Sunday Chicken Parmigiana

Intensively Delicious, AND Well Worth the Wait! A Dinner Worth the Effort.

You've got the house to yourself and you want something to  make that will be delicious. You're also stressed though, which might explain why you have the house to yourself. So you need something that will make you feel better too. Check out this recipe for chicken parmigiana shared from our family to yours. 

We won't fib. There is a bit of work that goes into this one. BUT not only do you get the chance to beat up something, you also get a meal that is positively delicious and if you're in the mood for it, you can scale up to fit any number of people. (Or you can just freeze the extras for when you want to treat yourself in the future! Who says you have to share?) 

Note: This recipe is set up for 1 chicken breast, so that it can easily be sized up, or be made for yourself if you want a nice night on your own. 

Ingredients for Chicken Parmigiana

1 egg

1 boneless chicken breast

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

pinch of salt

1/2 c Italian bread crumbs

 1/4 c all-purpose flour 

1 tsp Oregano 

1/4 cup veggie oil

1 tsp butter

1 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Coating Ingredients for Chicken Parmigiana

2 Tbsp of tomato sauce

1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese (unless you can get it fresh, we suggest using the skim variant)

1 tsp basil 

1 tsp oregano

1/2  tsp minced, fresh garlic

1/2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp parmesan cheese 

Crack your egg into a dish and beat egg smooth.  If time allows, separate the whites and yolk and beat separately with a fork to ensure they're fully blended and there aren't any stringy bits left. Then recombine and add a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Prepare your flour by placing it in a bowl large enough to hold 1 breast cut. Add the ground pepper and a pinch of oregano, mix well with a fork, making sure to go up and down in your mixing as well as side to side. 

Prepare the breadcrumbs by placing them in another bowl, big enough to hold 1 breast. Add 1 tsp oregano and 1 Tbsp parmesan, mix well to combine. 

Put your frying pan on the stove and turn it to heat on low, then add in your oil. 

Prepare the Chicken breast. 

While your oil is heating, lay the breast on your cutting board, ugly side up. Make a cut 3/4 of the way through the breast from left to right. Open the breast making small cuts until the breast lays flat. Lay the breast between 2 sheets of wax paper and, using a rolling pin, press the breast until evenly flat. You can roll it or you can smack it, let your mood for the day decide. It's a good way to get some stress out when you need to.  Make sure not to toss the wax paper, you'll need it in a minute. 

Coat the breast on both sides in the flour mixture. You can use a fork here, or just use your fingers to toss the flour.

Dip the breast in the egg wash making sure to cover it completely, you'll probably want to use your fork for this one, as just shaking the bowl isn't very effective. 
Coat in breadcrumbs on both sides. 

Place the breaded chicken back between the sheets of wax paper and roll it, pressing the breading to the chicken.  This makes it less likely that you'll lose the breading during the cooking process. 

Frying: Increase the heat under your pan to medium and add your chicken breast to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on one side.  Add butter to the pan to oil around the edges before you flip the chicken. After turning it, cook for another minute. (If you're cooking more than one breast, reduce the heat at this point.) 

Preheat your oven to 375* F 

Place your chicken breast on a baking sheet. Mix together the garlic, basil and parsley in a small bowl. 

Top it with tomato sauce. Add the garlic, basil and parsley on top. Don't mix with the sauce, allow it to be a light layer. 

Add mozzarella cheese, don't be too generous. You want the cheese to stay on top of the sauce, and to be able to taste the spices. 

Sprinkle the top with oregano. 

Bake for 15 minutes till the cheese is melted. 

Remove from the oven and top a final time with parmesan cheese. 

Enjoy!  

Now sadly, we didn’t get a photo of the final dish, as our cook was rather hungry upon finishing making the dish. Our apologies!

Well? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page if the time this one takes was worth it. We always think that it is (and thank our resident cook every time he makes it.) 

If you ended up here because your oven is giving you fits though, or maybe your stove is refusing to stay hot, that is an entirely different sort of problem, and one we know how to help with. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055 ). As always, we'll work with you to set a time and date that works best with your schedule and your family.  Whether you live in Frisco, Carrollton, Addison or Coppell, we work with you to get your home running smoothly again. 

10 More Kitchen Gadgets That Shouldn’t Be Connected To Wi-Fi

We’re Still Trying To Figure Out Who Thought This Was A Good Idea.

With every passing year, more and more products are connected to the Internet of Things that just.. Don’t make sense to us, and to many of you as well.  When we reviewed our last list of IoT gadgets, you wanted more. So we’re looking at another 10 kitchen gadgets that don’t make any sense for being connected to the internet, having an app or being ‘smart’ in some fashion. 

Name: HidrateSpark TAP

Price:  $20 

What It’s Supposed To Do: HidrateSpark TAP - the smart water bottle that tracks your water intake through the HidrateSpark App and glows to remind you to drink. Our powerful Tap To Track technology updates your water intake on the HidrateSpark App by simply tapping your smartphone to the NFC Tag. HidrateSpark TAP glows to remind you to drink and with our Tap to Track technology you can easily track a full bottle when you tap your phone to the NFC tag on the bottle. Keeping your daily goal updated as you go. Opt in for our fun HidrateSpark App notifications to help you stay on track. Compete with friends in fun hydration challenges and earn trophies for your collection.

Why We Don’t Care For It: Why do we  need a water bottle to glow or vibrate? There’s bullet journals, there’s phone apps, there’s even the old school method of just making a mark somewhere. What’s the need for an NFC tag attached to bottle? Although the price isn’t bad, it still doesn’t make much sense to us. 

Link: https://hidratespark.com/

Name: Lg CLOI. 

Price:  Price currently unknown. 

What It’s Supposed To Do: CLOI for the home is meant to be an all in one system, connecting your thermostat, your appliances and the rest of your home. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  When showing off the CLOI for the first time, the poor thing didn’t function. It wasn’t a matter of misunderstanding the commands given, nor was it an issue of the wi-fi not working.  CLOI flat out refused to respond to the presenter. As of right now, although the CLOI guide bots and server bots are both functional, the CLOI home hub hasn’t been introduced to the market, and we’re grateful for it. 

Link: LG ROBOTIC PRODUCTS | LG NEWSROOM 

LG CLOi robots will be working together to improve our life - Personal Robots

Name: Revolution InstaGLO R270 Toaster

Price: $400 

What It’s Supposed To Do: The InstaGLO toaster has a special diamond shaped heating element inside that quickly toasts the outside of any food, and leaves the inside sweet and soft. It also has a touchscreen that can handle 34 different types of bread and save 10 of your favorites. 

Why We Don’t Care For It: This is another “just why?”  It’s not that we’re against it so much as us wondering why we need it. Sure you can test out all of the functions and find out precisely how toasted and crisp you want your bread, but.. Why? 

Link: Revolution InstaGLO R270 Toaster | Williams Sonoma (williams-sonoma.com)

Name: ANOVA Precision Oven

Price: $600

What It’s Supposed To Do:  The ANOVA is a combi oven, or a combination of steam and convection cooking, as well as offering a sousvide setting.  It has a quick start menu that allows you to quickly select what you want it to do, be it convection baking, broiling, baking, proofing, air frying or steam. It can also connect to Google or Alexa, although it does offer more capability when working with Alexa. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  Can turn itself on in the middle of the night & it advertises itself for you to be able to set your food to cook in it at the beginning of the day and set it to cook when you’re ready. The problem here is that many of us will typically include a fish or meat with our dinner. Which can’t be left out all day. 

Link: Anova Precision™ Oven - Anova Culinary

Name: Barsys 2.0 +

Price: $1,500

What It’s Supposed To Do: The Barsys is a product we’ve covered in the past, but in theory, it’s been updated and improved! It’s meant to be a self-contained system where you load in liquors of your choice and use the app to tell it what type of drink you want. The app controlling the system is now better than before, and it’s easier to mix your own drinks using the app for precise amounts.

Why We Don’t Care For It: The app controlling the system seems to be the primary thing that’s been worked on in the ‘+’ version, but since that was our primary concern, we’re good with that. Unfortunately, the bluetooth connecting it to your phone still seems to be buggy and the app still has its detractors even since the update. 

Link: Barsys 2.0+ (thebarsys.com)

Name: SAMSUNG BESPOKE Cube Air Purifier,

Price: $549

What It’s Supposed To Do:  The Samsung Bespoke Cube is an air purifier that’s designed to fit into your home. It has interchangeable front panels that make it easy to blend into your home.  More importantly it can sense impurities and automatically boosts the purification intensity. On the app it will show the real time levels within your home by monitoring its micro air sensor. Better, it has a multi-layered HEPA  system to help trap dust, pollen and pet dander as well as odors. Easily check and manage your purification settings and filters with the SmartThings App and use the app to buy replacement filters when needed 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  We’re not averse to the concept. It’s a filter for your home that helps whether it’s tree pollen or smog. What bugs us is that it’s connected to Wi-Fi and voice connected. Why? Why is it needed? 

Link:  Amazon.com: SAMSUNG BESPOKE Cube Air Purifier, Odor Eliminator, Home System w/ HEPA Filtration, 360 Degree Purification, Pet Mode, Smart Control, Traps Dust, AX350A9350N, Grey : Everything Else 

Name: Tyent Undercounter 

Price: $3,250

What It’s Supposed To Do: The Tyent UC11 is an under the counter water ionizer. It requires its own plug and offers ionized water after filtering it. It allows you to set your water to be more acidic, alkaline if you dont care for the taste of minerals or metals in your water. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  We love the concept. Having the ability to alter your water to your taste, or having a guaranteed filtration system is fantastic. What bothers us is the idea that everyone is going to use all of the different features. When faced with something with 55 different options (yes, that’s their claim) how many are you going to use? And if you don’t know which ones are what you or your family need?  It seems like something that is more complicated than what it needs to be in our opinion. 

Link: Amazon.com: Tyent Undercounter-11-Plate Turbo Extreme by Tyent : Tools & Home Improvement

Name: 4T7 Smart Cutting Board

Price: $169

What It’s Supposed To Do: The 4T7 cutting board is multiple pieces of kitchenware in one. It comes with a cutting board, a defrosting board, a digital ingredient scale, a timer, and a magnetic knife holder on the back. Plus, it has its own app with recipes, guides and a community to connect to as you learn, or just to try out different recipes with others. 

Why We Don’t Care For It: It’s the app. The rest of it is amazing. It’s the app we can’t get our heads around. Was it just a way to tack on an additional fee? To set up what sounds like a digital cookbook? To us, it seems like if you’re a home cook who finds a cutting board like this useful, you’re already going to have a wide number of recipes that work for you. 

Link: 4T7 Muti-function Smart Cutting Board Built-in Scale and Kitchen Timer

Name: Zega Intelligent Cookware

Price: $149

What It’s Supposed To Do: This is a double wall insulated pot that can have the heat turned off after it comes up to temperature. It keeps cooking the food inside of it and alerts you when its done. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  The knob is connected to Bluetooth. This means that it can connect to your phone, and tell you that your food is done cooking. Which is nifty. But once again, why? The idea of not needing to tend your food also leaves us concerned. Too many dishes need to be watched over to keep them from boiling over or sticking to the bottom of the pot. And you have to charge the knob when all is said and done. So, we’re saying nifty, but not necessarily needed. 

Link: Zega Intelligent Cookware – Zega Cookware US

How it works – Zega Cookware US

Name: Nespresso Prodigo 

Price: $266

What It’s Supposed To Do: The Prodigo is a coffee machine. It has a built in milk frother for all sorts of recipes,  a rotating water tank and automatic cartridge ejector. It also keeps track of how many k-cups you have, and when it needs water or maintenance. 

Why We Don’t Care For It:  well.. We can’t actually find a reason for it. It’s coffee after all, and that’s something many of us love. We will say though that we question why the smart options are needed. We have had coffee machines that could keep track of when to make your coffee for decades. As to making ones that are meant for keeping track of what k-cups you need, that’s pretty easy too? So it’s less of a “we don’t like it” to “How necessary is it?” 

Link : Prodigio Coffee Machine | Nespresso

Most of these for us seem to boil down to “why??” Why attach these things to the internet when it’s not /needed/ for the item to do its work. Some of them are fantastically useful, but the connection to the Internet of Things doesn’t make much sense to us. Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page what your thoughts are and which if any of these you would purchase. 

If it’s your Core Appliances that are giving you hell, we can help. Reach out to us on our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055  ) to set up an appointment that works for you. Whether it’s a smart appliance or one that’s as old as you, we’ll work with you to 

Handpies for Every Meal!

Handpies for Dinner, Dessert, Breakfast and Lunch!

The greatest thing about making handpies is that they can be made for any meal of the day! Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, the possibilities are endless! Sweet or savory, eating at a table, on a picnic or as you rush out the door on your next adventure, handpies are a fantastic option for meals. 

We admit, we might have gone a wee bit overboard with the number of recipes we put together in this post, but with as many possibilities as there are, we couldn't stop ourselves. So for this post, we've made it so that each recipe collapses into itself so that you can look at them one by one, rather than trying to wade through the entire article at once. 

We'll start off with the crust for your pies, and then move on to the fillings. 

• Handpie Crust

  6 cups of Bread Flour

  2 tsp salt

  1 cup + 1/2 Tablespoon cold butter

  1 cup cold water

  2 egg yolks

  5-7 cups of your filling of choice, see below

  Combine flour and salt into a mixing bowl.

  Cut your cold butter into tiny pieces, and work it into the flour, ideal using a fork or your fingers. (or an assistant, that works too!)

  in a separate bowl, mix the water and one of your egg yolks together until well blended. Pour that into the flour and mix everything until it comes together.

  Turn the dough out onto your counter and knead it lightly until it becomes a dough, rather than a mess of ingredients. The best way to knead the dough is to push forward and away from you with the heel of your hand, then fold the dough back towards yourself. Rotate it 90 degrees and repeat.

  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day.

  When you're ready to bake your hand pies, preheat your oven to 445*F. Grab two baking sheets and line them with parchment paper *

  Take your dough out of the fridge and set it on your counter. Cut it into 10 equal pieces of dough. Feel free to use a scale if you want, or just measure by eye and feel if you're feeling adventurous.

  Set all of the pieces to the side but one, and roll that one into a 7 inch circle.

  Add a rounded half cup of your filling to the center of the circle and fold the edges over so that you have a half moon.

  With the edge you can get creative. Start by pressing the dough firmly together all around the filling. Then choose your crimping design of choice. The easiest method is to pinch and fold back the dough on itself so that you get a 'crimped' edge. You can also check out Pinterest to see what other nifty options you have. We don't advise using just a fork for this dough because of how much filling you have.

  Place five pies on each of your baking sheets, and mix up your remaining egg yolk with 1 Tbsp of water.

  Use a pastry brush and generously apply the wash to each pie.

  Bake your pie for 20 minutes at 445* and then, without removing the pies from the oven, turn the heat down to 345* for another 15-20 minutes until they're crispy and browned.

  *Important note here: Parchment paper is NOT the same as wax paper. Whatever you do, don't try and bake wax paper you will ruin your baking sheet if you're lucky and hurt your oven if you're not.

  This is your basic pie dough. You can make this and freeze it once you've kneaded the dough, once you've cut the dough into sections, or once you've got it rolled out into rounds. All we suggest is making sure to wrap it in wax paper or plastic wrap and then putting it into a freezer safe container.

  Important Note: In our pictures down below, we made a half batch and mini pies, rather than the full size ones you get with this recipe.

• Mushroom Filling

  1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter (you won't need additional salt thanks to the salt and the cheese)

  1 Cup Yellow Onion, diced

  2 ½ Cups Baby Bella Mushrooms sliced

  ½ teaspoon Ground Pepper, fresh

  ½ teaspoon Sea Salt

  2 Tablespoons fresh Thyme chopped

  2 ½ Cups Fresh Baby Spinach chopped

  1 ½ Cups Gouda or Gruyere Cheese, grated

  ______________________________

  Add mushrooms, onions, salt, pepper, and thyme in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Don't go based off the onions being transparent as further cooking will happen while you bake the handpies.

  Stir in spinach while warm and remove from heat. Let cool and drain any excess juices.

  Once cooled, add in your cheese of choice and mix thoroughly to combine.

  Split your filling evenly between your pie rounds and bake to enjoy.

• Ham & Cheese Filling

  16- oz cooked ham, chopped

  ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

  ¾ cup shredded Swiss cheese

  1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

  1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

  1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

  1 Tbsp brown sugar

  ¼ tsp onion powder

  ______________________________

  In a large bowl, mix your ham, swiss cheese, cheddar chees and cream cheese, mixing until thoroughly combined.

  In a smaller bowl, mix together your dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and onion powder until blended.

  Add the two together and mix thoroughly.

  Split your filling evenly between your pie rounds and bake to enjoy.

• Chicken Filling

  2 lbs chicken breast

  1.5 tbsp olive oil

  1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced

  1 Red pepper, finely diced

  1 Yellow pepper, finely diced

  10 cloves of garlic, minced

  2 cup chicken stock (split in half)

  1 Tbsp tomato paste

  3/4 tsp salt

  1/4 tsp pepper

  ______________________________

  Grab your Instapot or crockpot and place your chicken and 1 cup of the chicken stock into it. Mix in 4 of your 10 garlic cloves.

  Put the lid on the pot and cook for 20 minutes if you're using an Instantpot or 6 hours if you're using a slow cooker.

  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

  Add onions, 6 cloves of minced garlic, and peppers, and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.

  Add chicken, tomato paste, 1 cup of chicken stock, salt and pepper.

  Simmer, stirring often, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate, about 10 minutes.

  Allow to cool to room temperature or in the fridge for 2 hours. If you're doing this in stages, you can chill overnight in the refrigerator too.

  Split your filling evenly between your pie rounds and bake to enjoy.

• Mexican Street Corn FIlling

  Fair warning on this one. There are Zero hard and fast amounts because we weren't given hard amounts. It's more of a "guess and test" recipe like we've done in the past.

  Unsalted butter

  corn - we advise fresh or frozen as it's easier to get them.

  red onion, finely diced

  limes- juice in one bowl and zest into another so you can add as much as you like.

  red bell pepper, finely diced

  cilantro

  jalapeño, we suggest starting with 1 jalapeno to start with, finely diced without the seeds or pith

  sour cream

  Cotija cheese, and if you can't get hold of that, you can go with queso fresco

  ______________________________

  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add your butter and frozen corn. Cook for 8-10 minutes stirring often until the corn is cooked through and has a charred look to it. The high heat will cook it quickly and the char adds a nice smokey flavor to the recipe.

  Remove from skillet and pour into a large bowl. Add the red onion, lime juice, lime zest, bell pepper, cilantro, and jalapeño. Stir to combine.

  Add the sour cream and the cheese and stir to mix. At this point we suggest tasting the mix and seeing how you like it, adjusting different flavors as needed so that it's just right before you move on.

  Once you've got the flavors right, split your filling evenly between your pie rounds and bake to enjoy.

• Savory Beef Stew Filling

  1 Tbsp olive oil

  1 Tbsp unsalted butter

  1 white onion, finely diced

  1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

  1 rib celery, finely diced

  Salt to taste

  Black pepper, freshly ground to taste

  4 cloves garlic minced

  1 pound ground beef

  1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning

  ½ tsp white pepper

  1 Tbsp tomato paste

  2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

  3 level Tbsp all-purpose flour

  1 ¼ cups beef stock or broth

  1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced into ¼ -½ inch cubes

  2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

  1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

  ¼ cup green peas

  ______________________________

  Start by gathering up your onion, carrot, celery, potato and parsley and chop them as stated above, keeping them separate as you finish working with them.

  Take your skillet and put it down over medium- high heat, and add in the olive oil and butter. Once your butter is fully melted, stir it together with the olive oil and add in your onion, carrot and celery plus salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables until they're softened, but not transparent.

  Add in your garlic and once you can smell it, add in the ground beef, Italian seasoning, white pepper, and a few more dashes of salt and black pepper. Cook the ground beef until it's no longer pink, using a spatula to crumble the beef.

  Once the beef is finely cooked, if you're having a hard time getting it to crumble, you can remove it from the heat and once it's cooled enough, use your hands to break everything up. This is an optional step, and will require bringing the pan back up to heat before moving on.

  Once your beef is finely crumbled, add in your tomato paste and the Worcestershire and stir that into the pan, and top with the flour. Stir everything together to blend well.

  Add in your beef broth and the potato and stir to combine everything. Put the lid on the pan and allow it to simmer until the potatoes are tender, approximately 30 minutes. When a fork pressed gently against a potato cube slides through easily, you know they're done.

  To finish it off, add in your thyme, chopped parsley and the peas and mix to combine. Make sure no other spices are needed, and then allow the filling to cool completely.

  Once you've got the flavors right, split your filling evenly between your pie rounds and bake to enjoy.

• Blackberry Filling

  12 oz of fresh Blackberries

  1/4 cup sugar

  1 tbsp lemon juice (the bottled stuff is just fine)

  1/2 tsp cinnamon

  1 egg, beaten

  Additional Sugar for Topping

  ______________________________

  Rinse your blackberries well, and dry them with a clean towel, carefully or you'll end up dying your towel.

  Cut them in half, and toss them into a medium-sized bowl. Add in your sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon and mix well so that there is very little liquid left in the mix. Add a tiny amount of sugar at a time if there is too much liquid after adding in the initial 1/4 cup.

  Use an egg wash to help seal the pastries as you make them, to ensure they don't pop open while baking.

Notes on Freezing Your Handpies

There are several points throughout this process where you can stop and freeze what you've made.

- You can roll the dough around wax paper and then wrap the roll in plastic wrap.

- You can cut out your circles, layering them with squares of wax paper and freeze them at that point.

- You could make the handpies and freeze them prior to baking them.

- You could bake the handpies and then freeze them after they've cooled.

For any of these options, make sure to label and date what you've made so that you can use them within two months. For us we think the best options are either making the handpie circles or going ahead and making the pies up but not baking them. 

And that is six different handpie recipes that you can use for any meal throughout the day whether you're at home or on the go. They freeze great and they taste even better. When you give these a shot, please let us know over on our Facebook page or in the comments below. We love hearing from you and all about your cooking adventures. 

If you're contemplating handpies for meals because your stove isn't working properly, we can help. You can reach out to us at our office by calling ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page to set up an appointment. We'll work with you to find a time that fits your schedule before sending one of our experienced techs to solve the issues. We work with you every step of the way to get your home running smoothly again.

4 Ways To Transform Your Yard Into An Extension Of Your Home

And How That Makes Your Yard Even More Fun For You

"Home is where the heart is," is how the saying goes - but what does that mean about the space around our homes? Many of us use our yards as gardens or just fields of green, with maybe the occasional patio thrown in for grilling and hosting small gatherings. What if instead you were to spread out and utilize all of that space to the max?

Creating spaces outside the home isn't always easy, though, especially when you have to contend with Texas' heat. To help with that, though, you can use a trellis with climbing vines, a pergola to designate “inside” and “outside,” panel walls, or furniture placement to create the idea of different rooms.

When you have a yard, as many of us in Texas prefer to, you need to break it up just as you would inside of your home. To best use the space, you break it apart into different rooms based on the goal of that area - and that is where this post comes in. We're looking at some ideas based on how you'd use them rather than what they're called. 

Places to Play

During summer, none of us want to stay inside all day, especially when you have children home from school. So why not use the areas around your home to create an outdoor playground for any age? 

Set up a playground:If you've got little ones, you can mark out an area that they can play in using gates and furniture, and (if you have it) a pergola. Alternatively, you can use an easy-to-break-down tent. Fill it with sensory activities, games, and books for kids to enjoy outside. They get time playing in the fresh air, and you know exactly where they are. 

Set up a living room:If your children are older, you can also set up an outside 'living room' space to allow them free range to spend time with friends or to hang out with family. All it takes is a bit of outside-the-box thinking. This setup could be used for everything from a movie night to space for board games and puzzles when you're too tired to face the heat. 

Places to Relax

While a living room, as we mentioned in our last section, would be considered a place to relax, we're looking at creating dedicated spaces. 

Set up a fire pit:Here is a space for relaxing and lazing about, sharing stories in the dying light of day, and creating memories with friends and family. Take your fire pit and draw a three-foot circle around it on all sides, giving plenty of space for safety. Fill that circle in with stone, and put down buckets for sand and water next to the pit in case of emergency. Beyond that circle, you can start placing poufs, chairs, and chaise lounges around the perimeter, creating an inviting and close-knit atmosphere for people to enjoy.

Use butterfly chairs, poofs, or a papasan:You can also scatter seating arrangements around your yard, with small tables in places that enjoy the shade at different times of day. Staking down the furniture where you place it is useful if you don't have your yard surrounded by a fence or broken up with windbreaks, but it's not necessary if you want to be able to move the furniture around easily. 

Courtesy of Kaboompics

Set up a swing or hammock:In your blogger's humble opinion, there's nothing better than a swinging hammock in the shade, a book and a cold glass of strong tea. Whether you hang it in the shade or in a spot in your yard that gets sun at different times of day, it's a great way to relax and catch a cat nap or just enjoy watching the clouds pass by. 

Places to Eat

Why stay inside where the air is still and everyone wants their phone or a screen? Take things outside instead and spend some time connecting to one another. 

Set up a table next to your garden, pool, or feature:Pick something in your home or yard that you find interesting. Is it a water fountain? Or a garden? Maybe it's an old tree. Now set up a table and chairs and eat dinner. Whether you intentionally focus on the feature that you chose or not, it's something that can spark conversation and make it easier to talk about all sorts of things. 

Courtesy of artyangel

Set up an outdoor counter:Alternatively, if you have a large window in your kitchen, you might consider setting up an outdoor counter with barstools along it for eating. This way, food can easily be passed back and forth between sides without having to go all the way through the house. It also means that whoever is cooking isn't sectioned off from conversation and company while they create food for the group. 

Places to Nap

There are many cultures that take a nap or quiet time in the middle of the day to avoid the heat. Why not set up your own space to let you do the same? While many people will say "well why then would I nap outside" we argue that there's something soothing about taking time to nap in the shade during summer. 

Set up a canopy bed:A first option might be portioning out a section of patio or your garden and putting in a bed with a canopy. Doing this allows for you to have space that is outside, but you get the full comfort of a bed. We'll point out again that whatever you put down, you want to make sure that it's weatherproof, but other than that, go for it. You can even go one step further if you love the stars and sleep out here at night, provided you have a bug canopy to keep away the pests. 

Set up chaise lounges in the garden, under trees, or on the porch:If a full bed isn't your thing, maybe a spot to nap after a swim is. Consider a chaise lounge or daybed in that case, something that's easier to move around and cover with weather proofing when things take a turn. It's great to be able to climb out of the pool, towel off and stretch out in the sun to finish relaxing after a long day.  It's also a lovely spot to enjoy a book or podcast when you're taking some time for yourself throughout the year (not just during summer). Adding in additional pillows and blankets can make it a great spot to escape to all year round. 

Turn a porch swing into a porch bed with the right dimensions, a thick pad, and plenty of bolsters for comfort:Or you might be someone that wants the comfort of motion. Studies have shown that a gentle rocking motion creates the deepest sleep in adults and children, so why not have a hammock or swing? Since we're talking about sleep though, let's take your normal porch swing and upgrade it a bit. To start with, make sure that your swing has high sides. There's nothing worse than rolling off a swing when all you wanted was a cat nap. Grab two cot mattresses and stack them on top of one another, then cover with an outdoor slip. Next up, grab some bolsters in a coordinating fabric and line the edges of your swing with them. Drag out a blanket when you're in the mood, and voila, you have a perfectly soothing spot to relax, nap and chat, whatever your mood.

Which room are you most interested in creating for yourself? Is there a glaring idea that we overlooked? A flaw maybe that we haven't considered? Or maybe you're seeing a chance for a room that we didn't think of. Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

If you wound up here because the appliances inside your home are what are driving you out, then we can help. Whether it's your oven or your ice maker, give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or go to our website to set up an appointment that works for you. 

Weekend Decorator- Quick Hacks To Bring New Life This Summer

Decorating Your Home Doesn't Have To Take Months! 

Do you ever get the itch to redecorate, but you don't want it to be a drawn-out process? You want something new and different in your home, but you're not willing to have everything up in the air for weeks or months at a time. Sometimes, you just need a quick weekend project to change things up and give yourself an entirely different feeling. Best of all, unless you want it, the projects don't have to be super expensive. Let's go over 10 easy projects you can do in a weekend.*

- Add pattern to your walls 

Who says that patterns are just for your tiles or fabrics? Not us! Find a pattern you love, whether it's a stencil, a wallpaper, a removable tile, whatever, and toss it up. The easiest way to make this look 'right' is to split your wall into thirds horizontally. Then decide whether you want to do the pattern across 1/3rd of the wall or 2/3rds. From there, go for it. 

- Choose a bold design you love

Artie Lotus Floral - Wayfair

When it comes to bringing in new things, go for something that's you. Some people say, "Go bold or go home," but what's bold for you (say... giant florals) might not be bold for your visiting cousin (who just adores polka dots.) So make sure that it's something that fits you and the space you're working in.  

- Use molding in the same shade as the painted sections to create a crisp divide between different sections. 

If you want to really class it up, reach for some thin molding. Remember how we said to choose whether you're going for 1/3rd or 2/3rds? Now use the molding all along that divide and paint it the same shade as the painted section. This gives you a really neat divide between the two sections and makes it look all the more stunning. You can do this no matter what you've added to the wall, wallpaper, paint, tile, whatever. 

 Bring in a cute border with a scalloped wall edging.

If you've got a room that you really want to bring some pizazz to, check out a scalloped edging along the top or bottom edge of the wall. 

- Grab a bowl or saucer to make yourself a template (with 3-5 repetitions so that you can get it done faster) and cut it out of cardboard. So, trace the bowl side by side, so you get a curved equivalent of this ^^^^^ on your cardboard. 

- Use a ruler and level to create the line at the curved edge of your template where the pattern 'ends'; use a pencil to trace the pattern along the entire wall or all of the room, depending on your preference.

- Grab a paintbrush, throw on a podcast and go at it. 

-Take some photos as you go so you can show off your creative genius. 

-Draw attention to something you love.

-Do you have something in your home that you adore? Maybe you've got a fireplace that's rough and rugged, a staircase that's carved beautifully, or a period door. Frame that with a pop of contrasting color and show it off. Take a ruler and set it out about 3-4 inches from what you're highlighting, and frame it in an eye-catching color. 

-Bring wallpaper into the kitchen 

Forget using an expensive backsplash. Since one of the trends of the year is for forgoing upper cabinets, why not bring in some wallpaper instead? You can bring it in in "windows" that you frame out with paint, or just do the whole of the kitchen, whatever speaks to you. 

     Forget an expensive backsplash. Since people are foregoing upper cabinets, why not use that space for wallpaper instead?

- Turn those tea towels into art!

Every Christmas, someone gets a chef a tea towel, possibly several, or an entire hand-sewn set. And that's great! Those tea towels serve a bundle of purposes in a kitchen that's used regularly. Sometimes though, you don't /want/ to get them ruined. You want to protect them without having to just stash them in a drawer somewhere. So why not turn them into art? Use a frame that's painted the same as your kitchen cabinets and hang it up. You can even frame several this way and rotate them out throughout the year. 

- Give an old desk a new outlook on life.

People throw away old desks all the time, and you find one that speaks to you. Or you might have one that you've had for eons, and it's beaten and battered, but you can't stand to get rid of it. That's when a bit of sandpaper and some chalk paint come to the rescue. You can even use it as an excuse to bring in the color of the year (remember, it's Very Peri right now) without having to redo everything in your home. 

-Another easy change is to swap out your curtains. Winter is over, and it's time to bring in the light! (Cue the MaMa Odie) Swap out your thick thermal curtains and replace them with something lighter like cotton. Not only will you bring in plenty of light, but by adding a second layer of bright blackout curtains, you can use them to block out the worst of the heat of the day and keep your home cool, only opening them to enjoy the beginning and end of the day. 

- Give your kitchen a warm glow by bringing in touches of brass. 

Brass ladels by Stux

Not only is brass a material that disinfects itself after 8 hours, it's got a lovely warm glow that looks great in your kitchen. You can use it to replace drawer knobs, pulls, latches, sinks, and even your light switch covers if you want. All that's going to take is a few hours to choose what you want and then an hour or so to swap it all out. 

-Create a curated gallery wall that you can mix up at any time! 

     -We saved our favorite tip for last. You might be like us and have a hard time choosing just one piece of artwork for a room. Well... who says you have to? Say goodbye to that convention and set up a rotating art gallery all your own. Grab some ledges from Ikea and paint them the same color as your wall (or walls), and hang them up. Now you can set your artwork on them, move them around, and swap them out any time you want without having to try and hang them. 

If you're like us and you can't stand having a fixed set of artwork, who says you have to? Grab some ledges from Ikea, paint them the same color as your walls, and hang them up. Now you can set your artwork on them, move them around and swap them out any time you like. 

What do you think? Are you interested in trying out some of these? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you and any ideas you come up with yourself! 

If it's not a 'new feeling' you want but maybe something along the lines of 'having a dishwasher that gets everything clean' or "having your freezer properly freezing things," that's where we come in. Appliance Rescue Service will get your home back to running smoothly so you can focus on things that are more fun. You can reach out to us by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page and setting up an appointment. We'll work with you to find something that fits with your schedule. At Appliance Rescue Service, we're here for you. 

(Maybe not all at once, but you can certainly complete one or two of them. If you want to try and do all of them, let us know! We'd love to hear how you managed it.)