Memorial Weekend Cookout

Last night we had about 25 friends over for a cookout in the backyard.  It was a blast.  We had neighbors, family, old friends, new friends.  And great food, if I do say so myself.


We started out with some appetizers:


Spinach artichoke dip (I used frozen spinach)
carrots and Trader Joe's garlic hummus
Sweet potato chips from Trader Joes
Pretzels


Main course:


Hamburgers (pre-made patties from Harris Teeter)
Hot Dogs (Ballpark brand Angus franks) - These are sooo delicious
Black bean burgers


Sweet potato casserole
Tracey's baked beans (recipe below)

1 LB bacon- chopped

2 large onion- chopped

½ c white vinegar

1 c packed brown sugar

1 t garlic powder

3 (18 oz) cans baked beans- I use bush’s flavored with bacon and brown sugar

2 (17 oz) cans lima beans

1 (16 oz) can kidney beans

1 (15 oz) butter beans- I use 2 cans of butter beans because I like them, no need to adjust anything else if you do.

Cook bacon in skillet till crisp, drain on paper towel. In bacon fat, cook onions till soft.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl including beans, onion, bacon, vinegar, sugar, spice- mix well.  Put in large casserole dish (lightly greased) and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. 

Salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, chopped up bell pepper, cranberries and blue cheese

Dessert:

Cherry pie (I used pre-made crust and pre made filling I bought at the Fresh Market and it turned out great! Let's be honest people, we can't do it all!)

Banana pudding

Everyone ate a lot and had a great time. We hung out in the backyard well into the evening.  Great times with good friends.