I love barbecue parties. Combining friends, food and the outdoors, they are quite possibly my favourite summer time activity. But by the time July rolls around, the same hamburgers, hot dogs and the occasional sausage with nothing to jazz them up but ketchup, mustard and relish start to feel a bit boring. As a host, it becomes difficult to plan a menu that will surprise and excite your friends and as a guest it becomes difficult to find new ways to compliment the same meal. The best way I have found to get around this barbecue party stimulation degradation is to prepare miniature versions of the classic fare and offer a vast array of novel, unusual or exotic toppings. This ensures that everyone can try out a few different combinations of new condiments. Continue reading
Hamburgers
Cottage Country Menu Planning II
This year we’ve got a professional chef coming with us on the annual summer cottage trip, but the menu hasn’t changed much because when asked what we should bring to the cottage, this friend of 18 years replied, “meat and fire”. I was also told that I did not bring enough bacon last year, so I’ve doubled it for this year because, hey, double the bacon, double the fun. As always, I’ve also tried to sneak as many seasonal fruits and vegetables into my friends as possible. Continue reading
Cottage Country Menu Planning
At least once every summer, my husband and I invite all our friends, fill every square inch of our Volkswagen with food, beer and bathing suits and drive the five hours to our cottage. Being the hostess, it is up to me to come up with a menu for the week that is fun, simple, travels well, multiplies easily and is cost effective. This year we will have eight people staying for a full week, which made planning a menu a little difficult. Here is what I came up with: Continue reading
Barbecue Recipes
Barbecue season is in full swing. This time, instead of going to the store to purchase the usual ready-made fixings, why not treat your friends and try these four easy recipes; I guarantee they will make for the tastiest, most memorable barbecue you’ve ever had. Continue reading