BBQ Eats & Essentials

When summer arrives in Montreal (finally.) there is nothing better than having a bunch of friends over for a backyard BBQ.

Coming up with a menu that will please everyone could be stressful. And considering the weather is finally beautiful, you want recipes and ideas that are quick and easy to prepare (so that you could veg by the pool all day!).

First thing you need to know: I am not a chef. Nor have I ever taken any cooking classes. But I love experimenting with ingredients and trying new recipes. A lot of ideas are ones that were inspired by Pinterest, fellow bloggers, friends, family, and Foodgawker (my favourite pastime). So I can’t take full credit here.

Next time you’re throwing a BBQ, don’t even give it a second thought- here’s your menu:

Drink options
–Sangria: A must at any outdoor BBQ. It doesn’t feel like summer until you’re holding a glass of sangria by a pool. The trick here is to make it in advance so that the wine gets infused with whatever fruit you choose. Green apples, lychees, limes, lemons, and oranges work well. Citrus is always a good idea with sangria. Add some triple sec, white cranberry juice, and club soda for some flavour and fizz. Just taste as you go along to make sure the ratio’s good! In my eyes, the more fruit, the better!

White Wine Sangria

–Pink lemonade beer: Girls rejoice!  I found a way for us to actually enjoy our beer. I wouldn’t consider this much of a recipe, but it was just too good not to share. Store bought pink lemonade + beer + sliced strawberries + sliced lemons = refreshing and super pretty beer to impress your guests! (Again, I didn’t use any specific measurements here- just poured and tasted until it was right.)

Pink Lemonade Beer

–Beer bucket: A necessity. Fill an ice bucket with ice and make sure its stocked with a good selection of beers, so that everyone’s happy. 🙂

–Iced tea: Always a refreshing choice and so easy to make from scratch. Boil water, use about 4 tea bags of your choice if you’re making quantity (and depending on how strong you like it). I find black tea is best, but you could go with green, or whatever you prefer! Don’t oversteep- it will start to taste bitter. You’re better off using more tea bags and steeping for less time. To sweeten, use sugar while the water is still hot so that it dissolves (or make a simple syrup if you would prefer to add sweetener later on). Don’t refrigerate right away! I’ve made this mistake and the tea gets cloudy. Let it cool first, then refrigerate, and you’re good to go!

Food options
–Watermelon, feta, and mint salad: This embodies summer. Serve as a salad, or as little stacks using toothpicks to hold them together

-Grilled corn with a homemade compound butter: garlic compound butter is one option, but add herbs and spices to make it colourful and fresh.

–Sweet potato fries with sriracha mayo dipping sauce: honestly, go with the store bought fries…good shortcut and you could easily find ones with no additives (just add some sea salt and paprika)

–Burgers with gourmet toppings: We went with bacon, caramelized onions, mushrooms, brie cheese, grilled pineapple, and avocado- you could also serve arugula, fried eggs, onion rings, etc. With burgers, anything goes.

–Hot dogs: My weakness, so make sure to have some ready if I’m invited.

Dessert options
–Home made ice cream sandwiches: you can either pre-make these and individually wrap and freeze them, or have an ice cream sandwich bar! Bake 2-3 types of cookies (shortcut: buy the cookie dough pre-made to save time). Buy a couple of different ice cream flavours (go with unique flavours that pair well with the cookie dough), or make your own if you’re Martha Stewart! Let people choose their combos and assemble their own sandwiches!

–S’mores on a stick: skewer some marshmallows onto wooden sticks, melt chocolate, dip marshmallows into chocolate, and roll in crushed graham crackers (I bought these pre-crushed)- do this in advance and refrigerate so they set!

–Key lime pie or Strawberry short cake: Essential summer desserts.

Other ideas
-Grilled peaches topped with goat cheese crumbled walnuts and drizzled with honey
-Bruschetta
-Layered dip (made with guac, salsa, sour cream, bean dip, and cheese) with corn chips
-Grilled corn salad with coriander, black beans, and tomatoes (instead of serving it on the cob)

What will you serve at your BBQ? I love new and creative ideas so share below!

Mind, Taste, Lifestyle.