Summer's Here... bring on the favorites.

I'm more than ready to enter "summer mode".  I plan to sleep in (because I can now), stay up late(r) than usual, and really enjoy all those summer holidays this year.  Last year was a blur because three of my six children were getting married - and I felt a little discombobulated by Christmas.  There's just one more thing on the horizon right now (my last son's graduation next week) - and then just you watch me be lazy (Ha!)


The Memorial Day holiday wakes up my summer food cravings.  I love new recipes, but for this holiday I want to stick with old favorites for our BBQ.  And most of these really aren't "recipes" at all - just the way I have done things for a long time now.


Maybe one of these might fit into your Memorial Day menu plan...

(Everybody's Mom's) Classic Utah Potato Salad.  This is probably similar to your mother's recipe.  It's always a favorite at a BBQ.  Nothing strange, just plain old UTAH potato salad.  Wherever I take this I hear the comment..."This is JUST like the salad my Mom used to make."

Crunchy Sweet Pickles (converted) - just like the sweet "gherkins" your grandma used to make.  The ones that are (at the same time) tangy, tart, super-sweet, and with a satisfying crunch that leaves you looking for the bottle and a fork...  This little 'recipe' will bewilder you - leaving you thinking "How can this be so easy?"  All you need is a big bottle of dill pickles to start...

Watermelon is just starting to show up in the grocery stores, and cantaloupe is showing up too.  I've been cutting mine up this way for several years now, and I'm always asked how I do it.  The three rules of successful cooking are: presentation, presentation, presentation.  Just a little more time and forethought can pay off when you need a beautiful tray of melon.  For brush-up tutorials, check out:  Watermelon Wedges 101, and Cantaloupe "Peel & Cut" 101.

Summer salads add the final touch to a great BBQ.  This is one of my favorites.  The combination of the unusual creamy raspberry dressing, the colorful fruit, crunchy toasted almonds, and the tender hearts of romaine will make you forget all about those burgers on the grill.  Check out the recipe for Summer Salad with Creamy Raspberry Dressing.


Enjoy the official start of summer - Memorial Day.