The first day of summer vacation for many of us is also the first day of barbequing for family and friends. Here are some ideas you can start with:

A great menu for Memorial Day would be barbequed chicken skews with coleslaw, baked beans, watermelon or strawberries, and a baked strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert.

For barbequed chicken skews you will need to have chicken, marinated in a sauce of your choice. Smoky barbeque, sweet chilli, teriyaki, sweet and sour or satay sauces are all popular. You will also need pineapple, peppers, and onions. Cut the ingredients into one-inch pieces. The vegetables should be 1 inch by 1 centimeter or less. The idea is to have enough substance to skew the ingredients with so it will stay on. Then you simple place the skewers on the grill and barbeque until the meat is cooked through.

For a glazed strawberry rhubarb pie you will need 1 ¼ cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup flour, 2 cups fresh strawberries, 2 cups fresh rhubarb cut into 1 inch pieces, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 pie crusts. You will combine the sugar, salt and flour together. Arrange the strawberries and rhubarb in the pie pan with 1 piecrust. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture into the crust then create another layer until the remaining fruit and mixture are in the crust. Dot the mixture with butter. Place the second crust on top in either a latticework or cut holes in the top. Sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar on the top of the crust. You will bake the pie for 40 to 50 minutes at 425 degrees. Make sure the rhubarb is tender and the crust is browned.

Making simple food that you know your guests will enjoy should be foremost in your mind. At least then instead of slaving in the kitchen, you’ll be able to enjoy the celebrations with your guests.