Whenever I visit my parents, I find myself “parenting” my parents a lot. Mostly, I critique their dietary choices — particularly my mother’s disdain for lettuce and my father’s fondness for mid-morning brownies.
So when I visited over July 4th, I made it my mission to cook a somewhat balanced BBQ dinner. (No frozen e-coli patties allowed.)
Naturally, I wore a completely inappropriate outfit for grilling: a silk strappy tank, my favorite floaty navy skirt (seen here and here) and a faded flag scarf (available for $38 here).
Sandals: Trademark
I would have had a completely meltdown if I had inadvertently splashed any of my mustard-based marinade on the blouse. Luckily, everything remained somehow clean.
Appropriate or not, this outfit was incredibly comfortable and made me feel very glam, in a retro 1950s sort of way. I can attribute this outfit choice to the fact that my jeans have just been a little too tight lately, thanks to my OWN poor diet during my hectic travel schedule. More details in another post down the road.)
For this meal, I opted for a super-classic menu with zero stress: a wedge salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, roasted corn with chili-lime butter and beef burgers. (My mom contributed egg-and-potato salad.)
The wedge salad is one of my standbys. Just quarter a head of iceberg and drizzle on several spoonfuls of vinegar-y dressing. I used this recipe, which is tangy, thanks to the sour cream and pickled shallots.
The corn roasts in its own husk. After two hours, you simply peel down the husks with all the ease of a banana and brush on the flavorful butter. (I used this recipe, although I basically doubled the cooking time.)
I didn’t use a recipe for the burgers, but I included panko crumbs, Sticky Fingers Carolina Classic BBQ sauce, liquid smoke, grated garlic and Worcestershire sauce in the all-beef mixture.
When you’re cooking for friends and family, do you tend to dress up? (Pearls and apron? Or splash-ready sweats and a tee?) I’d love to hear your thoughts!
