Perfect Pre-Summer BBQ

One of the best things about summer is BBQ'ing in the backyard.  Luckily, living in So Cal permits me to enjoy the backyard most of the year, even when it isn't summer.  Love So Cal! The perfect dinner is burgers, mac and cheese, corn, and salad.  And fries of some sort.

In an effort to create the perfect BBQ, I marinaded my lean beef with a package of Trader Joe's taco seasoning and a can of their Fire Roasted Diced Green Chile for some spice.  Obviously burgers need bacon (turkey bacon since I am on a health kick) and guac (because we all need our green vitamins).  I made the guac with some crushed garlic, a few ripe avocados (thank you Betty, your avocados are delightful!), a couple table spoons of whatever tasty salsa you happen to have around, salt, fresh cilantro, jalapenos finely chopped (I prefer to grill them first), and a bunch of freshly squeezed lime juice. 

Next, I prepared mac and cheese. The best thing about mac and cheese is that you can use pretty much whatever you have in your fridge and can concoct a pretty tasty side dish. I used small shells. Don't they look nice in my bright blue colander?

I based this recipe off of one found on thekitchen.com and made a few adjustments.  After I cooked the macaroni, I threw it back in the same pan.  Because I was feeling lazy and did not want to bother dirtying up additional dishes, I added a large pie slice of brie cheese, a heaping handful of swiss and gruyere cheese, a nice chunk of butter, a prolonged dash of white wine, and about 13 mushrooms that I quartered.  I let my concoction cook until melted and then I taste tested.  It definitely needed salt and was incredibly rich.  So, I put it in a baking dish, added some more cheese to the top, more salt, and some bits of sun dried tomatoes to try to liven up the richness. I baked for a few minutes until bubbling.

Not sure why but I heard that if you let corn sit in ice cold water for a bit before cooking it tastes better.  Pretty much I believe everything I am told.

Jalapenos, onions and corn ready for the grill. Hubbs' seasons generously with lime while grilling.

A burger is not the same without fries.  To add some flare to the meal I made sweet potato fries. Yum!  Slice them up, throw them in a big pan with a bunch of oil (exact measurement).  Let them cook for quite a while. 35 minutes or so. Stirring frequently.

After the fries are cooked thoroughly, drain on a thick paper towel and season generously with thick salt.  I used the Palm's Tuscan Sea Salt.

Because I am a health nut (no chuckling), I made a salad made up of micro greens and rocket arugula.  I mixed in some olive oil, a 1/3 of a large lemon's juice, and some sea salt.  Let sit for 30 mins, then added a bit more arugula. The result is paradise.

The end result: a feast!

What is your favorite type of BBQ?