On a recent trip home, I was reminded of how fabulous it is to have a huge kitchen, with all the amenities a cook could want and need, easy access to the deck for impromptu trysts with friends and even better, a clear eye’s view of the grill.

Those are basic essentials for entertaining during the bucolic summer months ahead of us. But, it you’re like me, living single and confined to a 40 square foot kitchen, you make adjustments and make do with other fabulous things. In my bevy to entertain as much as I can and stay in the mode of spring enchantments, I love having these few things in constant rotation. Not to mention, they make life much more delicious!

Fresh lemons: great for making last minute hand-squeezed lemonade; great for a quick marinade or ceviche; and, we all know wonderful as a fresh cleaning agent.

Fresh mint: gives your kitchen a great perfume-y aroma while doubling as a flavor enhancer to that lemonade, pie or sauce for the rack of lamb dinner. And, oh yes, the mojito.

Assortment of fresh flowers: having flowers gives your home and kitchen a simple and inexpensive beautiful touch of outside. Not to mention the scents some varieties emit will mask the smell of the food you’re cooking up.

Grill set: for the grill master in you, you need to have a set of tools to make the perfect barbeque dinner.

To enjoy the rest of this post and more Spring “must-haves,”  click here to read this week’s column in Dean & DeLuca’s ‘Gourmet Blog’.