May is National BBQ Month

Did you know May is National BBQ Month? Everyone is anxious to get their grills and firepits out of hibernation and start grilling again. We do a bit of grilling through the winter, but it isn't any fun for my husband to stand out in the cold and grill. So, I was very anxious to have some burgers and brats fresh off the grill this month.

If we are having friends over to grill and sit on our porch, there are some essentials that we must have.

Meat -

We love meat from our local lockers or Fareway.  Also, locally we have a grass-fed, organic farm Wallace Farms that sells meat and delivers to locations once/month. Find out more HERE.

Sides -

No BBQ is complete without Potato Salad. It's my husband's favorite, especially his mom's potato salad. I can't replicate exactly how she made it, but it's close.

Here in Iowa we love our sweet corn. So, if you can find some (usually late July - August), be sure to serve it up with lots of butter, salt and pepper!

Dessert -

My favorite dessert to go along with a BBQ is Jello Cake. Also, Rhubarb is in season during May and a warm Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp topped with vanilla ice cream is the perfect finish to a BBQ. You can get my recipe for Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp, HERE.

Beverages -

I love the Simply Lemonade line of drinks. Our favorite is the Raspberry Lemonade. Mix it with a sparkling soda like ginger ale, sprite or La Croix to give it an extra pop!

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For a more grown up beverage, I like margaritas or the different Ritas from Budweiser like
Straw-ber-rita, Mang-o-rita, and Raz-ber-rita.  I also like the canned Margaitas by Cayman Jack.

No BBQ is complete without music. We use our bluetooth speaker ALL. THE. TIME. We can play a variety of music through the Slacker App and we don't have to keep our phone attached to the speaker.

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With Father's Day coming up, you want to make sure you have all the necessities ready for grilling that weekend. Whether you use a charcoal grill or a gas grill, make sure you have plenty of gas or charcoal needed.  There are fun wood chips that are flavored to give your grilled meat that perfect smoked flavor.

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If you are looking for gift ideas for that hard-to-buy-for Father, check out http://www.mancrates.com/. There you will find crates filled with all kinds of gifts for every personality including the gamer, the golfer, the weightlifter, and the griller to name a few.  The wooden crates come with everything you need, even a crow bar to open the crate.  These gifts for men are unique and will bring a smile to the face of every man in your life.

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Make sure you are celebrating all summer has to offer by joining up with family and friends to grill, eat, and enjoy the great outdoors!