The Organized Life, Memorial Day Menu

the Painted Apron

7 years ago

For family holiday weekends at the beach we love to COOK

With young grandchildren and crowded restaurants, dining out is not fun or relaxing

HHjr is head chef and we collaborated last week on the menu

It looks complicated, but with advance planning, and some short cut recipes, ~~plus my son does most of the cooking~~ it’s a breeze

We make a meal plan for the entire weekend so we can shop early and be all set

Each meal chosen is not only delicious, but easy to prepare and can adapt to all tastes and preferences with a little tweaking or deconstruction

Fridays leftover Brisket can also be included as an option for Saturdays Gyros

Sunday’s Chicken Pizza can be made from Saturday’s leftovers with either naan or pizza crust

You can go low carb and skip the crust or bread from the lunches, and have the toppings as a salad

The kiddos will have plain versions of the meals and vegetables, or standby kid favorites, PBJs, grilled cheese, scrambled eggs

Almost every recipe is a family favorite, with a few new things thrown in for excitement

Here are some photos to whet your appetite

Bobby Flay’s Texas Brisket

Asian Salad Stack with Sesame Peanut Dressing is great because the dressing can be made days in advance, and the vegetables can be prepped 1-2 days in advance and even the dressed salad holds up well for leftovers

The cheese biscuits will be made from a mix we got at a local BBQ restaurant, Jim & Nick’s, substitute buttermilk for milk in these commercial mixes for a homemade flavor

I’m working on a knock-off of this decadent cheesecake cone, from the deli, to share with you soon

Breakfast will be simple with fresh fruits, cereal, yogurt and a new crescent roll creation coming up soon, Red White & Blueberry Rolls, adapted from Blueberry Cheesecake Danish

Chicken Gyros with Shortcut Tzatziki Sauce

Low Country Shrimp Boil is full of shrimp, Conecuh sausage, red potatoes and corn…we actually call ours LA Shrimp Boil, you know, lower Alabama 🤣

I am going to make a bundt cake version of Beach Bum Butter Rum cupcakes, with a brown sugar glaze

Making a glazed cake is faster than dozens of individually iced cupcakes

BBQ Chicken & Corn Pizza with Spinach Salad Topping is truly summer on a pizza and can easily be deconstructed into chicken, corn and cheese pizza for the kiddos

We will be having standard baby back ribs with a smokey BBQ sauce, but another favorite is Asian Glazed Ribs if you want to try something a little different

Dixie Mac & Cheese Poppers are made in mini sweet pepper instead of jalapenos if preferred, and filled with already prepared Stouffer’s macaroni & cheese

Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese is a favorite for all ages in my house, all you do is pop it in the oven or microwave, and you can add breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping to make it feel homemade

Another great one is Marie Calender’s Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, look for it at a store near you here

Zucchini Ribbons with Lemon and Roasted Garlic look fancy but are made in minutes

They are a light and fresh compliment to ribs and poppers

Traveling Omelet Rolls wrapped in foil will stay warm for an hour or two to send off with travelers as they depart

I can’t wait to try the Fireball Pineapple Slices from my Traveling Tote friend Patti, you can see her recipe here The pineapple is marinated in Fireball cinnamon whiskey then brushed with brown sugar and baked or grilled 😋