“Make Ahead” Memorial Day Menu!

Here at the Partybluprints Blog, we have done some polling of friends and family online and off and have discovered that a large majority of you participate in activities ( parades, fairs, races…) on Memorial Day and then head home or to a family member or friend’s house to celebrate.  With that in mind, we have come up with a Marvelous “Make-Ahead” Menu that will be perfect for your party!  This one can pretty much be done the day before, leaving you FREE to have FUN all day and still be able to  host a memorable Memorial Day bash!

So here’s the line up of recipes, we hope you enjoy!  Be sure to check out Memorial Day Party Activities with Meaning>

Lazy Man’s Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

(Recipe Serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound boneless pork butt (shoulder)
• 1 14 1/2-oz can beef broth
• 1/3 cup hot pepper sauce
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
• 10-12 sandwich buns

Preparation:

• Place pork butt in bottom of large slow cooker. Combine broth, hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce, and pour over pork. Cover and cook on high setting for 5 hours (or 8-10 hours on low setting) until pork is very tender. Meanwhile, for sauce, combine all ingredients in large saucepan; set aside.

• Place pork on cutting board; reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Coarsely chop pork; combine with reserved cooking liquid and sauce in saucepan; heat over medium heat until warm. Spoon pork onto sandwich buns to serve.

Napa Cold Slaw

(Recipe Serves 10-12)

Here is a light and refreshing version of cold slaw.  This slaw is the perfect picnic side dish.  It’s also the ultimate condiment for BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 head napa cabbage – washed, dried, shredded
• 1 small carrot – grated

Dressing:

• ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ½ cup olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

• Combine shredded cabbage and carrots.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to dress and serve.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar or blender.  Shake/blend well.  Cover and set aside until ready to dress salad and serve.  Dress salad lightly, toss to fully coat and serve.  You want to serve it nice and crunchy, so don’t let it sit too long with dressing before serving.

Hot Dog Kebabs (for the kids)

Ingredients:

• Hot Dogs – sliced into 1 ½” pieces
• Tater Tots – frozen
• Kosher Dill Pickles – sliced into 1 ½” pieces
• Cherry Tomatoes – washed and dried
• Red Onion – cut into wedges
• Optional: Biscuits (recipe for a light version here>)

Preparation:

• Soak skewers in water (this will keep them from burning on the grill).  Prepare kebabs ahead of time.  Cook hot dogs and tater tots according to directions on package, set aside to cool.  When cool, slice hot dogs into 1 ½” pieces.  Cut other items and set aside.  When ready to assemble simply start skewering hot dogs, tater tots, pickles, cherry tomatoes and onion.  Grill to warm through and serve.

• A good rule is 1 kebab per child, 2 kebabs for children over 12.

Optional: Serve biscuits (whether you make these from scratch, box mix or refrigerated canisters, they’ll be a hot ticket item) with the kebabs.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

(Recipe serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped in small uniform pieces
• 1/2 red onion, chopped chopped in small uniform pieces
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper and chopped cilantro to taste

Preparation: