Help, Soon to be in-laws coming for Mom's day BBQ, I need simple menu plan!?

Question

I need a good simple menu plan thats easy to put together, so I don't looked as stressed as I will feel!

Answer 1

In this case, I think I'd let my local grocery store do most of the work and liven up the food with a few creative touches.

Barbecued chicken
Potato salad
Coleslaw
Deviled eggs
Veggie tray and dip
Garlic bread
Strawberry trifle

Get a couple of roasted chickens at the store, and plop them on the grill for a few minutes right before serving. Brush on your own favorite barbecue sauce and allow to heat through.

Get the potato salad and coleslaw at the deli counter, and add cherry tomatoes and strips of green pepper for a fancy garnish. (Some stores have the deviled eggs ready-made, too.)

Sprinkle some Parmesan and Romano cheese on the garlic bread to give it a little extra pizazz. Buy pre-washed and sliced veggies for the veggie tray, and serve with a good ranch or spinach dip.

The strawberry "trifle" is delicious, easy, and spectacular looking. (You can substitute sliced peaches or other berries if MIL-to-be doesn't like strawberries)

2 bags frozen strawberries, thawed
2 Sara Lee pound cakes, sliced
2 tubs Cool Whip

Line your most gorgeous serving bowl with slices of the pound cake. Add a layer of berries, and top with Cool Whip. Repeat until bowl is full. Garnish with a sprig of mint leaves and a whole berry or two.

This stuff is easy, delish, and goes over like gangbusters when I take it to potlucks or picnics. Good luck with your dinner, and remember. . .the less you have to do, the calmer you'll feel! :-)

Answer 2

Rolls or biscuits or bread fresh from the oven will impress almost anyone. Add this to your menu as 'insurance.' Be sure to marinate your meat so it's juicy and tender. If your menu is well-rounded, I think you'll be fine. Traditionally, a menu for a barbecue would include the meat, coleslaw or another salad, beans, corn on the cob or potatoes, bread of some sort, and a light dessert.

Make your coleslaw and your beans the day before. The flavors blend better that way. Choose a dessert that can be made the day before, too, to unstress yourself. Use bread or rolls or biscuits from frozen or refrigerated dough. Pop that in at the last minute. The corn or potatoes should be freshly cooked.

Use short-cut foods whenever possible: frozen corn, packaged potatoes, frozen bread dough, coleslaw mix with bottled dressing, bottled BBQ sauce, etc.

Answer 3

get some chicken pieces; drumsticks or breasts, sprinkle some garlic salt on them and bbq. then make some of that pasta salad in a box (the bacon ranch is very yummy!), 2 boxes is good for a few people, then maybe make a tossed salad and some crusty bread out of the oven and you should be good to go. In all, the salad (cutting the veges) should take 15 and you can make the pasta salad the night before and have it ready. If you need more you can always make some baked beans on the side. Then sit back, bbq the chicken and enjoy!!

Answer 4

Baked beans just take up a little oven room. And do a twist on the potato salad like a German potato salad in a vinaigrette (can be done the day before). Grab a package of your favorite rolls or biscuits and put them in a nice basket with a napkin. And grab some steaks and brats (boil them in beer first if it's OK with them, otherwise get cheesy brats) and grill.

But remember, just because you're having a BBQ doesn't mean you have to do traditional BBQ foods! Do what you do best! Knock their socks off!

Answer 5

hmmmmmmmm let me think here...... this is good and impressive ..yet cassual bbq/ or oven baked lamd shoarma...

this is what you will need for the rub:
1 table spoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

then get a lamb roast the amount you think is right for the amount of people you are serving....
rub the rub all over the lamb and be generous

now you can either bbq or oven bake the lamb i ussualy bbq it at 250 untill the internal temp. reaches:155
as you cook the lamb keep turning it so it gets a nice even color all over take it off the grill and cover with foil and let it rest...cucumber yoghurt sauce
then you get a cup or so of plain yoghurt.. 2 cloves of crushed garlic...and a chopped cucumber ( in small bits) i take the seeds out of the cucumber ( a mellon baller is easy to use for this) mix the ingredients together add some pepper and salt for taste ...

garlic sauce

4 bulbs garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups olive oil
DIRECTIONS
In the container of a blender, combine the garlic cloves, lemon juice and salt. Blend at medium speed until smooth. Continue blending while pouring olive oil into the blender in a thin stream. The mixture should become thick and white like salad dressing. Store refrigerated in a glass container

also get on the table some chopped lettuce and tomatoes and onions for those who like that on their shoarma sandwich

heat up pitas on the grill

slice up the lamb into small chunks now you are ready to assemble your pita with the lamb some cucmber sauce and tomatoes and lettuce and garlic sauce and there ya go

also good on the bbq is get some banana's dice them up mix with some brown sugar and vanilla extract make little foil packages with enough banan for eacht person and add some chocolate chips... and for the adults...add some rum seal the packages and put on the bbq till nice and hot...serve with rum raisin ice cream

Answer 6

Along with the meat your bbq you could put together a pasta salad (rotini pasta,carrots,cucumber,onions and cherry tomatoes with italian dressing) can be done the night before with baked potatoes and corn on the cob and your set.A simple dessert which could be strawberries halfed over a slice of pound cake with a little whipped cream on top.Good Luck~ and remember dont stress so much its all about family being together~

Answer 7

theres tons of options, something simple and nice could be burgers and maybe a simple salad on the side, theres other options too like you can buy some chicken legs at a store and let them baste in bbq sauce and pepper or any other spices for an hour or so before bbq'ing them, or you could go up another level and get some steaks (if you're going to bbq steak marinate in some sort of bbq and spices for a few hours before bbq'ing, u can poke holes in them with a fork so it soaks up the flavor better, i personally add alot of pepper when i marinate them), you could attempt bbq vegetables such as zuecinni (also marinate) also simple appetizers like chips with salso or guacamoli are great

Answer 8

Make chicken wings! Season them with a simple sauce, like BBQ sauce. You can also BBQ sausages, and then either boil or grill corn on a cob. My friends and I always have an annual BBQ during the summer, and this is what we usually have! Good luck!

Answer 9

Marinate some tri tip in red wine with lots of garlic, pepper, basil & onions. Do it a few days prior that way all you have to do that day is bbq it and work on your sides.

Make a salad, corn on the cob is easy or baked potatoes.

Simple easy and you can drink the rest of the wine to relax.

Good Luck

Answer 10

don't fret...try to simmer down some and enjoy mothers day bbq....grill up some hamburgers/hot dogs or chicken breasts...make some salads (potatoe salad day before and put in sealed container, make tossed green garden salad) perhaps some corn on cob on bbq or baked potatoes, skewers with different cut up veggies (onion,red/yellow peppers/maybe some pork cut up etc)...the more you can throw on the grill the better*and easier it is, add some chips , perhaps fruit salad tray...ENJOY Mothers Day BBQ* hope it all goes well...sounds like you'll need a good de-stresser when everyone finally leaves-just try not to fret*~ Keep on SMiln*