Hop, Skip & a Kick in the @#!

By Maureen C. Petrosky

Memorial Day weekend kicks off yet another summer season and the folks in Ocean Gate NJ served up some serious Americana with a big bumpin’ cookout complete with karaoke and kegs. This year the annual holiday hoopla celebrated turning 21. All the usual suspects graced the tables--spinach dip, chips, potato salad (regular and hot and one topped with what seemed to be crushed cornflakes), meatballs and sausage, hot wings, an amazing curried sweet potato dish, and several styles of pasta salad and all the while the grill was smoking up burgers and dogs.

There’s always someone behind the scenes at these events- the conductor of the feeding frenzy, the one who knows how many tables, chairs, plates and most importantly drinks will be needed to keep a content crowd. “Ar” to her four Jersey-grown boys and most of the Oceangaters, is this summer soiree’s sovereign. She boasts a tri- state crowd upwards of one hundred in attendance. Two things she said of this Memorial Day could be said of hundreds of other gatherings on this same holiday. First, “It’s come a long way since it started” and second, “everybody brings”. The covered dishes appeared with an endless stream of smiling faces. Those smiles turned to boisterous laughter as the beverages served up a healthy portion of guts and glory at the karaoke corral. Ar makes at least ten gallons of white sangria, as well as the partygoers’ fave- a drink called a Hop, Skip and a Kick in the @#! Here’s what’s in the cooler:

Ingredients
1 can frozen Limeade (save can)
1 can Vodka
1 can white wine
1 Beer
Load up the Igloo the rest of the way with ice and serve.

It’s a quick pick-me-up to start any summer celebration. Add this mix to your next summer shindig and you may just be kicking off a new annual tradition.