Backyard Barbecue with 2 new recipes…

Here is what I want to be grilling up Labor Day Weekend with this week’s #FlashbackFriday

Happy Sunday all!  This past week we participated in an incredibly fun slider party that included turning everything we picked up at the Farmer’s Market into one delicious dinner for everyone to chow down on.  The best part ~ not only was everything local, but, it was all delicious & nutritious.  Yep, it was totally necessary to rhyme there lol.  We did supplement the dinner with a few a couple of new products I have been wanting to try and a few easy appetizers we picked up at the store.

Total Farm to Table ~ including all the bugs that were in the garden! Just kidding….but, aren’t these just the cutest appetizer I’ve ever seen ~ seriously!

Lady Bug Crackers & Cheese

She used Triscuits topped with brie & Oikos Veggies Yogurt Dip, then, used tomato halves for the bodies, olives for the head, chives for the antenna’s and balsamic glaze for the spots.

I probably could’ve eaten this entire plate of shrimp cocktail, but, I shared.

Veggies for continuous healthy, crunching and munching all night.

I was in charge of 3 things ~ salad, sliders & all the fixin’s to go on them.

After picking up these beautiful heirloom tomatoes & watermelon, we decided they would be the star of the salad.

Enter a Watermelon & Tomato Salad or “chunky gazpacho” as we told one of my friends husband’s who has been asking for watermelon gazpacho ~ it’s all the same lol.

Thanks to my friend for sending along this fabulous recipe to try out.  This recipe is 100% Simply Filling and is 0 points+.  This salad is perfect on a hot summer night when you do not want to heat up the house.  The colorful heirloom tomatoes pair so well with the juicy watermelon, crisp basil and sweet onions.  You definitely get subtle hints from the sea salt and balsamic but they really do just enhance the flavor making you want to go back for more.

WATERMELON & TOMATO SALAD (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups watermelon, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups tomatoes, sliced into various sizes
• 2 Tbsp. sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• Coarse sea salt & black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Combine watermelon through balsamic in a large mixing bowl.  Toss gently, sprinkle with sea salt & black pepper and serve at once.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/4 cup each, 100% Simply Filling, 0 SmartPoints, 0 points+

Nutritional information per calorie count based on one serving:

At the market, we picked up grass fed beef for my sliders and these spicy hot links for the guys from the farmers who grow/produce everything for the Farmstead Restaurant in Napa.

The “secret” to making grass fed beef sliders tender is adding in a few slices of real deal bacon to add back some fat and flavor.  I also added in garlic, onion, pepper and mushrooms with a little sea salt & black pepper for that same reason.  A little bacon goes a long way ~ to the 2 lbs. of beef, we used only 3 slices of bacon.

Grilled for 5 minutes on each side ~ you could cook them less if you want them pink inside.

BARBECUE BEEF & BACON SLIDERS (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef, around 10% fat
• 3 slices apple wood smoked thick cut bacon, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
• sea salt & black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Combine the beef through the mushrooms with 2 tsp. sea salt and 1 tsp. black pepper.  Use your hands to mix just until combined.  Form into 2 inch patties.

2.  Spray each patty with nonstick spray or drizzle with a little olive oil, then, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Grill for 5 minutes on each side, rest and serve up with all your favorite toppings on sweet Hawaiian buns or lettuce cups.

Makes 20 sliders, 2 SmartPoints, 2 points+ each, Simply Filling + 0 WPA

Nutritional information per slider calculated at caloriecount.com

Did I mention we had 3 types of sliders at the party??  We had veggie sliders for the vegetarians with mushrooms, onion & garlic and then BBQ Pork Sliders too.

The pork cooked in beer in the slower cooker all day.  Then, it was shredded and The Husband poured his secret sauce (BBQ) all over the top mixing it through.

Yep, it really was as good as it looks!

The last thing I brought to the Backyard BBQ was all the fixin’s for our sliders.  The folks at Sir Kensingtons asked me if I wanted to give their all natural, non-GMO condiments a try.

Being a fan of real foods with real ingredients, I couldn’t wait to give them a swirl on our sliders!

Classic & Spiced ~ they know me so well!

I totally love the fact they let you know right on the jar why their products are better for you and they have fun with their comments.

Everything that you can recognize and everything that should be in your spicy ketchup.

Classic & Chipotle Mayo.  Next time I am going to try adding the chipotle mayo to the burger mix to add back some fat to keep the meat from drying out.

Both products use Cage Free Eggs and are non-gmo verified ~ two things that I ALWAYS look for.

3 points+ a serving, but, a little goes a long way ~ it’s smoky, spicy and very creamy.

I served up my BBQ Beef & Bacon Sliders with thick tomato slices, lettuce and Sir Kensington’s Spiced Ketchup on sweet Hawaiian Rolls.

Sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, bacony ~ melt in your mouth good!

5 points+ (SF + 3 WPA) ~ use lettuce cups and save on using your WPA.

My second slider was Pulled Pork on a sweet Hawaiian Roll with Wickles of course!

5 points+ (SF + 3 WPA) ~ use lettuce cups and save on using your WPA.

The rest of my plate included Watermelon/Tomato Salad, Mushrooms/Onions, Pasta Salad & a bite of the Hot Link.

Last but not least ~ we had homemade blueberry pie for dessert.

Shark Week starts tonight ~ off to watch it with The Husband!

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What is one dish you love to serve up at your backyard barbecues?

Night all!