Life around the fire
The Hangout
Stories, recipes, and real spaces. Inspiration for a life gathered around the fire.
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162 stories
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Buying & Planning
Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for the Wood-Fired Pizza Lover (2026)
Thoughtful holiday gifts for pizza lovers, hands-on cooks and generous hosts. Explore hardwood boards, serving pieces and pizza-night essentials from Chicago Brick Oven.
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Recipes & Cooking
Chipotle Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers
Pineapple brings sweetness, chipotle brings heat, and shrimp keeps these skewers at the center of the plate. Red onion and red pepper add another layer of flavor, while a separate...
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Recipes & Cooking
Korean-Style Flanken Short Ribs
The cut makes this rib recipe different. Flanken-style beef short ribs are sliced across the bones, giving you thin strips rather than the larger pieces cut between them. This recipe...
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Recipes & Cooking
Roasted Artichoke Hearts with Garlic and Pecorino
Prepared artichoke hearts make this a dish about the finish: garlic and olive oil in the pan, then grated Pecorino and fresh parsley on the platter. The cookbook serves them...
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Recipes & Cooking
Rosemary Focaccia: A Pan-Bread Recipe
Focaccia brings a different rhythm to an oven day. Instead of stretching individual pizzas, you work with one pan of dough, giving it time to rise before making the deep...
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Recipes & Cooking
Maple, Raisin and Walnut Baked Apples
A whole baked apple makes dessert feel like its own little occasion. Here, the center holds maple syrup, cinnamon, raisins and chopped walnuts: a filling with sweetness, spice and texture...
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Recipes & Cooking
Apple-Cider Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Apple cider and pumpkin-pie spice give this vegetable side its autumn character. The ingredient list is short, and the finish is straightforward: browned edges with a center that yields to...
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Projects & Customer Stories
FAN MAIL: Jeffrey K.'s indoor oven
A CBO-500 DIY Kit built into a full-height brick column right beside the range, in a black-and-white checkerboard kitchen.
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Projects & Customer Stories
FAN MAIL: Jeff L. at 4Oaks Ranch, Axtell, TX
After a two-year build, the cabana and courtyard at Rancho de los Cuatro Robles in Central Texas were finished just in time for the 4th of July — with a...
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