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For this post, I thought I’d throw together a roundup of several of my recipes, any of which would be great items to share at a Memorial Day get-together or pot luck. While I’m at it, I’ll tell you about a website where you can find MORE great recipes: a site called Yummly. 

A Word About Memorial Day:

Memorial Day, in truth, is a day where we honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. So please take some time to do that, by all means! Our freedom *isn’t* free. It came at great cost. 

Practically speaking, many of us also think of Memorial Day as the unofficial kickoff for summer. It IS the 3 day weekend, after all, when summer rates kick in on that condo we’d like to rent at the beach. Gas prices will spike. Interstate highways, from a bird’s-eye view, will look like the country’s ant population is converging on several beach picnics.

It’s the time when summer fruits and veggies are beginning to show up in our markets, thanks to industrious farmers in climates that are even warmer than mine own, here in the great state of Tennessee. (Susan winks and blows kisses to the fine farming families of Florida and California.) So, it’s a perfect time to make some of those summer dishes we’ve missed all winter. 
Whatever your plans for a get-together, whether it’s a full-fledged beach vacation, or a picnic, barbecue, or potluck, I sure hope they involve sharing GREAT food, with those you love. So here are some tried and true recipes for your consideration, should you decide to throw something different into the mix. On to the 

Memorial Day Recipes

Appetizer: 

Wait. IS it REALLY an appetizer??? Or is it a side dish? Or is it a fruit salad? Or is it a dessert?
Who cares? It’s delicious.
It’s called Watermelon Mojito Wedges, and it will disappear, quickly – as all your friends keep reaching back for one more. And then, just one more, after that.

 

Main Dishes: 

I’m thinking grilling, aren’t you? For me, come Memorial Day, my mind tends to go toward Smoked Boston Butt/Pulled Pork, because my husband makes the VERY BEST barbecue pulled pork I’ve ever had. We call what we do with his pulled pork, Red Neck Tacos, because we serve his pulled pork on tortillas, with coleslaw. But, hey, I’m open to grilling ribs, as well. We use my “Slap Yo’ Mama Butt Rub” on either of those. I don’t have a recipe – YET – for precisely HOW my dear husband smokes his butt, but putting that up on the blog is on my “to do” list, this year. In the meantime, I can share my favorite rib recipe with you. I’ll also share a chicken options you could do indoors, if bad weather is coming your way. And, because I’m feeling inclusive, I’ll throw in a vegetarian option you can grill as well. 

Here’s a recipe for the rub that has almost made me famous, Slap Yo’ Mama Butt Rubb.

And a recipe for some ribs that are crazy delicious, Grilled Ribs with Bodacious Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

In case of rain, you can do this recipe inside if you like. Or do it outside, on a vertical roaster over the grill! It will be great that way as well. This recipe contains a couple of bonus recipes: a cool, refreshing cucumber and avocado salad to serve on the side, and a creamy, spicy green sauce. Both of them are to die for. This is my favorite way to eat chicken: hands down! Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce.

And for my vegetarian offering, this sandwich takes a bit of work, but what a delicious payoff! It’s a Grilled Eggplant, Red Pepper and Fresh Mozzarella on Ciabatta Sandwich.

Side Dishes:

Let’s say you’ve been invited to a potluck, but aren’t sure what to bring. I have several outstanding offerings for your perusal. Keep in mind what’s looking beautiful at your local grocery store: starting with what looks fresh and best in the produce department or farmer’s market where you shop will almost never steer you wrong. 

If you can already lay your hands on deliciously sweet corn on the cob, make this next recipe. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll be making Esquites (Mexican Street Corn) all summer long! 

This is my favorite side to serve with ribs. Words cannot express how much I love this next side dish. It’s got it all. Warm Grilled Potato Salad with Kalamata Olives and Parmigiano-Reggiano

 

I haven’t made this next one in several years, but my recollection is that it was amazing how delicious it was. It came from the Pioneer Woman, originally, and she did not steer me wrong. It’s a Spicy Pasta Salad with Smoked Gouda, Tomatoes and Basil. 

And if you’re still stumped, or if starch ain’t your thang, you can always resort to The Salad to Bring When They Ask You to Bring a Salad. 

Desserts:

There’s really not one bad dessert recipe on this entire blog. It’s like choosing from amongst my children, choosing favorites here! 

But I tried to pick a few that speak to me of summer. Some are easier than others, let’s face it. Pie isn’t “easy”, but you’ll be hard pressed to NOT be the belle (or beau) of the ball if you bring a pie. On the other hand, there is NOTHING wrong with ice cream, and homemade ice cream is easy: it just takes a little time to freeze. I’ll throw in the Blueberry Crisp recipe because NOTHING IS EASIER. (Or more delish, for that matter. And you can crown that with store bought OR homemade ice cream, and then you’ll kind of have something close to pie WITH ice cream. And that’s pretty much Nirvana. 

I’ve won a bunch of pie contests with this recipe. In fact the number of contests I’ve won grows every time I tell the story! Peach Pie is a showstopper of a dessert, if you can lay your hands on some ripe, flavorful peaches. 

I’m pretty dang famous for this Blue Ribbon Apple Pie, having done demos of it at the Green Hills Williams-Sonoma, and the Nashville Home Show. 

How about a little bourbon with your peaches, ice cream, and buttered pecans? It is NOT too much to ask, and you will never regret! Homemade Bourbon Peach Ice Cream with Buttered Pecans. 

Or, if you like your ice cream a little more pure, I have some of the heavenly variety: Homemade Heavenly Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Here’s the easy one y’all been waiting for: Easy Blueberry Crisp. 

What is this Yummly thing of which you speak?

Even though I’ve not mentioned it before, I’m a publisher, over on Yummly. Yummly is a food platform/website that is used by 25 MILLION cooks. They are, in fact, the #1 recipe app, with over 2 MILLION recipes! So, yeah, they’ve been around for a while and are doing QUITE well, thank you! Their mission is to be the smartest, most helpful food platform in existence. You can use the YUM button you’ll find at the bottom of each of my posts, to add that recipe to your own personal recipe box. Here’s a link to my publisher page, so you can find, and “yum” any of my recipes that you’d like! I actually hope you WILL yum my recipes on Yummly, because more “yums” = more eyes that get to see my recipes, and that equals more traffic to my website! So, it’s a huge win for me, too. 

One of the things that I really love about Yummly, is that if you have any special dietary needs, or allergies, as so many of my readers do, you can enter that information into your Yummly profile, and then Yummly will help you find recipes you CAN use! It’s definitely worth your time and consideration. 

Writing this post has made me feel kind of proud of my body of work, because I know that each and every one of these recipes is a show stopper! It’s also made me ravenously hungry. I need someone to come fix a few of these for ME, for dinner tonight! I would love it if you would Yum these recipes, or find another way of sharing all the yummy possibilities with your friends: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Yummly, Flipboard…whatever it takes!!!

And tell me, if you’ve a mind to, which of these masterpieces are you thinking about trying? Is there one you’ve already tried?