Sweet Potatoes Done Right In Your Fireplace

 To continue the talk about fireplace cooking, we are searching for the best recipes out there. Your whole meal doesn't need to be done in the hearth, but certain side dishes can be amplified with this cooking measure. Take a look at the following sweet potato recipe...

Make the maple-cinnamon butter: Place the butter in a mixing bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Whisk in the maple syrup and cinnamon. Alternatively, blend the ingredients in a mixer or food processor. Transfer the butter to a bowl or 4 ramekins and refrigerate until serving.

Barbecue Bible 

Cook In Your Fireplace This Summer

 It has been dubbed "caveman style" but the end result is very elegant. Make the most out of your fireplace this Summer by cooking in it. The following is a way to cook a beautiful dinner with minimum effort.


Step 2: Generously, and I mean generously, season the steaks on both sides with salt and cracked pepper. Place the steaks directly on the embers about 2 inches apart. Grill until cooked to taste, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning with tongs. Move the steaks after 2 minutes on each side so they cook evenly.

Barbecue Bible

The Best Living Room Designs

 Does your living room need a design upgrade? Use your stylish fireplace as the focal point for the rest of the room. Check out the following for great design advice...

Whether you're relaxing after a long day or entertaining friends and family, the living room is just that - it's where you live. Being a room that doesn't require appliances, the space is completely reliant on its decor. We've rounded up 10 different living rooms that showcase a variety of styles and personalities - all different and all of which we love.

styleathome

Throw The Best Fourth of July Party Ever

 Fourth of July will soon be here, so now is the time to plan your party. Take the time now to set all of your special touches in motion, and your guests will thank you. At the end of the night, gather around your fireplace with cocktails and s'mores for the perfect party...

Panna cotta shooters will surely cool you and your Fourth of July guests off. Give the shooters an American-inspired spin by layering them in red, white and blue.

HGTV 

Make The Most Out Of Your Space This Summer

 What do you do with your fireplace in the Summer? Don't ignore the heating source just because you aren't using it.Take advantage of the space by maximizing your interior design...

Here's a fun way to cool down your fireplace during the dog days of summer. It's as simple as a mirror and a few of your favorite vases.

HGTV 

Make The Most Out Of Fruit This Summer

 One of the best things about Summer is the availability of fruit, and all the fun ways you can incorporate fruit into your entertaining. The following is a list of creative ways to use fruit for your dinner party.

To quench my thirst for using fruit as drinking vessels, I turned watermelon, strawberries, and cantaloupe into shot glasses. And you can, too.

House Beautiful 

Entertain With Ease

 What could be better than making s'mores by the fireplace? Doing this with friends or family on a cool summer night will make everyone happy, and you don't have to worry about bugs. Look below for some really easy ways to entertain by the fireplace...

Encourage guests to continue having "s'more" fun at home long after the party ends. Gift everyone with homemade favors that are reminiscent of summer campfires, like these s'more take-home boxes. They're the perfect way for guests to end the night on a sweet note.

HGTV

Get Rid of Clutter In A Stylish Way

 Does clutter get in the way of your living room design? Finding cute and clever ways to hide clutter is not only fun, but it's functional. Check out some great ways to organize your room without sacrificing style.

Runner-up to chests as Most Likely To Succeed in storing your stuff are shelving units. This case of cube-shape cubbies helps visually separate an entry from the living space in a small apartment. The cubes are see-through, so the piece doesn't completely block the space. 

BHG.com 

Cottage Design

 Do love the Summer cottages on the beach? Bring that style into your home, using your fireplace as a focal point. You won't want to leave your house!

Blue is an oft-used and favorite hue in cottage style, but in this room, the usually tranquil shade gets an electric, lively variation as well as unusual placement. Here, blue offers a bridge between the white walls and ceiling, helping to boost intimacy and establish the color focus. The hue offers a pop to white slipcovered furniture and neutral textures underfoot and in pillows.

BHG.com 

D.I.Y. Decorations

 One of the best things about this time of year is the possibilities it presents for design. Brighter colors, more daring patterns, Summer design is a lot of fun. Check out the following design inspiration...

With a few simple drawing techniques, you can make these bohemian-inspired jars to decorate your home.

HGTV 

Make The Most Of The Space Above Your Fireplace

 Do you struggle with where to put your television? Are you concerned with whether or not you can place it over your fireplace? Check out the stylish ways you can maximize the space above your heating system...

The advent of lightweight, streamlined flat-screen televisions has seemingly solved the age-old TV-versus-fireplace focal-point conundrum. Hanging a flat screen above a mantel or on a brick fireplace's face results in a dual-purpose entertainment center that becomes a room's visual centerpiece. The TV-hearth partnership frees up valuable floor space, allows you to focus furniture arrangements on a single wall, and generates pleasing views for channel-surfers and fire-watchers alike.

BHG.com 

Summer Fireplace Design

 As Summer fast approaches, you may be considering a new design for your home. Something that shows the lighter side of the season, perhaps an interior design refresh. Check out the following ways to showcase your fireplace with a new design for the Summer...

Rustic simplicity characterizes this white fireplace. Monochromatic accessories, down to the birch logs in the firebox, stay in step with the rest of the room's color palette, while an oversize Gothic window-turned-mirror gives the simple tableau presence.

BHG.com 

The Best Mantel Decorations

 A fireplace is such a natural element in design, it may be tempting to just pick out a stylish heating system and call it a day. Take it one step further and design around your beautiful fireplace with the following inspiration gallery...

Nestled in the center of bright white walls, the dark fireplace surround draws the eye. A thin coffee table ensures the view to the fireplace is unobstructed.

Southern Living