Have a Memorable Barbecue with These Great Side Dishes

Meat alone does not make a great barbecue; side dishes make the meal as well. But trying to come up with different side dishes can often draw a blank in many people's minds. We all want something to perk up our taste buds. I can't tell you how many times I've had a boring, bland salad, a salad that did not have anything in it. I'm sorry, but I do need more than just lettuce and tomato, maybe a few bits of onion thrown in, or just a plain potato salad with no flavor.

I would like to share some of my own side dishes with you.

Bonny's deluxe Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad is my all time favorite, it is a comfort food for me.

1 pound of macaroni ( cooked till el dente ), soggy macaroni will ruin the taste and flavor.
Sliced cherry tomato's
1 cucumber chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 red and green pepper chopped
1 can small black olives
celery ribs chopped
7 eggs boiled and chopped fine
1 can tuna fish or shrimp
Cook the macaroni til al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Mix the macaroni with mayonnaise, then add the rest of the ingredients, add enough mayonnaise to taste, depending on how you like the texture of the salad, remember mayonnaise absorbs into the macaroni when it is refrigerated, if the salad is dry, you can add more mayonnaise, but don't wait to long after it is made to do this, check at least in 2 hours. Macaroni salad is best when served very chilled.

Bonny's Pasta Salad

One of my favorite salad's

1 pound Tri colored pasta
Cherry tomato's, whole
1 cucumber sliced
1 red and green pepper sliced
1 red onion sliced
broccoli & cauliflower chopped
1 can mushrooms, stems & pieces drained
1 can small black olives
1/2 pound deli ham, cotta salami & turkey, sliced into strips
Cheese of your choice, I like mozzarella, provolone and sharp, which I add all 3 to my salad
Italian dressing, again a brand you like, I prefer Hellman's or Kraft Robusto
A bed of lettuce

Cook pasta till AL dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss all ingredients with pasta and dressing. Serve over a bed of lettuce.

Chicken & Mandarin orange salad

This is a really nice refreshing crisp salad for summer, you can even have it as a main meal.

Boneless Chicken breast ( whatever amount you need )
1 bag Dole classic salad mix ( any type )
1 can Mandarin oranges ( drained )
Salad Dressing, that is up to taste. I like Italian, Basaltic dressings & vinegrets
You can add any additional veggie or cheese that you may desire.
You can use leftover chicken if you have it, if not just saute seasoned chicken in a frying pan, let cool a bit before cutting the meat up. It is best if yo can chill the chicken before hand, you will get the most flavor this way. Then just toss all the ingredients toghter with salad dressing.

Bonny's Baked Potato's

I like to prepare my potato's ahead of time, as it will save time on the grill, and potato's take a long time to cook.
Wash all the potato's that you will need.
Slice potato in half, rub each side with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder & chives, wrap securely in aluminum foil, bake in a 350 oven for 1/2 hour, let cool, refrigerate, remove from the fridge a while before placing on the grill. Cook along with the meat, it won't take long for them to be done and turn as needed.

Grilled Corn

There is nothing really special here, but if you have not thought about cooking corn on the grill before, you might want to reconsider, as the flavor is just so tasty. Just husk the corn , boil it in hot water, remove from water,butter, salt & pepper the corn, wrap in foil. you can store the corn in the fridge overnight if needed, then place on a hot grill, turning frequently, till done.

Summer Squash with Zucchini

1 or 2 good sized squash
1 or 2 good sized zucchini
Cherry tomato's, sliced
Red & green peppers sliced
1 onion sliced
minced garlic
Salt & pepper
Dry Italian seasonings
Toss all ingredients in a bowl with dry Italian seasoning mix, and olive oil, wrap securely in aluminum foil, plave on a hot grill, turning often, til done. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese ( Optional )

BBQ Pierogies
This is a really simple, yet tasty side dish.

Pierogies ( as many as you will need )
olive oil
Lipton Onion recipe secrets

Thaw pierogies, mix with olive oil & Lipton recipe secrets, mix in a bowl, wrap in aluminum foil, place on grill, turning often till done . You can use salsa or sour cream as a condiment if you like.

Barbecue Roasted Potato's w/ onion soup mix
All you need for this easy recipe is small red potato's , olive oil and onion soup mix.

Choose the amount of potato's that you need, wash potato's, leave the skins on, cut and chop into bite size chunks.In a bowl place potato's and add olive oil bowl and toss, add the onion soup mix & some salt & pepper, toss again. Wrap in aluminum foil and seal. Place on the grill til done. You can also top with sour cream if desired.

So here you have a few idea's to perk up a wonderful BBQ. I hope you enjoy trying them.