This Memorial Day cook up some lip smacking delicacies for your friends and family. Show off your culinary calibers and soak in all the praises showered on you. Its summer!!! And Memorial Day is the right occasion to treat your taste buds to some sizzling barbecue, steaks, grilled potatoes, pies, desserts, salads and much more. Barbeque undoubtedly tops the list. If you’re planning a Memorial Day cookout or a special Memorial Day barbecue party this year here’s a list of items to include in your menu.

• A succulent barbecue

• Steaks

• Bacons
• Delicious Chicken preparations (anything will be gorged on)

• Grilled Asparagus

• Corn on the Cob

• Roasted potato salads or shrimp salads

• Grilled Zucchini

• Cream and cheese sandwiches

• Baked beans

• Strawberry Melon Wedges

• Pork Ribs

• Hotdogs

• Burgers (lamb, chicken…anything!)

• Strawberry Cream Pie

• Lemonade (a real refreshing idea)

• Sundaes

• Special Memorial Day Cake (top it with blue syrups, white cream and red cherries to give that patriotic flavor in it)

• Memorial Day pies (don’t forget the blueberry and raspberry toppings)

• Tomato Tarts

If the kitchen is your lab and you love to experiment around with some cool recipes this summer, here are a few you might just try out. What’s better than to start off with a yummy salad recipe –

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

• One 9 ounce package of baby spinach leaves

• 1 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries

• 1/3 cup toasted almonds

• 3-4 sliced green onions

• Olive oil

• White Balsamic vinegar

• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper ( to taste)

Instructions:

• Toast the almonds on a pan in the oven at 300 degrees F for a few minutes (they brown quickly) or place the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat until toasted (shake the skillet a few times while over the heat to toast evenly)

• Make sure to remove any stems from the spinach and place the leaves in a salad bowl with the green onions

• Drizzle with a little olive oil (just enough to lightly coat the spinach)

• Place the bowl in the refrigerator until serving time
To serve:

• Rinse the strawberries just before tossing the salad, dry them and slice them

• Add the toasted almonds and sliced strawberries to the salad bowl and sprinkle with white balsamic vinaigrette to taste

• Add a little salt and fresh ground pepper and toss the salad and then plate

And who can ignore a BBQ recipe on Memorial Day. Here’s one to check out –

BBQ Steaks

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon onion powder

salt ( to taste )

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 (1/2 pound) beef rib eye steaks

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke and cayenne pepper.
Place steaks in a shallow, nonporous dish, and pour marinade over steaks. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high to high heat. Grill steaks for 7 to 8 minutes per side on a lightly oiled grate.

And here’s one for the burger lovers –

Wasabi Salmon Burgers

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

• 1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder

• 1 pound salmon fillet

• 2 each scallions

• 1 each egg

• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Cooking Instructions

Whisk soy sauce, wasabi powder and honey in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
With a large chef's knife, chop salmon using quick, even, straight-up-and-down motions (do not rock the knife through the fish or it will turn mushy). Continue chopping, rotating the knife, until you have a mass of roughly 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add scallions, egg, ginger and oil; stir to combine. Form the mixture into 4 patties. The mixture will be moist and loose, but holds together nicely once the first side is cooked.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the patties and cook for 4 minutes. Turn and continue to cook until firm and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Spoon the reserved wasabi glaze evenly over the burgers and cook for 15 seconds more. Serve immediately.