Sunny skies and a hint of warmth brought a reminder of spring time to me today. And, thankfully with spring comes more outdoor activities - I am so tired of the cold weather! One of my favorite outdoor activities is having friends and family over and grilling the freshest of seafood, and an outdoor kitchen is the perfect venue. Chris Mordi from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet is hosting what looks to be an interesting webinar on March 2 titled Outdoor Kitchen Design Best Practices. For more information go to http://www.kalamazoogourmet.com/webinar

Here's a recipe for the grilled mussels shown in the picture above. Easy to cook in your outside kitchen. Yum!

2.5 lbs mussels, beards removed and washed well
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
4 tbs unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup roughly chopped parsley
½ cup shredded basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ Sourdough baguette

Heat up the grill to medium and when hot add the mussels. Grill until they open, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place a medium size heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and when hot add the olive oil and garlic and cook until soft. Remove mussels from the grill, discarding any that have not opened and transfer to the saucepan, keeping the juice. Add the butter, white wine, and lemon juice to the saucepan. Cover until butter melts, shaking the saucepan occasionally. Season to taste, then garnish with parsley and basil. Serve with sourdough baguette.

Look how good Tidal Pulls complement these bamboo kitchen cabinets!