Ideas for a Memorial Day Feast

Tweren't nothin' cookin' in JBug's kitchen last night as Big Guy and moi were guests at the Fellows' Ranch in Sonoita, a ranching town about an hour south of us. Fred and his beautiful wife Deborah (Copenhaver) are both amazing artists as you'll see when you check them out on the web here. To say we are honored to be included in their circle of friends is putting it mildly and we enjoyed our evening tremendously.  

Looking at the calendar this morning, I was rather shocked to see the first long weekend of summer's coming up and I don't know about you, but I've barely thought about what to cook to celebrate. Traditionally the "grillin'" weekend, here's a few ideas from our kitchen.

Skirt Steak's a perfect choice for the grill as it takes very well to being marinated - whether in a wet marinade or a dry rub since as a cousin to flank steak, it can be rather chewy if it isn't treated just right. Try it with a chimichurri sauce for a little somethin' special like this recipe from Cooking Light magazine. We loved the fresh flavor never mind the almost instant gratification as it takes almost no time on the grill.  

Of course no holiday weekend would be quite right in our house without a burger. Goodness knows we've posted enough of them here, but my personal favorites are these Bacon and Blue Cheese burgers we had a while ago -  a recipe adapted from the Canadian Living Rush Hour Cookbook. 

Of course that said, I'm not sure there's such a thing as a bad burger do you? Try these Chipotle and Green Chili Burgers, or try a Six Sided Burger like these. Tired of beef? Don't forget there's always chicken or turkey too. Turn it up a notch by adding some cheese sauce to your chicken burger and you can call it a Hot Brown burger like we did here. 

If you're thinking burgers be darned - what about a Sonoran Hot Dog. Wrapped in bacon and topped with grilled jalapenos or fresh salsa, there's not much better according to Big Guy, unless maybe you pile it all with a huge spoonful of chili.

Speaking of Big Guy, try making his special meatloaf on the barbecue and I'm thinking you'll be bowled over by the flavor, never mind the kudos coming atcha'. He's rather famous for barbecued meatloaf particularly during horse racing season in Grant's Pass, Oregon.

Of course no grillin' weekend would be quite complete without a batch of the infamous musical fruit. Try a pot of Calico Beans and see 'em smile, or there's always Bacon Maple Cheater Beans too. Open a couple of cans, chop up some bacon, add spices and Bob's your uncle. 

Are you looking for a new fangled special kind of potato salad to blow everybody's socks off?  Try a creamy roasted potato salad with fresh herbs, or for something really different, make a sweet potato salad chock full of island flavors.

Whatever you decide, remember to do some pre-planning so you can enjoy the party too!

A year ago - Moroccan Shepherd's Pie

Two year's ago - Spring Vegetable Ragout with Dill

Comments

[Lea]

What a beautiful collection of culinary delights! You and the Big Guy have grilled some lovely dishes over the past few years! I think we are going geocaching - my new hobby! I got a handheld GPS for Mother's Day this year - my choice of course - but I think we will try to find some tasty BBQ on the road!

[Lea]

Oh, and I checked out your friend's website - WOWSA - what incredible artists!

[June]

Lea - you're absolutely right, we've grilled great grub and plan on doing more over the weekend. Geocaching is such fun and as for BBQ on the road - sounds like a great plan. Wish we could join you.
So glad you checked out Deborah and Fred's web site. They are amazing people - so warm, gracious, modest and humble. Talk about salt of the earth! Bet you can tell we don't like 'em much, huh. LOL

[Lorraine]

We just did a taste comparison of skirt steak and flank steak with chimichurri sauce, and the skirt steak won hands down. What a line up of great grub for the long weekend. It isn't raining right now so bbq for us tonight.

[June]

Lorraine - Five weeks today we'll be rolling in! In fact, I figure 5 weeks about now we'll be walking the dogs along the Klamath River at our favorite rest stop. I always cry when we roll in there, it's so beautiful! I CAN'T WAIT!