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.

It’s Memorial Day Weekend: Time To Start Grilling!

By Millicent K. Brody

It’s almost the holiday weekend, and I know many of you are racing around trying to gather all of the ingredients for your Memorial Day backyard barbeque. Lucky for me, my son Michael is the grill master. I truly believe for an at-home burger, his can’t be beat! Taking a tip from his dad, we buy prime Black Angus beef. As we tend to shop at quality butchers like Hind and Fore in Bridgewater, John’s Meat Market in Scotch Plains, or supermarkets like Whole Foods, Kings, A & P, or Fairways, the butchers are really kind and do their best to cut our beef to perfection. Because we enjoy generous-sized burgers, we don’t pat them flat. Just before grilling, we always add a bit of Kosher salt and cracked pepper.

“Make sure your grill is piping hot,” Michael says. “Grill 5 minutes on each side. For a cheeseburger, thinly slice a Wisconsin cheddar and carefully layer it on to the burger. Toast crusty Italian rolls or quality burger rolls and have them ready to receive the beef. Platter your burgers and bring them to the table. Serve with homemade potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and pickles. YUM!

My friend, Mr. Tom the Nascar Man, is of a different opinion. He says, “The flavor is in the fat. Buy fatty hamburger meat. “Before grilling your burgers, use your finger, and rake-off a teeny slab of Havarti cheese. Carefully, poke the cheese inside the burger. Add a dash of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, and place the meat on to the grill. For official burnt grill lines, be sure to turn the burgers every two minutes.”

As an appetizer or official “bar” food, you could go with a classic and serve chicken wings. Lightly toss wings in a bowl filled with Good Seasons Italian Dressing. Turn your oven on to 350 degrees. Toss chicken wings in a brown paper bag filled with Italian breadcrumbs. When fully coated, place the wings on a greased cookie sheet and pop into the oven. Let them bake for at least twenty minutes before turning. When wings turn golden brown and crispy, remove and serve with creamy blue cheese, celery sticks, and carrots. As Mr. Tom hails from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, he always has a refrigerator full of ice-cold Yuengling to share with his good buddies.

Monty the filet mignon man visits his friendly butcher, where he is known to buy prime beef cut 2 inches thick. After sprinkling with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, he fires up the grill to blazing hot. He times his steak and grills 4 minutes on each side. Monty serves his beef with specially baked potatoes, or French fries and a Caesar salad.

The secret?

He says, “There is no secret. I visit my butcher, and watch as he cuts me a slab of meat to suit the occasion.”

So what’s for dessert? Of course I include a fruit platter. But then I add a selection of ice cream in flavors of coffee, chocolate, and Cherry Garcia. Guests help themselves to hot fudge, fresh whipped cream, and jimmies.

Tell me, what could be better? Happy Holiday and Enjoy!