Summer Recipes
Category: Recipes

Summer Recipes for a Backyard Barbecue Bash

Our readers submitted their favorite dishes for backyard summer entertaining.

Fire up the grill, roll out the red gingham tablecloth, and head out back! Summer is here, and with that comes the time-honored tradition of the backyard barbecue. We’ve asked our readers to share their favorite summer barbecue recipes that keep family, friends, and neighbors coming back for more. From a Cajun take on burgers to a twist on strawberry ice cream, these recipes are full of personality, great for sharing, and sure to please everybody on the block! Do you have a good recipe to share? Send it our way! 

Easy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Teresa Nelson

Ingredients:
  • 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 packages of frozen strawberries
  • 1 2-liter bottle of strawberry soda

Put sweetened condensed milk and strawberries in ice cream maker and add strawberry soda to the machine’s fill-line.  Freeze mixture according to ice cream maker operating instructions.


Buried Treasure

Paula Jackson

Ingredients:

  • 1 large package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 container of whipped topping
  • 1 small can sweetened condensed milk
  • 4-5 bananas, sliced
  • 1 large can strawberry pie filling
  • 1 pack of coconut macaroon cookies

Make the pudding by following directions on the pudding mix.  Fold in the whipped topping and the sweetened condensed milk.
In a trifle bowl, layer the ingredients as follows: a layer of pudding mixture, a layer of sliced bananas, a large spoonful of strawberry pie filling, and a layer of coconut macaroons.
Continue layering, topping the dish with a layer of the pudding mix. Chill for at least an hour.


Veggie Pasta Salad

Katy Killion

Ingredients:
  • 1 can whole kernel corn, drained (or approximately 1 cup of fresh or frozen and thawed corn kernels)
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
  • ½ of an orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • ¼ of a red onion, diced
  • ½ of a cucumber, seeded and chopped
  • 8 ounces bow tie pasta, cooked per the package directions and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and seasonings.  Toss together all vegetables and pasta.  Pour dressing mixture over vegetable mixture and toss.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.


Pineapple Pudding

Angela Mitchell-Harris

Ingredients:
  • 1 large box of vanilla wafer cookies
  • 1 box of vanilla pudding
  • 1 can of sweet condensed milk
  • 1 large container of whipped cream
  • 1 can of crushed pineapples

Mix together one box of pudding and can of sweet condensed milk.
In a large bowl, layer the ingredients as follows: vanilla wafer cookies, pudding mixture, whipped cream, and pineapples. Then add layers of vanilla wafer cookies, pudding mixture, pineapples, and top with whipped cream.
Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and enjoy!


BBQ Appetizer

Paula Baris

Ingredients:
  • meatballs – premade frozen bag
  • maple syrup
  • 1 12 ounce can of Coke®
  • barbecue sauce

Place meatballs in slow cooker, add enough maple syrup to cover the tops of the meatballs. Add full can of Coke® and barbecue sauce to your liking.
Let simmer in slow cooker for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes from bottom to top.
(Tip: Use the extra sauce after meatballs are eaten to baste chicken or ribs for the grill. Yum!)


Lemonade

Amy Nichols

Ingredients:
  • 8 lemons
  • 1 orange
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • ice
  • water

Fill gallon pitcher ½ full of ice. Boil 2 cups water.
Add sugar and pinch of salt to boiling water.
Once completely dissolved, pour over ice.
Juice the lemons and orange and add to pitcher of water and ice.
Fill the pitcher with cold water.
Grab a cup and enjoy!


Chocolate Pie

Debbie Hudson

Ingredients:
  • 6 count package of Hershey’s® Chocolate bars with almonds (regular size bars)
  • 8 ounce container of whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 chocolate pie shell

Break candy bars into pieces, and melt in microwave (Be careful not to burn chocolate; I usually use a glass dish, microwaving for 30 seconds, stirring, then microwaving 30 seconds more)
Stir whipped topping into chocolate. (If not mixing well, microwave the chocolate a bit longer).
Place mixture in pie shell.
Refrigerate a couple of hours (overnight is best).


Low Carb Breakfast Egg Muffins

Keilah Smith

Ingredients:
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheese
  • Salt and pepper

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Pour mixture into muffin pan, filling six of the holes.
Sprinkle cheese over mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit .
Makes 6 delicious low carb muffins, perfect for breakfast on the run!


Blazin’ Cajun Shrimp Burgers

Byron Dixon

Makes at least 12 burgers

Ingredients:
  • 3 pounds of ground beef
  • 1 pound of deveined, medium-sized shrimp
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 packet of onion soup mix
  • 1 bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce®
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper if you desire a little more kick
  • 1 can of bread crumbs (to taste, depending on how thick you would like your burgers)
  • 2 eggs

ice bell peppers.
Cut shrimp in half or keep them whole.
Mix all ingredients very well.
Use ice cream scoop for portions. (I usually do two scoops, due to the shrimp. Sometimes they will fall out if burgers are not thick enough.)
Grill or cook in a non-stick pan. (If grilling, use a mat, because burgers tend to fall apart.)


Roast Beef Sandwiches

Gina Work

Ingredients:
  • 1 chuck roast
  • 1 package ranch dressing mix
  • 1 package brown gravy mix
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 3 pepperoncini peppers

Put all ingredients in slow cooker on low.  Cook about 8 hours.  Do not add water.  We serve this on hoagie buns with mozzarella cheese.


Salsa

Dana Whitt

Ingredients:
  • 3 cans petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • juice of 1 lime
  • chopped pickled jalapeno pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve with favorite chips.  It is also great on grilled chicken, eggs, or tacos.


Lemon Glazed Cookies

Patricia Donovan

Ingredients:
Cookie:
  • 1 box lemon cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (adding until desired consistency)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix all of the ingredients for the cookie together in one bowl. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Spray your cookie sheet and your hands/spoon with cooking spray.
Place scoops of dough on cookie sheet (pressing them down a little, but the cookies will spread out as well).
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown, but they still look soft.
While the cookies cool, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until the consistency is good for dipping. If mixture is too think, just add a little more powdered sugar. If you want a less tart glaze, you can do half lemon juice, half milk.
Once the cookies are cool, dip the tops in the glaze and put on a cooling rack, allowing excess glaze to drip off. Once the tops of the cookies harden, they can be stacked. Do not stack if they will be in a higher temperature area.


Grilled Salad

Danesha Spearman

Ingredients:
  • zuchinni
  • yellow Squash, sliced lengthwise
  • onions
  • peppers
  • mushrooms

While the grill is hot, slice desired amount of vegetables into long slices approximately one inch thick.
Grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until vegetables are slightly softened.
Remove vegetables from grill, and while vegetables are still hot, slice into bite-sized pieces.
Toss with your favorite Italian dressing or vinaigrette. Add cheese if desired.


Smothered Tilapia

Heather Marts

Ingredients:
  • 4 frozen tilapia filets
  • lemon juice
  • McCormick’s Steak Seasoning®
  • 4 large slices of Swiss cheese
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • oregano

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rinse frozen filets with cold water and place on baking sheet.
Lightly cover the fish filets with lemon juice.
Sprinkle the steak seasoning over each filet.
Cover each filet with Swiss cheese.  Slice the tomatoes and place two slices of tomatoes on top of the cheese on each filet.
Finish with a sprinkle of oregano.
Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until tilapia is flaky.


Cherry Salad

Trina Smith

Ingredients:
  • 1 can cherry pie filing
  • 1 large whipped topping
  • 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Mix together all ingredients.
Let the mixture rest for a couple of hours and enjoy.


Chicketti

Angelina Kraayenbrink

Ingredients:
  • 1 box of spaghetti
  • 1 can of chopped olives
  • 4-5 stalks of celery
  • 1 whole chicken boiled
  • 1 white onion
  • Dash of garlic
  • Dash of salt
  • Dash of pepper

Boil the chicken.
In separate pot, boil the spaghetti noodles.

Once the chicken Is cooked, shred the chicken and place in separate bowl. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and garlic on the shredded chicken.
Chop up the celery and add to the shredded chicken.
Add the chopped olives to the shredded chicken.
Chop up onion and add to shredded chicken.
Drain noodles when complete.

Stir all the ingredients into the noodles. Serve up on plate.


Bean Bacon Slaw

Gloria Coats

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup kidney beans, drained
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage (not chopped)
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons parsley
  • 12 strips fried bacon – crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Combine ingredients. Chill to allow flavors to blend. Best served with roasted or grilled meat.

 

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