BBQs!

JennyQ1985

I'm hosting Mother's Day and hopefully the weather allows us to grill.  

So far I'm thinking: beef & chicken kabobs, burgers & corn on the cob.

I'll probably have a veggie platter and some fruit & cheese kabobs

I am looking for some new ideas besides the usual artichoke, taco dip, chili or french onion dips I make for appetizers. And for sides - something besides potato salad, pasta salad or baked beans.

So what do you make for your BBQs?

6fsn

hamburgers seem a little odd with beef kabobs.  How about some shrimp instead.  Easy for the grill- use an aluminum pan and treat it like a sautee/scampi. 

For sides I assume the kabobs will have veggies so maybe a tossed salad or twists on the classic- chinese coleslaw, orzo salad or pasta salad skewers, for my beans I do 3 cans regular beans and one can of whole cranberries, or a multiple bean salad.  I also make pakets of veggies- potatoes, oniond, whatever is in the garden, toss in some olive oil and seasoning and grill.

JennyQ1985

6fsn:

hamburgers seem a little odd with beef kabobs.  How about some shrimp instead.  Easy for the grill- use an aluminum pan and treat it like a sautee/scampi. 

For sides I assume the kabobs will have veggies so maybe a tossed salad or twists on the classic- chinese coleslaw, orzo salad or pasta salad skewers, for my beans I do 3 cans regular beans and one can of whole cranberries, or a multiple bean salad.  I also make pakets of veggies- potatoes, oniond, whatever is in the garden, toss in some olive oil and seasoning and grill.

I know but my Nana is really weird with stuff she likes off a grill, so the hamburgers are for her and whoever else wants.

Thanks for the recs!

6fsn

FTR- I can type and spell.  My kid is snoozing on me and I'm one handed.

kimnelson09

A BBQ here means pulled pork and BBQ sauce, so we do things like coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, etc. 

For what you've described (a cookout), anything goes.  Maybe some form of a couscous salad to tie in with the kabobs or sweet potato fries with the burgers.  This zucchini salad is amazing and would put some vegetables in your menu.

Warm Summer Squash Salad

As far as appetizers, I don't normally recommend tomatoes until the summer months, but you might be able to find a decent one by late May.  These are always runaway hits and are perfect for a cookout.

Tomato Concasse with Creme Fraiche and Chives

To cut down on cost or if you can't find it in stores, you can make your own creme fraiche. 

How-to

cwheels82

At cookouts I like to make sweet potatoes right on the grill.  Pop them in a microwave to soften them up and then slice them into thin, round slices.  I brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle on some sea salt and maybe another spice like rosemary.  They are always a hit at cookouts!

Also, another app at cookouts we like to do is different sausages.   We grill a few and then slice them up and put them out with toothpicks.  You could find some different chicken sausage flavors that might be fun.

kelly-sean

we like to grill asparagus that has been tossed in balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with kosher salt.  i also found a really good recipe awhile ago on cookscountry.com for grilled red potatoes that has you infuse the olive oil with garlic and rosemary and toss the partially cooked red potatoes in the flavored oil before BBQ-ing.

TeamRey

JennyQ1985:

6fsn:

hamburgers seem a little odd with beef kabobs.  How about some shrimp instead.  Easy for the grill- use an aluminum pan and treat it like a sautee/scampi. 

For sides I assume the kabobs will have veggies so maybe a tossed salad or twists on the classic- chinese coleslaw, orzo salad or pasta salad skewers, for my beans I do 3 cans regular beans and one can of whole cranberries, or a multiple bean salad.  I also make pakets of veggies- potatoes, oniond, whatever is in the garden, toss in some olive oil and seasoning and grill.

I know but my Nana is really weird with stuff she likes off a grill, so the hamburgers are for her and whoever else wants.

Thanks for the recs!

I don't find the combo weird.