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Summertime is finally and officially here and to me that means the beginning of the grilling season. I love cooking on the grill and the many amazing creations you can whip up in the summertime that are made easier by grilling. To me, grilling just tastes better and there is definitely a freshness to it that you can not get cooking in your kitchen. My favorite thing about cooking out in the summer is the FOOD! There are so many options when grilling out and I love pairing up fun side dishes, yummy desserts and making it as elaborate or as simple as I want.
I love to entertain and I love to make any event into something fun even if it is a simple BBQ. I'm really into the whole 'less is more' lately, when planning a BBQ, a party or any event. Maybe I am finally learning to make it easier on myself , I don't now but it is so much easier when you shoot for simple. My motto now is 'make it simple, but make it memorable!' You can do both with just a few items. So I put together this simple "5 BBQ Essentials" for this summer. These are my must-haves to have some entertaining fun!
- Outdoor tableware items - all of the stores have super cute summer tableware items in stock right now, so grab a fun outdoor tablecloth, some plastic baskets, basket liners, glasses and a few summer decor items. Remember to coordinate them to pull your BBQ look together.
- Activities - plan to have a few activities to keep people entertained while they are waiting to eat or to do afterwards. Some of my faves are a fun bean bag toss game, horseshoes or grab the kids and color on the driveway with a new box of colored chalk! I particularly still enjoy that one! ;)
- Decor - find seasonal items that you can use for multiple occasions. For instance, I grabbed these stars and accordian fan decorations at Target about a month ago and can use them for Memorial Day, 4th of July, summer BBQs and also birthdays as the colors work well for all of them. I also like to pick up fun table items like little pinwheel picks to place in food or colored cups to put side dishes in when having a BBQ. Keep your eyes open for these type of items to have on hand.
- Drinks - I think the summer months bring out the best drink ideas. Maybe that's because they taste the best, right? ;) Serve up your favorite co*cktails and mocktails or if we are keeping up with the simple theme, grab some fun drinks at the grocery to enjoy with your BBQ. Just choose various colors to add some pop, to your decor.
- Food - as we all know, planning a BBQ can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. For this post, I went super simple to prove it can be done. I decided on a simple regional hot dog recipe (which I will share in a minute), grabbed some cole slaw, a bag of chips and pre-made desserts! What? Yup my goal was to not make a thing. Aside from chopping an onion, heating up the chili and grilling the dogs, I managed to do it! ;)
I would be curious if any of you have your own regional hot dog recipe. Ours has been around for as long as I can remember and it is definitely a fave in this area!
Here is the super easy recipe for the Cincinnati Chili style Hot Dog:
you will need hot dog buns, hot dogs, Cincinnati style chili, shredded cheddar cheese, mustard and chopped onions.
(The combination of franks and these toppings may not be Kosher.)
Step 1: place a hot dog, I am using Hebrew National hot dogs here, on the bun
Step 2: top with the prepared Cincinnati style chili
Step 3: add mustard
Step 4: add a heaping mound of the shredded cheddar cheese and trust me, the MORE, the better! AND once you add some more, go ahead and add even more! That's how we roll with our dawgs! ;)
Step 5: finish off with some diced onions
(The combination of franks and these toppings may not be Kosher.)
I picked up all of the ingredients for this at my local Kroger but I am sure you can find them at most places. However right now you can save up to $2 on Hebrew National products at Kroger and Kroger banner stores this summer, so grab them up. I picked up the Beef Franks and the Reduced Fat Beef Franks as they are a premium cut of beef. They also have Bun-Length Beef Franks available if you'd like those. All varieties do not contain fillers, corn syrup, artificial coloring, flavors or by-product. Good to know right?
If you liked this recipe, you can also check out even more recipes at Hebrew National hot dogs on their Facebook page.
What recipe have you whipped up using Hebrew National hot dogs? Please comment below and share how you top yours . . .
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