Gourmet Picnic Baskets-the new style of eating outdoors

Imagine enjoying your favorite dish, a glass of wine in hand, a gourmet cheese plate in front of you, dabbing her mouth with a cloth napkin-designer print as you enjoy the company of your loved one. No, you're not that expensive restaurant-Centre you are enjoying the outdoors, sitting under the stars on a romantic look. Maybe you're at the beach, an isolated hill in wine country or a rooftop garden in the big city. Wherever you are, you're relaxed, happy and enjoying the finer things in life.

This is the kind of experience that can provide the next generation of picnic baskets gourmet baskets with dishes of excellent quality, custom accents, brass details and all the accoutrements of haute cuisine. Picnics are no longer on cotton percale, paper plates and easy finger food. You can now have a 4-star dining experience wherever you want-from a boat at a rose garden in a crowded city square into an exotic locale.

Picnic basket of today's gourmet is an impressive display of craftsmanship, aesthetics and attention to detail. Not only they contain full set of dishes, glasses, utensils, cloth napkins and tablecloths and insulated waterproof refrigerators; These high quality picnic baskets will also find extras like salt and pepper, detachable wine bottle coolers, mini cards and cheese knives, corkscrews and bottle caps of decorative wine. They're ideal for special occasions like honeymoons, anniversaries, dates and holidays as well as any time you want to enjoy a delicious meal ' al fresco '. Owning a gourmet picnic basket is always a real celebration-to-go; pack some food and drinks and you can have an impromptu party outside every time.

Some of these gourmet baskets also go to include real Crystal, Wedgwood fine bone china decorated with beautiful content and patterns created by renowned designer. Although some of these picnic baskets are certainly luxury, having a gourmet picnic basket is not out of reach of the average person-prices start around $ 50. Picnic baskets are available for any style or budget. Designs inspired from the Scottish highlands, the French Riviera, African Safari and Tuscan vineyards are just a sampling of the types of baskets available. You can also choose between different sets of numbers people, baskets that focus on a wine and cheese or coffee and tea picnics, and various themes like sports, baby, weddingand seasonal.

With all the different designs and price points available, you can find a gourmet picnic basket that is perfect for your needs and will always be ready for a delicious meal outdoor fun — whether it's a special event, a surprise for a loved one or a command option to enjoy an excellent location-style outdoor.

Stephanie Gottschalk writes the Blog ' Picnic Fun-tips and recipes ' (http://www.picnictips.com) it is joy of water fountains ' (http://www.waterfountainguide.com) for specialty Living Inc., a company based out of Asheville, North Carolina that aims to share their love of people, nature and life through water fountains high quality picnic baskets.

An Eco-House with Hotel Style

An architect and a spa expert create a stunning, eco-conscious house with salvaged materials and breezy indoor-outdoor rooms. An architect and a spa expert practice green living in California.

Perched on a steep hillside in Mill Valley, California, Scott and Tracy Lee’s home is as comfortable as a five-star hotel, but as eco-conscious as a hippie’s yurt. The pair are a hotel-world power couple; he’s an architect who has designed resorts from Miami to Napa Valley; she masterminds spas for the luxury Auberge Resorts chain. The couple’s first home combines their years of high-end hotel experience with a strong commitment to green living (the house is certified LEED platinum) and the typical California embrace of the outdoors. “We moved a lot of things outdoors, even a bathtub,” says Scott, a partner at SB Architects. “It really helped make the most of our small plot”—and substantially increased their living area. The family room, inspired by the outdoor living room at Calistoga Ranch, is partially open on three sides. Old scaffolding boards behind the couch and grilling area add weathered style. “We didn’t need to stain or even clean them,” Scott says. The room is a great cooking and entertaining space, with a KitchenAid gas grill ($2,800; kitchenaid.com) and a Jenn-Air wine fridge ($1,800), ice maker ($1,750) and refrigerator drawers ($2,350; jennair.com). One of its most striking design elements is the custom light fixture, made with a steel buoy salvaged from Puget Sound; the other half hangs over a deck on the other side of the house.

Green Living: An Eco-House with Hotel Style

The Lees’ home, built into a hillside, is certified LEED platinum. It is situated to maximize solar power and passive heating and cooling; the lower floors are naturally insulated by the hillside. The vertical design and blending of indoor and outdoor spaces also make the four-story, three-bedroom house appear larger than its 2,100 square feet. Horizontal cedar boards on the exterior, a motif repeated in the family room and kitchen, reinforce the indoor-outdoor connection.

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