Grilling Season Family Favorites

Tomorrow is a holiday that has been marked as a time to remember our fallen soldiers-- men and women-- who have given their lives for our country.  Second to that, it's a time for us to officially remove our winter covers from our Weber or gas grills.  I am so enjoying grilled steaks, chicken, salmon and vegetables.  I thought I'd share with you some grilling recipes, side dishes and desserts that I plan to make for my family-- now that the late California rains have stopped and we are enjoying 70 degree weather. Perfect.  The photo you see, above, is Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip-- which is one of my top viewed recipes.  Next to brisket (which I have yet to master grilling), this is my husband's very favorite grilled meal of all time.  Is this a little to rare for you?  Just cook it a bit longer!  I love this best between two slices of grilled bread with a schmear of mayo and Dijon. If you like the flavor of garlic, this recipe is for you! 

Ina Garten's Butterflied Grilled Chicken  (Spatchcock chicken) -- juicy & flavorful. 

It's a little too early for my homegrown tomatoes to be ready, but when they are...

Bruschetta Burgers are just around the corner!

Mmmm, Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Burgers with fresh pineapple rings.  I also show you a pretty cool gadget that makes slicing pineapples really easy.  How about some side dishes?

If you want break away from traditional American potato salad, with mayonnaise, my mother's German Potato Salad will be a hit at your party. 

This Antipasto Salad feeds a crowd, and isn't too complicated to make.  The quick marinated mushrooms are out of this world-- don't bother with buying these in a jar. I could have eaten a huge bowl of these, all by myself!

This classic Broccoli salad is a sure hit!

Strawberry season is in full swing This beautiful salad is a tribute to our locally grown fresh spinach, too.  The poppy seed dressing is out of this world-- one of my very favorite dressings.  I also use it as a slaw dressing. So good!

I'm going to be making the Pioneer Woman's Cheesy Garlic Bread, tomorrow, for two reasons-- #1 this is one of my earliest photos (before I discovered my macro button and natural lighting) and #2 This is the best garlic bread ever-- fattening as all get out, but delicious!  I want to take new photographs that will do this recipe more justice.

Cook's Illustrated Strawberry Cream Cake will be our weekend dessert. So good!

 Just click on each recipe name, and you will find the printable recipes.  Happy Grilling!

I hate to cut this round-up short, but my horse is twenty minutes from arriving at her new ranch.  I haven't seen her for nine months, so I am going to race out the door with a bag of fresh carrots for Savannah Sue.  I'm so excited!  Enjoy your weekend, everyone!  I know that I will!

A very happy,