Why spend all day preparing food for the big Memorial Day party? With these recipes, you can make them, or at least prep them, the day before! Spend time with friends and family and enjoy what really matters!
Onion and Pepper Jelly Dip
This sweet and slightly spicy dip goes great with crackers or veggies!
Ingredients:
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ½ jar of favorite Onion Pepper Jelly (I used Harry & David)
- A few dashes of Texas Pete Hot Sauce (optional)
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours (even better over night!). Serve with crackers and/or veggies. I used Stonefire Naan Crisps, Original Flavor – they hold up well to dip!
Caroline’s Tomato Feta Dip
My mother-in-law’s yummy recipe – This is a terrific tasting dip, but it also makes a GREAT topping for pasta!
Ingredients:
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- One handful (approx. fresh, torn basil (small pieces)
- 6 Cloves Garlic
- 2 containers crumbled Feta cheese
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients, except feta, into a baking dish. Cook at 350 degrees until bubbly (approximately 30 minutes). Top with Feta cheese and bake another 10-15 minutes.
Serve with crackers or crusty/toasted bread rounds. I used Stonefire Naan Crisps, Garlic and Parmesan Flavor – they enhanced the flavor of the tomato dip!
A BIG Thank You to StoneFire Naan for providing me with a large selection of StoneFire Naan Crisps to use in this recipe round up!
Slow Cooker BBQ Cola Pulled Pork
BBQ without having to stand over a hot grill!
Ingredients:
- 1 can coke
- ½-1 cup Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, plus more for condiment!
- Garlic minced
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2.5 pork tenderloin (Or 2.5 pork roast – shoulder or butt)
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- Black pepper
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low. Using two forks, shred the meat into small pieces.
Serve on slider rolls with cheese and coleslaw, if desired.
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
A thirst quenching beverage for the hot summer weather! This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com.
Ingredients:
- 8 strawberries, green tops removed
- 7 cups water
- 2 T white sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
Preparation:
In a blender, add strawberries, sugar and one cup water. Puree until chunks are gone. Pour into a large serving container add rest of sugar and lemon juice. Mix well and chill. Stir before serving.
Pasta Salad
With loads of veggies, healthy black beans and garbanzo beans, and small chunks of cheese, this pasta salad could be a whole meal! Make it a day or two ahead of time – so much more flavorful!!
Ingredients:
- 1 package Good Seasons Zesty Italian Dressing, prepared according to package. Or use your favorite bottle zesty Italian dressing! (You can add more if desired)
- One Box of tri colored pasta, cooked according to package
- ¾ cup fresh broccoli florets, just lightly steamed
- One red pepper, de-seeded and chopped into small pieces
- ½ red onion, minced
- ¾ cup favorite cheese, chopped into small cubes (I used Monterey Jack Cheese with jalapenos)
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I use reduced sodium kind)
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I use reduced sodium kind)
- 1-2 cloves pressed garlic (depends on how garlicy you want it!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients, using half the Italian dressing. Mix thoroughly and chill. Before serving, add the other half of Italian dressing. Enjoy!
Five Minute Homemade Ice Cream
Get the kids involved by having them make their own ice cream!
Ingredients:
- Ice Cubes (enough to fill gallon-sized bag half full)
- ½ cup salt (Kosher or rock sat works best)
- 1 cup half & half
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pint size ziplock bag
- 1 gallon-sized ziplock bag
- Your favorite mix-ins, like chocolate chips, cereal pieces, fresh fruit.
Preparation:
Combine the half & half, sugar and vanilla in the pint sized bag and seal tightly. In the large gallon bag, combine the salt and the ice cubes. Place the smaller bag with half & half into the large gallon bag and seal gallon bag. Now, turn on some good dance music and SHAKE IT! It will take approximately 5 minutes for the mixture to harden. Remove the smaller bag and add favorite mix-ins! Eat right out of the bag and enjoy!
Looking For More Yummy Recipes Perfect For A Memorial Day BBQ? Try One Of These:
Memorial Day Grilling Without Breaking The Bank