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    🏠Home » Recipes » Holiday Recipes

    Memorial Day Recipe Roundup

    May 23, 2022 | Last Updated May 24, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    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.

    Table of Contents
    • FOOD SAFETY
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Sweet Endings
    • Don't Forget to Take the Party Animals
    • 💬 Comments

    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
    Cooking pork butt in an oven produces perfect tender and flavor-packed pulled pork. Cover with a simple dry rub, then roast low and slow in your oven. This easy recipe takes minimal preparation time and almost no skill.
    Check Out This Recipe
    pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce
    How to Cook a Brisket on a Gas Grill
    Learn how easy it is to cook a brisket on your backyard gas grill with these easy to follow step by step photo instructions. You too can enjoy one of the Kings of BBQ at home.
    Check Out This Recipe
    Cooked brisket on a gray board
    How to Grill Hamburgers – A Tutorial
    Learn how easy it is to grill the best burgers on your gas or charcoal grill. From the choice of meat, seasoning, grill temperature, how long to grill, and final internal temperature—we will cover it all.
    Check Out This Recipe
    burger on a bun
    How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin on a Gas Grill
    This super easy tutorial teaches the secrets to juicy and tender grilled pork tenderloin. A properly grilled pork tenderloin will make you look like the grill master. Just don't tell them how simple it is.
    Check Out This Recipe
    grilled tenderloin cut to show done interior
    Grillied Chicken Drumsticks- The Art of Drummies
    Super easy, never fails, grilled chicken legs for the whole family. Just pat dry, spice and cook over medium-high heat. Then you will have crispy goodness for all.
    Check Out This Recipe
    drumsticks on the grill
    Easy Grilled Chicken Thighs
    Learn how to grill perfect chicken thighs that are juicy, moist, and tender with a little crispy char. Using bone-in, boneless, or even skinless thighs, they make the perfect weeknight dinner. Fire up your grill for some incredibly easy thighs.
    Check Out This Recipe
    Closeup image of grilled chicken thigh
    Memphis Barbecue Sauce
    This sweet and tangy Memphis barbecue sauce is the perfect complement to pork, beef, or chicken. With a touch of spice, it is the best homemade bbq sauce for special occasions, or make it your everyday sauce.
    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
    Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glazed Grilled Pineapple
    Easy grilled pineapple with a great caramelized brown sugar cinnamon glaze. Wonderful for a side dish or combine with vanilla ice cream for an out of this world dessert.
    Check Out This Recipe
    close up of Grilled Pineacpple with grill marks on a blue plate
    Broccoli Salad with Bacon
    Crunchy deli style fresh broccoli salad with bacon is a classic summer gathering side dish.  Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.
    Check Out This Recipe
    broccoli salad on white plate
    Fresh Spinach Salad
    Wonderful fresh spinach salad with bacon and a homemade dressing that is a  simple compliment to almost any fare. A summer classic but great any time of the year, and it comes together so fast.
    Check Out This Recipe
    graphic for Pinterest fo fresh spinach salad
    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
    Super Easy. Learn how to pick the best corn and microwave with the husk on in just a few minutes. Perfect for the smaller households.  Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.
    Check Out This Recipe
    two ears of corn in trays

    Sweet Endings

    Easy Fresh Strawberry Pie
    Fresh strawberry pie is a wonderful summer treat. A simple recipe everybody will love, made with Jello and a premade pie crust. Plus, almost any fool, including me, can pull this off. Make it your signature summer dish.
    Check Out This Recipe
    fresh trawberry pie slice on white plate
    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
    Absolutely awesome "REAL" cheesecake. Not one of those "no-cook" pie pan things. And it is easy... so easy with only six ingredients. This will be your new "take to the party" signature dessert.
    Check Out This Recipe
    chocolate chip cheese cake on a spatula
    Cheesecake Bars
    Perfect for any occasion, these creamy New York cheesecake bars will impress your friends and family. Scaled to a smaller occasion but easy to double or freeze.
    Check Out This Recipe
    Image of a cheesecake bars being held

    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.

    graphic Subscribe to 101 Cooking for Two

    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.

    « Easy Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ashley

      May 22, 2019 at 10:14 am

      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

        May 22, 2019 at 10:22 pm

        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

      September 12, 2018 at 5:29 pm

      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

        September 12, 2018 at 9:25 pm

        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

      August 09, 2018 at 4:41 pm

      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

        August 09, 2018 at 8:16 pm

        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

      June 03, 2016 at 5:50 am

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

      Thanks DrDan

      Reply

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