Now that our house is suitable for guests to come over, now all we need to work on is getting our front porch a little bit more organized. I want to be able to sit out there in the warm weather and host some BBQs! I know a lot of people love having summer BBQs and I wanted to share some awesome recipe ideas for those perfect get togethers. My type of BBQ would be to make 2 types of foods that I think everyone would enjoy, a side, drinks and dessert. Check out my menu below:
Main BBQ Dishes
Say hello to the Mexican Cheeseburger. Doesn’t this look like the best burger you’ve ever seen? I found this awesome recipe on Pinterest, and here’s the original source. Legit drooling over this right now.
Mexican Cheeseburger
Makes 4-6 burgers
2 lbs of ground beef
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp paprika
1-2tsp salt
cracked black pepper
4-6 slices of cheese
4-6 fresh, hamburger buns
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Heat a large frying pan and add some oil.
- Fry a small amount of the burger mixture to check the seasoning. Adjust if necessary.
- Form the mince mixture into burgers and fry for +- 4 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. When you’ve flipped the burger the first time, place a slice of cheese on the patty and allow to melt while the patty is cooking.
- Serve on a fresh bread roll with home-made salsa and guacamole.
For the Guacamole :
2 large, ripe avocados
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
- Remove the avocado flesh from the skin and mash with the lemon juice, salt & pepper.
- Set aside until you’re ready to use it.
Tomato & onion salsa:
3 large, ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 red chilli, finely chopped (remove the seeds if you don’t like it hot)
salt & pepper to taste
- Combine all the ingredients and mix through.
- Set aside until you’re ready to use it.
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Frogmore Stew. My Mom found this recipe and has been making it for a few years now. I love it! It’s the best for summer dinners with friends and family.
Frogmore Stew
Makes 12 servings
- 5 quarts water
- 1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning
- 4 pounds small red potatoes
- 2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 6 ears fresh corn, halved
- 4 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
- Old Bay seasoning
- Cocktail sauce
Preparation
- Bring 5 quarts water and 1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning to a rolling boil in a large covered stockpot.
- Add potatoes; return to a boil, and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes.
- Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Add shrimp to stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Serve with Old Bay seasoning and cocktail sauce.
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Side Dish
Dijon Potato Salad. In our house, Charlie isn’t a big potato or pasta salad person, but I think this is one he would actually love, since it doesn’t involve a lot of ingredients. This recipe from Martha Stewart looks amaze.
Dijon Potato Salad
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved (quartered if large)
- 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Place a steamer basket in a saucepan filled with 1 inch water. Bring to a gentle boil. Add potatoes. Cover, and cook just until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- In a serving bowl, combine vinegar and Dijon; season with salt and pepper. Add hot cooked potatoes; toss. Let cool, tossing occasionally.
- Add oil and parsley to cooled potato mixture. Season with salt and pepper, and toss.
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Drinks
Alcoholic:
Sangria Recipe – Source
Ingredients
2 bottles chilled dry red wine, like Rioja
1 cup brandy
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 oranges, cut into thin rounds
2 Meyer lemons, cut into thin rounds
3 Key limes, cut into thin rounds
2 apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 cups cold club soda
Directions
In a large pot or bowl, combine the wine, brandy, orange juice, and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange, lemon, and lime slices, the apples and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator and add the soda. Serve in glasses over ice.
Have kids attending and need a cool non-alcoholic drink? Try a Fresh Melon Quencher.
Fresh Melon Quenchers – Source
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2
cups cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon puree*(about a quarter of a 4 lb. melon)
- 3
ice cubes
- 1/4
inch slice fresh ginger, grated
-
Plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 – 2
teaspoons honey
-
Shredded lime peel (optional)
-
Plain or flavored sparkling water
-
Frozen Melon Drink Skewers (recipe below)
Directions1. In blender container combine melon puree, ice cubes, ginger, a teaspoon or two of yogurt, and honey. Blend just until mixture is frothy and smooth. Pour into serving glass. Add additional honey to adjust sweetness. Stir in lime peel to taste. Add sparkling water to fill glass. Serve with Frozen Melon Drink Skewers. Serve immediately.
To Puree Melon:2. Coarsely chop melon and transfer to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. If needed, stop motor and press fruit down into blades with rubber spatula or spoon and continue to blend until smooth.
Dessert
And finally, for the dessert. I found these awesome, make yourself popsicles!
Fruit Popsicles – Source
Strawberry-Raspberry Yogurt:
Puree strawberries with seedless raspberry jam until smooth. Add plain low-fat yogurt, vanilla, and sugar or Splenda to taste and blend.
Pineapple:
Puree chunks of pineapple (fresh or canned) with pineapple juice, a little grated ginger, lime juice, and sugar or Splenda to taste.
Watermelon-Chocolate Chip:
Wow! That looks like a great meal!
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