireworks at home. If you'd like to enjoy the big boomers, find a town celebration nearby.
• Serve up local, organic food, which causes less transportation pollution to the environment -- and your food will be super-fresh.
• Throw a potluck party to share resources.

You'll find more details on how to have a greener Independence Day in Greenzer's article. So fire up that barbie with a clear conscience!

So, the Fourth of July is upon us. That means fireworks, beer, grilling, beer, and oh, did I mention beer? But I digress. Let's talk grill hygiene. What's tackier than a grill with chunks of last week's burgers on it? Cleaning the grill doesn't have to be a big chore.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so a video must be worth, what, a million? The creative folks at Howcast have created a great grill-cleaning how-to video that makes the job a piece of cake. You'll need aluminum foil, a grill scraper, and a bit of patience.

There's also a great tip on making future clean-ups easier -- spraying the grill with non-stick spray while it's still warm. It reminds me of seasoning my cast iron pan. But that's a tip for another blog post!

[Via Howcast.com]

A Dad and his grill are not soon parted -- in my family, at least. There seems to be something about a Dad and his grill. Is it the scent of the briquettes, the power of the gas flame, the charbroiled goodness?

Perhaps the bond between a Dad and his grill is one of life's unsolvable mysteries, but we do know that anything BBQ would make a great gift for Dad this Father's Day. If you can make it yourself, you've just trumped the masses.

Custom-painting a BBQ apron, mitts, and grill tools is an easy way to tell Dad you love him -- and his hobby -- and it is something you can do with the kids. You'll need a canvas apron, solid-colored oven mitts, and wood-handled BBQ tools, like a long-handled fork or spatula. Some fabric and acrylic paints round out the list.

You can paint anything that says, "I love you Dad," and makes the keepsake gifts something special for him. Happy painting!

I am so excited that spring finally came yesterday. I spent most of the day outside picking up aluminum cans that were blown all over the yard, and my daughter, husband and I played in the dirt, soaking up the sun of a glorious 70 degree Sunday. I should have cleaned the grill, and cooked outside.

Now is the time to save money on the electric bill and start cooking outdoors. Even cooking with a grill can cost a ton of money, especially if you do it on a weekly basis. Ecobites has a wonderful alternative for us, featuring an article with instructions showing us how to make a solar cooker.

The solar cooker was made out of recycled plywood and recycled aluminum; items that were readily accessible, could soak up solar rays, and give a high enough temperature to safely cook food. Almost anything would work though, like the cardboard oven shown in the picture. Happy cooking!

I would not recommend gluing aluminum foil to a cooking surface. The chances of the glue leaking through to the food and contaminating it are too great. Try to find some other shiny reflective surface to cook with, or just don't glue the aluminum foil to the surface. To avoid injury to your eyes, wear sunglasses, and do not look right at the cooking surface. As always, safety is the number one priority for a DIY project.

I can't wait until it is time to start cooking on the grill. I thought that time had come, but apparently not, because my grill just got buried under 5 new inches of snow. That makes me sad, as I was really looking forward to having grilled steak.

Whether you use propane or charcoal depends on you and your taste buds, but before you get started grilling this spring, check out the ten commandments of perfect grilling. From having all your tools and food organized and handy, to making sure your grill is clean, Steve tells you exactly what needs to be done so you get the perfect outcome you desire. Maintaining your stance is very important; if the phone rings, ignore it, unless of course, you want a charred chicken leg.

Since one season has come and gone now, Steve's commandments are a nice reminder of how we should use our grill. In my opinion, there is nothing as horrifying as a hungry family mad at me because I forgot the charcoal and lighter fluid, thus ruining the perfectly planned outdoor meal.

Spring has sprung, at least on the calendar. There is still plenty of snow on the ground in many parts of the country, but the end of the winter season is in sight. It is time to start thinking about outdoor grilling.

Part of the fun of grilling is making S'mores. What if you don't want to start the grill every time you want the gooey chocolaty goodness? What if you don't want to build a fire just to make the wonderful treat? Making S'mores in the microwave is just wrong!

Instructables has an awesome tutorial on making a mini S'mores grill. You'll need a cedar plank, nuts, bolts and washers, stainless steel condiment cups, toothpicks, and the knowhow to make S'mores. Check out the step by step directions; I promise you won't be disappointed!

Definitely use this mini grill outside, or at least keep a fire extinguisher handy if you do use the mini grill in the house. You'll also want to put the grill on a flat surface, and supervise the kids when they use the S'mores grill.

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to avoid the drive-true and eat healthy home-cooked meals more often, then you're probably going through burger withdrawal right about now. We're a week into 2008 and if you're like me, you're already running out of ideas and nearly running to the next fast food joint. Don't do it. You can create that succulent burger at home.

I'm the only vegetarian in a house full of meat eaters. I'm always looking for recipes with quality ingredients that can please all of us. I want fresh ingredients that I can put a veggie patty on while the others want a perfectly grilled hamburger patty. These instructions for the perfect burger cover the homemade bun and all the delicious things in between. From grilling perfect onions to marinating hand diced relish you'll never turn back to greasy, processed burgers again. You'll also find important information on choosing the right meat, making the patty and grilling it like a pro.

Save yourself the fast food heartache (literally!) and make your own gourmet burgers at home. Once you have the key burger pieces, have fun with the toppings. Get creative and see what culinary creations you stumble upon.

I never would have guessed that you can build a barbecue smoker out of a garbage can and hot plate. You can smoke a whole turkey this Thanksgiving and re-use it again at Christmas. Instructables member DEel brings us the steps we need to for build our own garbage can smoker. I've summarized the steps here.

How to make a garbage can smoker

1. Build a grafting support inside the garbage can
2. Add support for a dripping pan
3. Add the hotplate
4. Add a thermometer to the lid
5. Prepare the wood chips
6. Prepare the turkey
7. Smoke it
8. Enjoy!
   

The full instructions have accompanying pictures and important details for each step. You'll learn everything from putting all the pieces together to properly preparing wood chips. Eating out of the garbage never tasted so good! This DIY project will definitely leave your Thanksgiving guests talking.

Each October, The National Fire Safety Prevention Association (NFPA) commemorates the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 with its educational campaign centered around Fire Prevention Week. Several years ago, the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) took the idea a step further by designating every October as National Fire Prevention Month.

As the month draws to a close, lets take a look at some important things you can do to reduce the risk of fire in your home.