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Memorial Day Recipe Roundup

· Modified: by · 7 Comments

Time to start the summer. Bring on the food, fire up the grill, have a picnic, or go to the beach. It is time to cut loose. BUT we should not forget the meaning of this holiday. It is about all those patriots who have served and paid the ultimate price for us. Please pause and remember the true meaning of Memorial Day. And then bring on the food.

Memoral Day College
Image licensed from Fotolia May 26, 2016. Copyright igoror - Fotolia. Modified per allow by licensed.

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Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

Introduction

This coming weekend is Memorial Day, a federal holiday for us in the USA, remembering the people who gave their lives while serving in its armed forces. But it also is commonly recognized as the kick-off for summer and a three-day holiday weekend.

Once known as Decoration Day, which started after the American Civil War to honor the Union dead, later it merged with a similar Confederate holiday and ultimately for all American war dead.

But on to the other part of this holiday. It’s FINALLY SUMMER—time for some deck and picnic food.

FOOD SAFETY

It's easy to forget food safety. But it's up to you to keep your friends and family safe. I see dangerous food handling on TV food shows and other blogs frequently. So know the rules. PLEASE.

As a start, please review my Summer Food Safety post. Let's be safe out there. Uncle Joe cannot have his burger rare even though you wouldn't mind seeing him sick. It is your responsibility to keep them safe.

Main Dishes

Smoked Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill – Not That Hard
How to smoke pulled pork on a gas grill? Not all of us have smokers. There are a lot of gas grills out there. Shouldn't we have smoked pulled pork too? I say yes. Pulled pork for all, and with a little planning, it is not that hard. Just plan enough time.
Check Out This Recipe
Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill from 101 Cooking for Two
Oven Pulled Pork - Low & Slow Pork Butt
The best pulled pork is baked in the oven for most home cooks. Just a dry rub and bake a pork butt low and slow in your oven. Everybody can have perfectly moist and tender pulled pork with great flavor.
Check Out This Recipe
pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce
How to Cook a Brisket on a Gas Grill
Cook smoked Grilled Brisket low-and-slow on your backyard gas grill—moist and tender meat with crusty bark and a smokey taste. Make classic BBQ brisket without a smoker.
Check Out This Recipe
Cooked brisket on a gray board
How to Grill Hamburgers on a Gas Grill
Learn how easy it is to grill the best juicy burgers on your gas grill. We will cover it all from the choice of meat, seasoning, grill temperature, how long to grill, and final internal temperature.
Check Out This Recipe
burger on a bun
How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin
Let's learn How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin that is juicy, moist, and tender. It's easy in 30 minutes on your charcoal or gas grill.
Check Out This Recipe
grilled tenderloin cut to show done interior
Grillied Chicken Drumsticks-Quick and Easy
Super easy, never fails, grilled chicken legs for the whole family. Pat dry, spice, and cook over medium-high heat. All you need to do is get the grill temperature and the final internal temperature correct. Then you will have crispy legs that both kids and grandma will love.
Check Out This Recipe
chicken drumsticks cooking on the grill
Grilled Chicken Thighs on a Grill
Grilled Chicken Thighs on a grill are juicy, moist, tender, and a little crispy char. This an easy recipe using bone-in, boneless, or skinless thighs.
Check Out This Recipe
grilled chicken thigh on white plate
Memphis BBQ Sauce—Sweet and Tangy
This Memphis BBQ Sauce recipe makes the best homemade sauce you will ever taste. Using only pantry staples, this smoky, sweet, and tangy sauce is easy to make and is the perfect complement to pulled pork, ribs, brisket, or even chicken and burgers. Better than any sauce you can buy. Time to impress your family and friends.
Check Out This Recipe
BBQ sauce on pork

Side Dishes

Great side dishes make the meal. Image some corn on the cob with a nice spinach salad or grilled pineapple to make your meal special.

Homemade Macaroni Salad
This easy homemade version of the classic summer salad has crunchy vegetables and creamy dressing. Make it yours by adding some egg, pickle, or anything you like.
Check Out This Recipe
Macaroni Salad on a white plate
Grilled Pineapple Slices with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glaze
Glazed grilled pineapple slices are an easy delicious summer side dish. With a buttery caramelized brown sugar glaze, it also makes a great dessert when combined with ice cream—Ready in less than 15 minutes.
Check Out This Recipe
close up of Grilled Pineacpple with grill marks on a blue plate
Broccoli Salad with Bacon
A full-size "take to the family picnic" recipe for classic broccoli salad with bacon and cheese that is quick and easy to make. Better than deli made with perfect creamy dressing and crunchy fresh broccoli, cheese, bacon, and other ingredients of your choice.
Check Out This Recipe
broccoli salad on a white plate-2
Fresh Spinach Salad with Bacon
An easy spinach salad with bacon makes a great main dish or use as a side dish. Featuring a simple homemade vinaigrette dressing and using common pantry ingredients, this summer classic will earn a place on your summer menu.
Check Out This Recipe
fresh spinach salad on white plate
Grilled Baby Potatoes
These delicious grilled baby potatoes are crispy and slightly charred. The perfect grilling side dish that is so simple and easy with no precooking, they will become a standard on your grill.
Check Out This Recipe
grilled baby potatoes going into a blue bowl
Microwave Corn on the Cob in the Husk
Microwave Corn On the Cob in the Husk is super easy with no mess and just a few minutes. Ideal for smaller households. What is there not to love about sweet corn, an All-American classic?
Check Out This Recipe
corn on the cob in serving trays B

Sweet Endings

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jell-O®
Fresh strawberry pie is a wonderful summer treat everybody loves. This easy recipe is made with Jell-O®, a premade pie crust, and fresh strawberries. Make this simple recipe your signature summer dish.
Check Out This Recipe
raw pie crust ready for the oven-3
Easy Lemon Bars
Six ingredients are all you need for these easy (and best) lemon bars. Bursting with great sweet-tart lemon taste and a buttery shortbread crust, they are everything a lemon bar should be. Perfect for every day or take them to any special gathering.
Check Out This Recipe
two lemon bars on a white plate
Easy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Chocolate chip cheesecake is a creamy, decadent dessert but is one of the easiest recipes to make. While it is not "cheesecake for two," it will become your signature dessert for gatherings. Just follow the easy step-by-step photos to impress your friends and family.
Check Out This Recipe
chocolate chip cheese cake on a spatula
Easy Cheesecake Bars
These Easy Cheesecake Bars are creamy and delicious with a Graham cracker crust and lemon—the quick small-batch recipe you need.
Cheesecake bars on a blue plate

Don't Forget to Take the Party Animals

Molly and Lilly dogs playing with a ball on a rope. Part 1.
Molly and Lilly dogs playing with a ball on a rope. Part 2.
Molly and Lilly dogs playing with a ball on a rope.

Please remember what it is all about. Have a great holiday weekend and enjoy your summer.

DrDan

PS. Stay safe out there, and please follow your local health department's recommendations.

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Publisher note: This is a re-edit of the previous year's ( since 2016) post. New recipe recommendations are added as needed to keep it fresh.

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  1. Ashley

    Our beautiful English Golden, Abby, will be 7 years old this Saturday! I think she might love to celebrate her birthday and Memorial Day with a juicy burger or some pulled pork. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

      Hi Ashley,
      Welcome to the blog.
      I'm doing pulled pork myself but the girls will eat anything. Just not very picky.
      Molly and Lilly say high to Abby.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

  2. michele strong

    I just stumbled across your site today and am already a fan! so happy I found you ☺ what kind of pups do you have? sometimes I can't tell the difference between an english cream retriever and a great pyrenees.. we were blessed with the most beautiful, smart, amazing.... pyr a couple of months ago! 😊

    Reply

    • DrDan

      Hi Michele,
      Welcome to the blog.
      The girls are 4 1/2 yr old English Golderns. They are litter mates and have be the blog mascots since being babies.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

  3. Jean

    Dr. Dan,
    I hope your feeling well. My whole family loves your recipes, your dog pictures, and you. Your a favorite of mine when sharing your recipes, your philosophy on cooking and while talking to friends. Friends come through the front door asking "what Dr. Dan recipe are we enjoying tonight". Your the best.
    Take very good care of yourself.
    Warmly,
    Jean Rawlings

    Reply

    • DrDan

      I snuck that in this post and very few saw it but I feel better I "told" everybody. Just chronic things getting worse.

      If you can only stand for 10 minutes, it is hard to cook a new recipe and take pictures. I can cook but the extra 10-15 minutes it takes for the pictures is just a bit too much.

      Also, with 450 plus recipes, it is getting hard to find good ideas. So more older recipes nobody saw and less new one. A new one when I find something I really want to do like the grilled Ribeye post. It is long and very complete. I enjoyed writing it and I loved the results.

      Thanks for the note and good wishes.

      Dan

  4. Mike

    Thank you so much for the food safety tips, I didn't realize a lot of the things you wrote there!

    Thanks DrDan

    Reply