(BPT) - The weather is warming up and summer is right around the corner. From holiday celebrations to road trips, family vacations to block parties, it’s the time of year for cookouts. Make all of your summer cuisine extraordinary no matter what the occasion with these five simple tips:

(BPT) - Railing can upgrade any deck from drab to fab – adding style, as well as safety and support. In fact, it’s often the one element that truly sets your outdoor living space apart from others in the neighborhood. Here are five steps to create the perfect perimeter for your deck.

(NAPSI)As summer approaches, many of us are looking to find healthy ways to cut calories from our daily diet without sacrificing flavor. Asian-inspired salads are a great choice for lunch or dinner since they are highly flavorful, versatile and packed with nutrients. With all these attractive qualities, youll find yourself indulging in guilt-free freshness all summer long!

(StatePoint) Buying or selling a home in today’s real estate market? Go about it properly. From home inspections to home improvement, take your advice from leading experts.

(BPT) - Sunny days and clear skies are perfect for making exterior home improvements. Homeowners want to use their time and money wisely, so it’s important to choose projects that are low-maintenance and have a good return on investment. 

The graffiti that once lined the interior of the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park is slowly becoming a thing of the past, as a crew of preservationists spent last weekend giving the historic site a fresh coat of candy striping.

Armed with 18 gallons of red, white and yellow paint, a crew of five World’s Fair aficionados repainted a sizeable portion of the pavilion’s rotunda.

(NAPSI)—A legacy of healthy eating can be one of the best gifts you give your family. Like traditions, healthy recipes can be passed down from generation to generation. Choose the right ones and you’ll provide great opportunities for your family to live longer, healthier lives.

(NAPSI)If youre like most people with a mixed-breed dog, you may sometimes be surprised at certain behaviors and wonder just what breeds make up his ancestry. After all, experts on genetics contend that the dog is, at this point, the most diverse species of mammal. The many breeds recognized today are the result of careful selective breeding for functional attributes deemed beneficial to their human owners including hunting, guarding and herding, and desirable physical characteristics such as skull shape, size, and coat variation.

(BPT) - One in five Americans suffer from allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). As the 2013 allergy season begins, experts warn that it may be one of the worst in recent years, with people experiencing an unusually strong reaction due to increased tree pollen.

(BPT) - As the warmer weather is upon us, it brings many new activities: baseball, picnics, beach time and – best of all - garage sales. People are purging what they don’t need or no longer want. It’s the perfect opportunity to turn their trash into your treasure.  From outdated odds and ends to forgotten furniture, there is a wealth of worthy items just waiting to be found, re-imagined and re-purposed.

Spring has sprung, along with one of the sweetest treats of the season - fresh sweet corn. Over the last few years, fresh sweet corn has become a spring vegetable that’s just as highly anticipated by those in the know as the season’s first peas, asparagus, and radishes. Available nationwide, fresh sweet corn is harvested throughout the spring – good news for anyone who wants to get their hands on some today.

(BPT) - Parents have never been more crunched for time. Balancing work demands with parental duties is complex – 56 percent of working moms and 50 percent of working dads say they find it very or somewhat difficult to balance these responsibilities, according to a 2013 report about modern parenthood from the Pew Research Center. But just because you’re time strapped doesn’t mean you need to stress when it comes time to host after-school activities or weekend gatherings with friends and family. With a few key strategies, even impromptu parties are a snap to pull together.

(BPT) - The air turns mild and warm, people gladly shed winter coats, and the days grow longer – everything about spring is lighter and brighter. Since the warmer months bring about many occasions to enjoy the best of backyard cookouts and boardwalk fare, the season’s more indulgently delicious offerings may cause us to consider departing from our wellness goals.

Mother Nature isn’t always kind to your leather goods. Dirt, salt, dry air and other harsh winter elements can damage leather if they’re left to set in for months on end. Summer days mean more exposure to damaging UV rays, so it’s important to protect all leather, including car seats, from the harsh rays of the summer sun. Leather items are assumed to be durable and thus overlooked during spring cleaning, but without proper care, leather can become faded, cracked or dried out and even too stiff to wear.

When ordering a plate of seafood paella, you might imagine traditional images of Spain, like flamenco dancers and plucking guitarists, not necessarily the whitewashed houses and ancient ruins of the Greek isles.

But some Greek chefs in Astoria are ushering in a new wave of Greek fusion cuisine, combining traditional dishes with other ethnic influences or modern flourishes.

(NAPSI)Looking to add some color to your dinner table? Decorate your plate with canned fruits and vegetables, which are packed with nutrition and provide garden quality all year long.

(NewsUSA) - For anyone looking to embrace a healthy physique this bathing suit season, it helps to stick to fresh fruits and veggies. "Yeah," you sigh, "as if I haven't heard that one before."

(BPT) - Summer is a time to switch out our wardrobes, exchange coats for swimsuits and boots for flip-flops. But if the winter months took a toll on your waistline you may not want to shed those extra layers. Lighten up for warmer summer days by making simple swaps and conscious diet decisions. 

(BPT) - Every year more than 67,000 children are treated in an emergency room for accidental medicine poisoning. That’s one child every eight minutes. Even more surprising is that in 86 percent of serious cases seen in emergency rooms, the child got into medicine belonging to an adult.