Summer is picnic and barbecue season!?

Question

With that said, what are your favorite picnic and barbecue dishes? Traditional or non-traditional, common or uncommon, feel free to share whatever floats your boat! If you have a special family dish, I'd really like you to share the recipe ;) And I'll share mine, too.

I have southern roots, so there are a couple staples and true favorites for summer get togethers. One being, of course, potato salad! Now, we used to always go the easy route (us lazy young people these days, haha) and buy already-made potato salad from the deli at the grocery store. And while this will do in a pinch, I really like the idea of family recipes and traditions and so I started make big batches of potato salad at home from scratch (it's more economical this way, too). I still haven't perfected the flavor to my liking, so I still intend to play around with the basic recipe. If anyone has an interesting recipe for potato salad or a particular special ingredient, I'm open for suggestions.

Other than the potato salad, we do like our fried chicken. This, of course, is either bought or pre-made on the stove top, and then taken to where ever it needs to be. My secret ingredients are lots of pepper and some paprika. Also, shaking it up in the paper bag- that's helpful, too ;) It absorbs extra moisture and helps to coat the chicken evenly.

Baked beans- I don't have a recipe for this, but I think of it as a southern-barbecue staple.

A while back ago, while researching southern food, I came across a delicious, but incredibly easy recipe for a salad. A bit different than collards, but so good, and it does have a southern-style to it. Chop up a whole head of lettuce and big, ripe tomato. Add in some chopped hard boiled eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together however much mayo you think you may need and enough milk to make a dressing (not too thin). Wait until just before serving, then toss the salad with the mayo dressing and season generously with salt and pepper. Don't add in the dressing until right before serving, I can not stress it enough! If you do, you will end up with a very squishy, wilted salad.

The other staple for get together is a dessert, which you've probably had or at least heard of, but it's a big southern favorite. Banana pudding! And not just any banana pudding, it's got to have whipped cream, real bananas, and Nilla wafers, of course! Now, there is some debate in my family as to whether the original recipe my grandma used was made with vanilla pudding, or banana. If you enjoy this dish as well, how do you make yours?

Other than that, at our barbecues, we always have standard "American" fare- hot dogs and burgers. We also have potato chips, macaroni salad, sometimes coleslaw, too. But what I am more interested in are things that are home made, with a personal touch. I think it makes things a little extra special :)

? · Answer

For picnics, home-made fried chicken, potato salad, and baked beans are Southern traditions.  We would probably add home-made pickles, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, and watermelon slices.

Potato salad is boiled, diced potatoes, minced celery, onions, and dill pickles, chopped hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper.  Try adding some of the brine from the jar of dill pickles.  You may find that is your missing ingredient.  ;)

For barbecues here in South Texas, we lean more toward steaks/ribs/brisket, Tex-Mex, or seafood.  Most likely for a crowd, we'll have fajitas - chicken and beef,  grilled onions and peppers, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, flour tortillas, pinto beans, Spanish rice, hot cheese dip and chips.

toefu · Answer

My absolute favorite thing to cook on the grill (besides the meat ofcourse) Is roasted vidalia onions...Oh lord they're good...

You need to measure out your foil in advance and have enough foil to not only cover the onions, but also make like a hershey's kiss twist on top...Simply cut both ends and before wrapping, take a paring knife and cut about a one inch "v" in the top...Now add 3-4 drops of worcestershire in the v and a big lollup of butter and some pepper (don't add salt as some people get enough saltiness from the worcestershire, just let people salt it to taste after the fact)...

Your average size vidalia will take 30-35 minutes (medium temp) on the grill...You want the whole thing to be soft and the bottom to be somewhat brown...Caramlized...


Oh man...Good good stuff...It's like candy when cooked all the way through...I hope you try this, you'll get addicted...lol

moj.. :-)

Minna V · Answer

'PUNAJUURISALAATTI' =Beetroot salad  
is eaten in my home country, Finland, as much as potato salad. I have to admit, I've never tried to make it, just bought it at the deli instead but now that In live in the US and can't get it at the deli anymore maybe I will try to make my own. I have this recipe if you're interested in trying it out:

CREAMY BEETROOT SALAD;
2 - 3 medium pickled beetroots
1 - 2 small apples (preferably tart)
Finnish curd cream, (can't get that here have to use) crème fraîche or sour cream 
white pepper
(salt) 
Drain and pat dry the beetroots. Finely shred the beetroots and apples, or cut them in thin julienne strips. Mix and season with pepper (and salt). Add some curd cream, until you get a mixture resembling creamy potato salad in consistency. Cover and chill the salad. Serve to accompany various meat, fish or sausage dishes. 

Besides apple, you may also add shredded, boiled potato and chopped onion or leek to the salad. For added flavour or acidity, mix in some sugar, a dash of vinegar or finely grated fresh horseradish. I myself prefer added leek and a dash of vinegar.

As for the drink, gotta have "sima".

Sima is a sweat mead that is an essential seasonal brew connected with the Finnish Vappu festival.(Vappu= mayday, first of may, beginning of summer).
 It is usually spiced by adding both the flesh and rind of a lemon. During secondary fermentation raisins are added to control the amount of sugars and to act as an indicator of readiness for consumption — they will rise to the top of the bottle when the drink is ready. Sima is usually accompanied by 'munkkeja or Tippaleivät' (donuts and other pastries, tippaleipa is like a funnel cake). Mead is ready after 2-3 days.

   
SIMA 
Ingredients
1 gallon mineral water 
1 quart mineral water 
12 ounces sugar 
12 ounces brown sugar 
2 lemons 
1/2 cup molasses or honey 
1/4 teaspoon yeast 
Directions
1Wash the lemons and peel them thinly. Remove the pith. Slice the lemons and place them with the peel and sugar in a sufficiently large vessel. 
2Bring half of the water to the boil and pour it over the lemons, peel, honey or molasses and sugar. Stir and leave to stand covered for a while. Add the rest of the water cold. When the liquid is lukewarm add the yeast. 
3Keep the mead at room temperature until it starts to ferment, i.e. about one day. Put a couple of raisins and 1 tsp of sugar into clean bottles, and strain the mead into the bottles. Loosely cork the bottles and store them in a cool place. The mead is ready when the raisins rise to the surface.

? · Answer

They are all my favorite Spring brings in the new, summer is the fun time of warm from the sun and water for swimming and cooking outside. Then comes fall the colors are beautiful and the air is cool. The winter comes and seems to make the world calmer, I love the snow and ice we get as the moon hits it and sparkles like a wonderland.

msjantastic · Answer

Not sure if this is a question, story or statement.  Boy, whatever it is it sure is long.  An most people enjoy summer or warmer months to BarBQ.  Sorry, but it was so long I lost interest in reading the whole thing.

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Summer is picnic and barbecue season!?

5 Answers