Having a Bbq

We looove to do fajitas on the grill. Just grill up some chicken, steaks, mushrooms, shrimp (whatever you want), peppers, onions, etc. Slice it all up and then have all the fixings ready for people to choose from; lettuce, salsas, guacamole, cheese, etc. Super easy, fun and different.

Little antipasti skewers are delicious. Get small skewers or the plastic sword kind of things that are used in drinks, or wooden picks (bigger than toothpicks; they usually can be found at party stores). Skewer a chunk of salami, a cube of mozzarella cheese, a basil leaf and a grape tomato. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.

stranger than strange: my family loves grilled cabbage. We use foil pouches for each quarter, a little bit of butter or olive oil, S&P, & garlic/onion. Keep on grill until tender...& it's better if you had some hickory to the charcoal. This works well with onions, too!

We love kabobs....we change it up frequently. Shrimp, beef, chicken, pork, & sausage all work well on their own or as a combo. I usually marinate the chicken, pork, & shrimp in a mix of beer/Caesar dressing. The beef I marinate in hot sauce.

We smoke meat more than bbq. We do this regularly for pork & beef roasts & whole chickens/ turkeys. It's our fav & our most requested fav! For the roasts, we cut slits into the surface & soak it with Louisiana hot sauce. For the poultry, we stuff them with apples & onions. All good things!

EDIT: forgot the sides! Simple bean recipe - 1 can each: black, kidney, pinto, & garbanzo beans. Combine Thousand Island dressing with an equal amount of salsa. Add chopped onion & cucumber.....yum!

instead of potato salad, we also like my MILs super easy potato recipe. Thinly slice potatoes & onions. Throw some olive oil, garlic, S&P on top. You can either bake this in the oven with a foil cover ....or you can microwave it, too! Stir to make sure all taters/onions are seasoned. It's our personal fav.

BBQ Chicken, Pork chops....fish...I personally don't like fish - however, some of my friends wrap their salmon in foil and put it on the grill - they LOVE IT!!!

Shish-Ka-Bobs.....hmmmmmm so many options....

corn on the cob, watermelon, crunch cabbage salad (my mom makes this - if you are interested in the recipe, let me know...)

oh yeah!! PIZZA!!!! Our new grill has a "plate" for pizza! YUMMY!!!

BBQ chicken, Grilled Chicken, regular salad, pasta salad, sub sandwiches

When we have a BBQ at our home, we have grilled corn on the cob, baked beans, hash brown casserole, and for the meat will smoke a boston butt. Some people will add BBQ sauce to it and put it in a bun some without the bun. This is always a hit when having lots of people over.

I love cold rice salad with BBQ. Just mix cooked rice with any kind of vegetables you like, diced small. I like red bell peppers, green onions, celery. I also throw in thawed frozen or fresh corn and black beans (drained and rinsed). You can use any good bottled dressing, but I love this with a little olive oil, rice wine vinegar, lots of lime juice, salt, pepper and chopped cilantro. Chill for several hours, even better the next day. Very fresh, colorful and yummy!

beef brisket.
shrimp skewers. chicken skewers marinated in peanut sauce or terryaki, or any other thing you can think of.
BBQ chicken - bone in - wait until last 15 minutes of cooking to put bbq sauce on.
shrimp diablo - half a fresh jalapeno with a shrimp inside, wrapped in bacon - put cream cheese in other half and wrap with bacon. (these are actually better when you cook them in the oven 1st and just put them on the grill for the last few mintues.
fish in foil packages
grill big fat onion slices drizzled with olive oil.
zuchini with olive oil and italian herbs
jerk chicken
fajitas

We like to do Carne asada and make yoru own tacos with it. We just throw out all the fixin's and let people assemble their own.
We also love ribs (and I have been craving them forever). Sooo yummy. Usually with ribs we serve beans, and have corn bread and a fruit salad.
Other standard BBQ food my family does is deviled eggs, pasta salad (cold), grilled fruit, corn, baked potatoes.
You can also bbq chicken, but shred it for bbq shredded chicken sandwhiches.
Have fun.

- Marinated and grilled veggies
- Grilled corn on the cob (we make a jalapeno butter that is delicious)
- Chicken and steak skewers
- Grilled portabello mushrooms
- Grilled pears

baked beans, corn on the cob, marinated veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, onions, asparagus,potatoes, mushrooms--toss in some olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, herbs and throw in a grill pan or put in to some foil), cole slaw, oriental slaw (the one with the ramen noodles), broccoli casserole, hash brown casserole, tossed salad.
For meat, we usually do bbq chicken or a pork roast, ribs, fish, steaks, kebabs with beef or chicken or shrimp. Have you ever tried beer can chicken? google it, it is delish. You can grill just about anything nowadays with some of the gas grills that are out there.

I have a BBQ grill and a smoker. BBQ/grill chicken leg 1/4's, or ribs.

When I do ribs, I sometimes do pork and beans. I open a large can of pork and beans or pour several cans of pork and beans in a disposable pan and place the pan on the grill on the cold side. I add a diced onion and a poblano pepper diced without the seeds. I put my ribs in a disposable pan with a little water in the bottom (to add humidity and keep th meat moist). When the ribs are done, I peel a little off the bottom and dice it up and put it in the pork and beans along with some of the water in the bottom of the rib pan. Doing those things turn pork and beans from "Awwww do I have to have some?" to "Can I have seconds?"

Good luck to you and yours

Super easy tomato / onion salad.

Take Lots of red onion and add it to a large bowl. Add balsamic vinegar and coarse salt. Let it marinate for like ten minutes. Add a variety of largely chopped tomatoes. roma, cherry, grape, beefsteak - whatever. Mix and marinate for another 10 minutes. Add feta cheese (lots but don't overdo). That's it - super easy and great with burgers, dogs, chicken.

Another great thing to do as a hot appetizer is:

get small wooden skewers (fat square-ish ones about 3 inches long). Put on a hunk of kielbasa, a pineapple chunk and a piece of blanched red onion (so they will get soft easier). Grill till hot - YUM!!!

Rings of pineapple on the grill is great!

Flank steak with a BBQ sauce or teriyaki

Sausage on the grill (slice peppers and onions and put in a tray in the oven to cook - add some crusty rolls).

Pre marinated pork roasts are amazing on the grill

Lamb chops

Chicken marinated in Newman's Cesar dressing.

carne asada is my FAVORITE thing from the grill.
you could do jerk chicken, jamaican rice & peas, some veg, and a island themed punch or juices.
we love to do shrimp, steak, chicken, or sausage kabobs (include whatever vegetables you want---squash, zuchini, onion, red onion, red yellow or green bell peppers, grape tomatoes, whatever.
i like a good fish and season with italian dressing and tonys, a little bit of hotsauce, and some thin sliced veg in a foil packet
a super easy but very successful meal if you're having guests: make an awesome bbq sauce and cook chicken quarters! it's inexpensive but delicious and easy. serve with whatever you like: baked beans, potato salad, a light cucumber salad, regular tossed salad, rolls, whatever. i always make a blackberry wine cake, homemade icecream (with whatever's in season, usually peaches or strawberries), or fresh fruit for dessert.

Grilled vegetables; grilled salmon; vegetable,chickenor shrimp, and pineapple skewers; grilled pineapple; sweet potato salad (always a hit when I serve it - recipe upon request), short ribs. Have a great BBQ!

I make Spanish rice. And seasoned chicken (Thighs) on the grill and shiscopops. (Chicken or Beef) sorry can’t spell. Oops. I also make fruit shiscoppos basically anything that can stay on a stick, with a side of chocolate syrup if they want to put some on. Looks very pretty. Everyone loves them. I also make tricolor pasta. One box and one bottle of Caesar dressing. Awesome! Keeps well. I use the lite vinaigrette brand, better than the cheesy one. CHEAP! :) With the hotdogs, I put out bowls of toppings. Like, red saltaide onions, (sweet and hot) sauerkraut, season bowled potatoes. People like different things to put on a hotdog.
I was just this coming month trying to do a small BBQ for my son’s birthday. NOT!!! All everyone is talking about is my upcoming BBQ. My husband said that’s what we get for making them good. It’s sweet people think that but it’s a lot of work. I also do 3 hours of games with the kids, because it is a birthday party for my kids not the adults. So before I enter act with the adults the kids come first. After that the parents have to take over. 

If you are doing just a BBQ, I would have something for the kids to entertaine themselves so the adults could have some off time too.Just a thought. :) Good Luck! It will be great! :)

This is a pasta type salad but it is different, and everyone always loves it when I make it! 1 pkg tortellini (cheese), 1 container refrigerated pesto sauce, and 1/2 Cup mayo. Cook tortellini, and drain. while still hot mix w/pesto and mayo. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. YUM! :)

my favorite no nonsense food writer, Mark Bittman of the NY Times offers 101 Fast recipes for the grill

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/dining/30mini.html

I could really use some help with this. I am having a family BBQ next month. I really dont' want to spend lots of time in the kitchen preparing these things before hand and I don't want to spend a lot of money purchasing them.

Chicken, ribs, sausage, pasta salad, tossed salad, london broil, baked
beans, kielbasa. Hope that helps.

Ribs are super easy and delicious. I baked mine in the overn first for an hour and smother than with 1/2BBQ sauce & 1/2 jelly or jam. Add spices as well. Then throw them on the grill. COrn on the grill. Waldorf salad, barley salad (google recipe) grilled chicken.

BBQ, OH YEAH!! Steak and veggie shishkebabs (sp?), BBQ chicken, salad, WATERMELON, corn on the cob, marinate green zucchini (cut lenghtwise in 4ths) in italian dressing and throw them on the grill... Loooove BBQing :)

Choose a favorite country or culture, & focus your meal choices on that. Something like a luau, or Spanish cuisine, or Indian, etc. Once you make up your choice, you can find lots of recipes to make. Have your guests in on the fix, & have them make something with the theme you choose. Decorate according to the theme. See if you can find appropriate music to go along with the event. Have a great time!