On Being a Memorial Day BBQ Superstar
Flames! Food! But hopefully not flaming food! Memorial Day weekend is coming up and for lots of us that means attending a backyard barbecue. What do you bring to these things?
I have a confession to make. I fantasize about bringing the perfect potluck barbecue dish to the party. Maybe you know what I mean. The perfect barbecue potluck food is elusive, and has to have all of the following qualities.
- It's unique. Nobody else brought this to the potluck before. When you tell your friends what it is that you'll be making, their eyes light up like you are about to do a magic trick.
- It's pretty. People oooh and ahh over the appearance of it.
- It's fun to prepare. A truly great recipe puts on a bit of a show as you prepare it.
- It's delicious. News of its deliciousness spreads through the party like a virus and people go back for seconds before they've eaten anything else on their plate. You leave the party empty-handed and victorious, feeling a bit sorry for the people packing up half-full tubs of potato salad, asking around if anyone wants to take some home.
I found three recipes (one appetizer, one main dish, and one dessert) that all have the potential to be exactly what you need for your Memorial Day barbecue. Click on each to check out the full recipe.
Appetizer: Grilled Mozzerella: This recipe is like grilled cheese for grown-ups. I don't know why we don't do more grilling of cheeses on backyard grills. The flavor and smell are amazing.
Main Course: Beer Can Chicken: This one's been around for a while, but preparing a chicken by basically stuffing it with a beer can and grilling it is always a hit a a barbecue. It feels a bit dangerous, like maybe there's a chance the chicken will become some kind of backyard rocket. That almost never happens though, so don't worry.
Dessert: Cupcakes Grilled in Oranges: This one's my favorite! Preparing cupcakes on the grill using hollowed-out orange skins instead of cupcake papers gives the cake extra moisture and a nice orangey flavor.
Good luck! And I'd love to hear your BBQ Superstar recipe ideas in the comments!
-Brigitte
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Comments
Eric Jaffa Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Regarding the chicken, aren't you a vegetarian?
Danielle Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I also love the cupcakes and grilled oranges recipe! Creative people who come up with these things are fantastic :) unfortunately (fortunately?) my own Memorial Day bbq usually falls on my day of birth so my favorite people cook for me. I'll pass this on ;)
danielleabroad.com
Joe436 Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I like the simple things. Memorial Day BBQ needs to have cheeseburger, hot dogs and buffalo wings. But the beer can chicken sounds interesting.
romeo Monday, May 31, 2010
bring flavored vegetarian egg rolls or chutney latkes -it can serve a small army and is a very delicious appetizer