For that, we head to style icon Carson Kressley's suburban sanctuary in the Lehigh Valley to learn some easy peasy, delicious and simply stunning little homemade touches for a summer BBQ spread.
While standing in Kressley's kitchen, you can overlook the rolling hills of the Lehigh Valley with horses in the distance.
"My grandparents bought that horse farm in 1925," Kressley says. "It's great to have it literally in my backyard. I get to overlook the whole shebang."
A walk around the house, and the decor is very "equestrian- esque."
"My house is an equestrian theme park," he laughs. "I've been collecting things ever since I was a kid."
The TV personality, actor and designer became a household name in the early 2000s as part of the original cast of the reality show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
"I just always loved clothes, and it started right here at the Lehigh Valley Mall," he says. "It was probably 1983 when I got my first Ralph Lauren suit from Bamberger's."
He's taken his vivacious passion for fashion from the runways, the airwaves and to co-hosting our 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Today, he's sharing some chic secrets to summer hosting, starting with a homemade spicy blueberry barbecue sauce.
"You can put it on anything," he says. "We're going to put it on pork chops today."
We also make a zippy little cute cabbage slaw.
"This is something fresh," he says. "It gives you a little bit of crunch and some brightness."
He also likes a semi-homemade kind of add-on dish.
"You can buy really great store-bought macaroni salad, and I just zhuzh it up. Instead of putting paprika on it, I put chili seasoning on it."
Of course, he adds a signature cocktail.
"We're going to do a strawberry rhubarb margarita," he says. "I have rhubarb growing here on the farm."
RECIPES:
Spicy Blueberry BBQ Sauce:
- 2 cups blueberries, rinsed
- cup ketchup
- cup apple cider vinegar
- cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat slightly and simmer 20-25 minutes until blueberries break down and sauce thickens.
Carson's Cabbage Slaw:
- cup lemon juice
- cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons clover honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- cup canola oil
- 2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
Instructions:
Chop cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Whisk all of the other ingredients together to make a vinaigrette. Add that to the cabbage until it is all incorporated.
Strawberry Rhubarb Margaritas:
- Rhubarb simple syrup (recipe below)
- 2 cups white tequila
- cup fresh lime juice
- cup triple sec (such as Cointreau)
- cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, ripped
- Crushed ice
- 8 fresh strawberries, hulled and finely diced.
Rhubarb Syrup
- 1 cups sugar
- 2 large stalks rhubarb, coarsely chopped
Instructions:
Use the diced strawberries to line the glass.
In a pitcher, combine the simple syrup, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and orange juice. Stir and add the crushed ice. Pour into the glass and garnish with mint.