With Spring in full bloom, the days on the calendar get booked up quickly. There are graduation parties to attend, hikes to take, things to grill, and hours spent making your yard beautiful. Plus, you’re taking advantage of spending more time on your patio.
I get it. That’s what Rosa and I are doing too. One thing we really love about Spring is inviting friends over to catch up and grill out. We have go-to recipes that wow our friends every time with minimal effort from us. Let’s be honest, we’d much rather be spending time outside, laughing with our neighbors than babysitting risotto. #AintNobodyGotTimeForThat
Our go-to meal on the grill:
Homemade BBQ Burgers and tinfoil sweet potatoes.
BBQ Burgers
Sauce:
1cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup honey
1/8 cup molasses
Burgers:
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup crackers or bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1 1/2 lbs. ground meat (it all starts with good quality meat)
Steps:
In a small saucepan, combine the first 10 ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. This is the BBQ sauce to serve with the burgers
In a bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix this combination with the ground beef. Shape into 6 patties. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160ºF, basting with 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce (if desired) during the last 5 minutes.
Serve on buns with toppings on your choice and the reserved BBQ sauce.
Makes 6 burgers.
Tinfoil Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (if you like a kick!)
3 tbsp. butter
Steps:
Dice sweet potatoes into 1” pieces and transfer into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes. Add olive oil to the bowl and use a spoon to coat the sweet potatoes. Add brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne. Combine well. Spray a piece of foil with nonstick spray and pour season sweet potatoes onto the foil. Cut butter into squares and place on top of the sweet potatoes. Close foil packets completely. (Double wrap is recommended!) Grill for 20 minutes, turning halfway. Serve warm.
If grilled chicken is more your thing, we have a chicken option too.
Marinated Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
Boneless chicken breasts
Italian dressing
Steps:
Place the premium boneless chicken breast pieces in a marinating container. Pour a good amount of Italian dressing over the top of them and put the lid on your marinating container. Shake it up ensure all sides of your chicken are covered in Italian dressing.
Pop the container in the fridge before you head out to work. When you come home, throw the chicken on the grill and enjoy grilled chicken sandwiches.
Serve with a side of roasted veggies.
Firing up the grill is a great way to welcome spring and to bring new flavors to the dinner table that had been missing all winter. These are some of our favorite grilling recipes and we hope you enjoy them.
What are your favorite things to grill? Let me know in the comments!
