3 Sides for Your Summer BBQ

Summah time! The season to hang with friends and get some good noms in by the pool. If you’re not hosting the party this year with Taste and Company, you may be tasked to bring a side dish to contribute to a friend’s barbecue. Here are three enhanced classics our friends and clients love. Bonus! You can make them the day before so they’re ready for you to wake up as lazy as you like and head out the door.

Spicy, Smokey Chipotle Baked Beans

Baked beans are a delicious staple to any barbecue. Have you ever had them spicy? The chipotle chili addition in this recipe brings out the taste buds on the other side of your tongue that most face numbingly sweet baked beans will completely ignore. With the perfect amount of sweetness, smoke, and spice, these will awaken the senses and make your guests want to dance the yummy dance.

• Get people dancing! Expand for the recipe.

  Tools

  9 x 13 x 2 Dish

  Ingredients

  6 Bacon slices (or use 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke instead)
  2 ½ tbsp Bacon grease (omit if not using bacon)
  1 1/2 cups Chopped onion
  1 1/4 cups Barbecue sauce of choice
  1/4 cup Light flavored molasses
  1 tbsp Soy sauce
  3 tbsp Dijon mustard 3 tbsp (packed) dark brown sugar
  3/4 cup Dark beer
  2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  1-2 tsp Minced chipotle chilies
  6 16 oz cans Large white beans, drained
  

  Instructions

  1. In a preheated 350ºF oven, cook the bacon to a crisp and save the drippings.

  2. Chop the drained bacon and onions into a bowl.

  3. Mix in sauces, sugar, and beer.

  4. Once mixed, add chipotle chilies and beans and mix to coat.

  5. Transfer to your baking dish and bake for 1 hour uncovered till it bubbles and slightly thickens. Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker or instant pot if you’re reluctant to heat up the kitchen.

  6. Be sure to cool the beans for 15 minutes before serving.

  7. Enjoy!

Jalapeno Cornbread

Bringing in a little more heat to the summer day, this jalapeno cornbread also gives us the sweet and savory spice action with the cajun seasoning and jalapeno pieces on top. It’ll pair well with the baked beans if you decide to do both and elevate the basic cornbread with an extra subtle flavor note.

• Scrumptious right? Check out this recipe.

  Serves 12

  You’ll need
  Large Iron Skillet or a Cake Pan
  
  Ingredients
  6 tbsp butter or margarine
  2/3 cup of apple sauce
  ½ cup honey
  ½ cup sugar
  2 eggs
  2 cups buttermilk (or almond milk and 2 tbsp rice vinegar)
  1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  1 tsp salt
  1 tsp baking soda
  2 cups cornmeal (fine to medium grain)
  2 cups all purpose flour (or gf bread mix)
  2 jalapenos sliced
  
  Instructions:

  1. If using almond milk, mix vinegar and milk in bowl and let sit.

  2. Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an iron skillet.

  3. Melt butter and add to large mixing bowl.

  4. Mix in applesauce, honey, sugar, and eggs.

  5. Mix in salt, baking soda and Cajun seasoning.

  6. Add almond milk mixture or buttermilk.

  7. Stir in cornmeal.

  8. Stir in flour until just incorporated.

  9. Pour batter evenly into your pan and place jalapenos on decoratively on top.

  10. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and bread is slightly golden brown.

Quick ‘n’ Easy Lemon Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

A side could mean dessert, right? If you’re not the baking type, you might enjoy these no-bake lemon cheesecake stuffed strawberries. It’s the easiest to make and the yummiest to eat. Hopefully they make it to the party before you eat them all! (Let’s be honest, you might want to make a few extra to keep around for later.)

• You're going to love this... Here's the Recipe.

  Tools
  Knife
  Tiny melon baller
  Zester
  Mixer or Hand mixer
  Piping bag

  Ingredients

  1 lb strawberries
  8 oz cream cheese softened
  ¼ cup powdered sugar
  ½ cup vanilla extract
  1 tsp lemon zest (optional if you don’t want the lemon flavor)
  ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs (optional)
  
  Instructions

  1. Zest a lemon if you want.

  2. Mix cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla till combined and fluffy.

  3. Cut tops off strawberries and dig out the inside.

  4. Fill piping bag with cream cheese mixture and pipe into strawberries.

  5. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs on top. (Wait on this step till you’re ready to serve.)

Let us know how we can help with your summer party plans! We’re always at your service. 310-928-9438