Memorial Day Barbeque Recipes & Menu

Mmmmm...Memorial Day! It is the holiday that commemorates those men and women who died while honorably serving their country in the military, and also marks the beginning of the summer season. People around the nation celebrate the holiday in a multitude of ways ranging from visiting cemeteries and memorials, flying flags at half mast, attending the Indy 500, or probably one of the most prevalent, attending a family picnic and having a BBQ. Memorial Day is the unofficial start to Barbeque season!

It is the time to dust off the grill, unpack the grilling tools, and fire up those coals!

The following menu is a traditional offering at our family's Memorial Day BBQ. The recipes include delicious BBQ Ribs, Homemade Potato Salad, Barbeque Beans, Fresh Cold Fruit Salad, and a delicious Strawberry Shortcake Dessert. Enjoy!

BBQ Ribs with Homemade Barbeque Sauce

2 Full racks of ribs, preferably baby-backs

Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Sauce -

1 8oz can of crushed tomatoes or 1 cup of ketchup

5 Tbsp of brown sugar

1 Tbsp of cider vinegar

4 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce

3 Tbsp of Lemon Juice

1 tsp of dry mustard

2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed

Salt and Pepper

1 Tbsp of Chili Sauce (or more or less, depending on your taste)

To ensure that the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, place the ribs on a large baking pan lined with foil (easy clean up). Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Cover with another piece of foil, sealing all edges. Place in a 300 degree oven for 3-4 hours, or until fork tender. In a saucepan, place all ingredients for BBQ sauce. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 45 minutes. Heat either charcoal or gas grill. When the grill is hot, spread sauce on meaty side of ribs. Place onto hot grates for 5-10 minutes, be sure not to burn. Spread sauce on second side, flip ribs, and slather sauce on meaty side again. After 5-10 more minutes, remove ribs and serve.

Homemade Potato Salad

5-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

½ medium onion chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

½ lb of bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp

½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp of celery seed

½ - 1 cup of Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Italian dressing

1 Tbsp Favorite mustard

2-3 eggs hard boiled

Place potato cubes in enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and cook about 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Let potatoes cool. In a large bowl add potatoes, onions, celery, bacon, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Stir. Add Miracle Whip, Italian dressing, and mustard. Stir well. Last, add eggs and stir very lightly. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Best if refrigerated overnight.

Barbeque Baked Beans

2 cans of pork n beans

2 slices of bacon, chopped

½ onion chopped

2 Tbsp BBQ sauce (recipe above works wonderfully)

½ cup brown sugar

3 slices of bacon

Combine all ingredients, except for full slices of bacon, in either an oven safe pan or a cast iron pan. Lay full slices of bacon on top. If cast iron pan, cooks beautifully on grill with lid closed. Takes about 30-45 minutes. If in regular baking pan, put in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Fresh Cold Fruit Salad

½ Watermelon

½ Cantaloupe

½ Honeydew

2 cups of Grapes

1 Pineapple

1 pint of Strawberries

2 Apples

1 Lemon

6 fresh mint leaves

Cut all fruit into similar size pieces. Add all to a bowl and juice lemon over them all. Add chopped mint leaves. Toss and refrigerate.

Strawberry & Pound Cake Parfaits

This recipe is a favorite with my two young girls and oh so simple.

1 pint of Strawberries, cut into slices

1-2 Tbsp sugar

1 butter pound cake

1 8oz tub of whipped topping

Best if prepared 4-6 hours in advance, especially be sure to slice the strawberries at least 2 hours in advance to make sure they have time to create some juice. Place sliced strawberries in a bowl with a lid and add 1-2 Tbsp of sugar, depending on taste. Place in the refrigerator. Cube the pound cake into 1 inch cubes, or smaller. Use parfait glasses for prettiest presentation. Place pound cake in bottom, layer strawberries on top, be sure to also add some of the sauce from the strawberries, and then whipped topping. Repeat layers until you reach the top of the glass, ending with a whipped topping layer. Garnish with a fresh mint leaf.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone! Enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day