The Memorial Day weekend holiday is the unofficial start of summer, inspiring many families to invite over friends and family to celebrate the arrival of the season. This is the perfect opportunity to fire up your grill and lean on the best flavors of this time of the year. Here are a few recipes that will provide all of the inspiration that you need to plan your Memorial Day party menu.
Why settle for ordinary burgers on the grill when you can elevate this traditional BBQ food to something amazing? These glazed bacon and cheese-filled hamburgers will delight everyone at your event. The cheese and bacon are baked into the patties, providing an explosion of flavor with every delectable bite. It will be hard to go back to regular hamburgers once you try this unique option.
You will never look at potato salad the same way again after trying this perfect marriage of a BLT sandwich and the classic side dish. With tomatoes coming back into season, this is a great time to try this
BLT potato salad. Be sure to choose a quality mayonnaise. Thick-cut bacon also works best with this recipe. While you can refrigerate the salad and serve it later, you will want to wait until the very end to add the lettuce so that it does not wilt.
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
For something lighter for your party, consider adding these grilled chicken kabobs to the menu. These skewers of chicken and vegetables make the perfect party food because of their portability. You can also experiment with a few different types of vegetables so that everyone is happy. Good vegetable choices include peppers, onions, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, and baby potatoes. The marinade combines olive oil, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, salt, and pepper for a zesty addition to the chicken and veggies. The skewers cook up quickly on the grill so that you are not slaving away and missing the party.
White Bean and Brocollini Salad
You will impress your guests with this fancy white bean and broccolini salad that looks more difficult to prepare than it actually is. The white beans and broccolini marries a dressing made of olive oil, lemon zest and juice, honey mustard, red pepper flakes, and salt. The finishing touch on this salad is the addition of capers. The dish comes together in just 20 minutes, making it a good choice for when you are busy preparing for the event.
Marinated Mushrooms
These marinated mushrooms are a delight. Fresh mushrooms are soaked in a dressing made with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar flavored with garlic. Mix in chopped shallots, fresh herbs, and Italian seasonings and you will soon be enjoying this fool-proof recipe. Serve these mushrooms as a standalone side dish or use them as a topping for burgers, grilled chicken, or steak. Regardless of how you serve them, they will be a welcome addition to your Memorial Day BBQ table.
Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
No BBQ is complete without a platter of deviled eggs. These pimento cheese deviled eggs add a creative twist on the usual recipe to deliver an appetizer that will be gone in seconds. Hardboiled eggs are loaded with a mixture of mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, and pimentos. Be sure to leave at least an hour for these eggs to chill before setting them out to be devoured.
Skillet Barbecue Baked Beans with Bacon
While you may be tempted to dump some canned baked beans into a warming pan, these skillet barbecue baked beans with bacon are well worth your extra time and effort. The secret ingredient in this recipe is the addition of hickory-smoked bacon. Do not skimp on the quality of the barbecue sauce. The beans will taste as if you pulled them right off of the campfire with the smoky good taste.
Crispy Fried Chicken
If you do not want to fire up the grill this time around, consider this crowd-pleasing crispy fried chicken recipe. Fried chicken is the quintessential Memorial Day picnic food, making it a good choice if you want to take your event on the road. When executed to perfection, this recipe will produce fried chicken that is crispy and crunchy on the outside and juicy and flavorful on the inside. Adding a bit of buffalo hot sauce to the marinade will add another level of flavor and heat.
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
You are going to need something delicious to wash down all of this amazing food. This is where this homemade strawberry lemonade recipe comes in. The only ingredients you need to create this refreshing beverage are fresh strawberries, sugar, lemons, and water. Serve it cool on ice and feel free to add in some vodka or tequila for the adults at your party.
No-Bake S’mores Cake
Get everyone excited about the summer ahead with this fabulous no-bake s’mores cake. The recipe layers graham crackers with homemade marshmallow cream, and chocolate ganache to create that flavor combination that everyone loves. Because the recipe chills in the refrigerator overnight, it is a great make-ahead recipe to make the day of the event a lot easier on the host. You can also refrigerate it up for up to two days if you want to prepare it even further in advance.
Blueberry Apple Crumble
This blueberry apple crumble adds a dash of color to your red, white, and blue Memorial Day BBQ. The fruit is topped with a crumble that resembles a sugar cookie. You can choose to add nuts for an extra layer of crunch. You can also choose to substitute the apples with peaches or pears. This crumble tastes especially amazing hot out of the oven with a scoop of cold vanilla bean ice cream on top.
