We’ve made it to another Friday – how’d that happen? To celebrate the end of BBQ Week, I wanted to leave you with a slew of other recipes that you might consider for your barbecue plans this weekend. And, if you have some plans and you make something you see here, please tag it on Instagram with #GMSForRealLife!

First up, these Maple Baked Beans will go great on the side of your dog (or, if you’re like me, right on top!) These were a hit in this house, and they are great cold or piping hot.

This Carolina Pulled Pork we made was something that we won’t soon forget. It’s tangy and sweet, with a hint of spice, and it goes well with some cabbage slaw. If you need a good slaw recipe, check out this one from our BFF PW.

My mom always makes a big batch of Macaroni Salad whenever we BBQ, and I have to admit no matter how many I try, this is still one of my faves. It’s simple, and it’s one of the only foods I love really truly cold.

Need some beer to wash down all that BBQ? I thought so. Check out these Summer Beers that George was kind enough to round up for us once upon a time.

I hope that this gets you through the weekend and summer of BBQs, but if you feel like I missed something, holla atcha girl – I’m open to making whatever recipes you want!

Happy Weekend, y’all!

Morning, chickens! I’m stoked about the idea of BBQ week, because as soon as summer weather hits us in Chicago, I’m all about focusing on food that can be prepared on a grill.

Food is just better that way. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere where it’s never winter, you should be doing it all the time.

Anyway, this grilled corn dip (full recipe here) was born of a need to bring a dish to share to a party celebrating my friend C, who finally came back to us from the far reaches of Myanmar. It was delicious, and just the kind of thing to nosh on before it was time for pizza.

It also goes great with white wine, in case you were wondering.

I’m always wondering that.

This came together easy (confession: JW made this dip while I hung out on the couch after several happy hour glasses of prosecco) and was adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe. It was pretty spicy, so if you’re against fire, or you have a toddler who loves to dip chips, you might want to go easy on the hot sauce and chiles.

Enjoy!

We’ve made it to Wednesday, and for that I have something to make you smile. I love a mac salad, but I also love a potato salad at my barbecues – it mixes it up a little, right? Plus, you can maybe feel better about eating potatoes than straight pasta. We have a couple traditional potato salads we gravitate towards, but for this we went in another direction. Because, when you have friends with dietary restrictions, you want them to eat everything at the table and feel as included as everyone else…right?

I figured. I do, too – plus, then I don’t spend the first ten minutes of a barbecue pointing out what has what ingredients and what doesn’t, and so on. Just a good ole “Eat anything you’d like!” is what makes me happiest. So instead of a normal potato salad, I figured you guys might like a Sweet Potato Mash. This only has three ingredients, was sweet and savory, and it’s perfect warm or cold, so you can bring it to a barbecue without worrying!

If you want it to be be a little more like a traditional potato salad, go ahead and cube your sweet potatoes first and boil them a minute or two less than mash-ready potatoes. The full recipe is here!

So now you’ve got a mac salad, a potato salad, and a barbecue sauce recipe. Almost a full spread – add some corn on the cobb, and a pie, and you’re all set. Check back tomorrow for one more thing to add to your table and make you the Crown Queen (or King) of the backyard barbecue!

OK, so everyone has a meat they grill up (if they’re not a vegetarian) and that is there go-to, so I didn’t want to spend this week giving you a bunch of meat recipes. You got that down – burgs, dogs, etc. But I do want to introduce you to this Mac Salad that literally made me put feta on everything for a good three weeks.

Guys, why don’t we put feta on more things?! Like, everything. The key to this recipe is you add the feta when the pasta is still warm, and it melts into it making it creamy and magical. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this sooner, but I was basically impatient making this salad and so I added feta when the pasta was still warm and happiness was born.

The full recipe is here for you to enjoy. It’s basically tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta, and a tangy vinegar. Mediterranean in a salad. It’s great cold or room temperature, and it’s great as a side to a burger, or directly on top of your hot dog. I know, it sounds weird, but trust me. Don’t like olives? Up the cukes and the tomatoes, and then maybe add some more cheese, because why not?

Make sure to use a short macaroni so that it’s about the same size as your ingredients, and makes it easier to eat off of a paper plate – I recommend elbows!

If Mac Salad isn’t your thing, I’ve have another recipe up tomorrow that’s paleo and a little…sweeter than this one. What’s your go-to BBQ dish?!

Hey folks! I don’t normally like themes, but when they involve food, I’m all over it. Last week’s Popsicle Week was a lot of fun, and I think you are going to like this week’s theme, too. Who doesn’t love a barbecue? I want to give you some options on things to take out to the backyard this summer, as well as some items to bring along to a friend’s barbecue. Everything is easy to transport so you’re not left with logistical issues – easy is key.

First up, we’ve got some BBQ chicken skewers. Simple, easy, and crowd-pleasing. You can use whatever barbecue sauce you like, but we recommend using Corelyn’s Barbecue Sauce recipe, which she accidentally invented a few years back that’s now a staple.

So here’s what to do – make your barbecue sauce and let it marry for about an hour in the fridge. Meanwhile, cut your chicken (we used breasts) into bite-size pieces and put it on skewers. Make sure to leave enough room at each end for flipping needs. Place in a shallow baking dish (or double plastic bags – but be careful not to piece the bags!) and cover in the barbecue sauce. Sit until ready to grill, then grill over medium-high heat until the chicken is done!

This was a great solution this weekend when we were tailgating to get the chicken cooked quickly and safely on the grill without having too much raw chicken interaction – plus, skewers are easier to eat, and frankly, just more fun.

Tomorrow, we have some Mac Salad that I really think you guys are going to dig…see you then!