Memorial Day Menu

Each holiday brings the opportunity to entertain family and friends and memorial day here in the U.S. really kicks off summer. We want to cook on the BBQ, have a picnic, go to the beach or just about anything that involves the outdoors. A Parade magazine article this week described it as “…eating outside is most likely an art that Martha Stewart or folks in the English countryside understand and the rest of us badly imitate.” Point is we all want to get outside to enjoy the heat, bugs and our gardens.

This weekend has felt like summer here, hot and humid but it did not stop the kitchen from creating and testing some new recipes on family and friends. The menu for the party was a follows:

Beverages
Limoncello-Mint Champagne*
Peach Bellini

Appetizers
Herb Cheese Tart*
Chipotle Salsa*
Pineapple Salsa*

Sides
Caramel Apple Salad
Pepperoni Pasta Salad
Baked Beans
Cole Slaw

Main Course
Spicy Islands Pulled Pork*
Basic Pulled Pork
N.C. Vinegar*
Smoky Cola Sauce*
Sweet and Tangy Sauce*

Dessert
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble*
Dark Chocolate Pudding with Pistachio Praline*

The food was a great hit with all that came rubbing their stomachs and feeling dazed and confused over the gastronomy experiment they just underwent. The items above with the “*” will be recipes I will share as I find time to post them over the next week. I hope those of you in the U.S. enjoy your memorial day holiday.