I have so many delicious memorial day weekend recipes for you!

I know we’re still a week and a half out, but I could NOT be more excited for the kick off to summer this year. MDW is one of my favorite weekends of the entire year and right now I’m feeling so much more hopeful and great about this season to come! Today I have a ton of my favorite recipes for Memorial Day weekend for you – not just burgers and hot dogs, but amazing salads, snacks, appetizers and dips, side dishes, grilled meals, cocktails and treats. It can’t get any better than this!

For a million years we have always gone to a Memorial Day parade on Monday then walked through the cemetery – it’s a tradition. The days before, we do tons in preparation for summer and just have a lovely little weekend. I love it!

Do you have any plans for the weekend? What delicious things are you making?

60 Memorial Day Weekend Recipes

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Nothing better than a berry flag cake in the summer!

This white sheet cake is studded with festive sprinkles, topped with fresh whipped cream and all the cutesy flag berries. It tastes amazing and is fun to serve. I’ve made a cupcake version before and they are always a hit!

Ohhh how we live for a festive sheet cake over here.

I have a triple berry sheet cake with cream cheese frosting and it’s DIVINE. It’s the inspiration base for this recipe. In fact, I took red white and blue sprinkles and just added them to the batter! 

That is it.

And then made the classic berry flag. Who made the first flag cake? Ina? Martha? I don’t even know but I thank them for it. It’s basically my favorite cake to make in the summer! It’s fun, festive, delicious and the kids flip over it.

Seriously, they could eat an entire grocery store worth of berries in a week. 

This is a fun funfetti cake! My kids love adding the sprinkles. Get a bunch of red white and blue sprinkles – just get the jumbo jar! You can use them for brownies or cookies or ice cream sundaes and stuff all summer long. Because you need about ½ cup of sprinkles and those little tubes at the store won’t cut it. 

I like to use both vanilla and almond extract. The almond gives it that slight sugar cookie flavor and it’s wonderful. It’s not full blown “wedding cake” flavored – but it has a hint of something else that makes it taste special. 

Now the frosting… you know I’m a cream cheese frosting freak. And I LOVE using it on my sheet cakes. But if you want something lighter, I suggest whipped cream. I used fresh whipped cream on this cake because it goes so well with berries.

It’s classic and light and just makes the cake. 

While it doesn’t have the same texture, this cake kind of reminds me of angel food cake when you top it with the whipped cream. It’s that light and airy and so lovely to eat on a hot summer day.  (more…)

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It’s picnic food season!

This is where I try to convince you that a hot dog is a recipe! We’re making pickle slaw to use on hot dogs (or burgers!) and it’s so crunchy, briney and delicious. 

I’ve done this before, (not) shockingly. Hot cheeto hot dogs! Puff pastry wrapped hot dogs! An entire hot dog bar!

Okay, so this isn’t actually about the hot dog. But I always love one really good hot dog in the summer. It just TASTES like summer, you know? Toasty brioche bun, maybe a mix of ketchup and mustard and even a drizzle of relish.

That’s really what this is: relish slaw. But that doesn’t sound as cute as pickle slaw. It actually sounds awful, so pickle slaw is what we’re going with. 

Plus, relish IS pickles… so there’s that. 

That’s what we’re talking about here. The pickle slaw!!! 

Even though I’ve loved pickles my entire life, it took me a really long time to realize that relish is a version of pickles. So I missed out on relish for many many years! But now I’m so fully invested that I love both sweet and dill relish. 

I also LIVE for a good, crisp refreshing slaw. I crave it on tacos, sandwiches, as a salad and more. I’ve made a few versions for hot dogs before and I’ve even made pickle slaw a few times.

This one is classic and simple enough for hot dogs that any pickle or relish lover will LOVE it. The slaw is a tangy, vinegar based one – I love that more than creamy slaws – and it works with pretty much any condiment that you love.

Also works with cheese! If you’re into that sort of thing for your hot dog. Or burger. Or sandwich. (more…)

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Seasonal summer salads, here we are! 

This red white and berry arugula salad is a summer dream. Four different kinds of berries, a lemony goat cheese vinaigrette and pistachio clusters make up this simple dish. It’s easy and classic with a twist – and full of so much crunch and flavor!

It’s sure to be the salad of the summer. Festive, delicious and satisfying. Plus perfect for a big BBQ! Great for Memorial Day weekend, the 4th of July or any summer weeknight you want something fresh and wonderful. 

I LOVE salads just like this. I’ve shared a triple berry crunch salad before that has roasted chickpeas. And in Easy Everyday, I have another really delish berry arugula salad! The combination of the peppery arugula against the sweet berries is perfect and one we adore. 

And I even love making an easy salad like this as a starter for dinner. If there are berries involved, I can usually get my kids on board! 

This salad has so much more than just berries though. 

These pistachios clusters… oh my gosh. I want to eat these forever. 

They are inspired by the pepitas in my harvest honeycrisp salad. But I skipped the spices, made them in a skillet instead of the oven and they are so simple.

And SO crunchy! 

I mean, I could easily snack on these alone. But in a salad? Holy cow. They elevate it so much. 

And let’s talk about the dressing!

I have two similar dressings – my blue cheese vinaigrette and my smashed feta vinaigrette. This is like that, but with goat cheese. It is the best mix of creamy versus vinegar-based, because as the goat cheese warms up, it makes the dressing slightly creamy. But it’s not super thick and heavy, like a traditional creamy dressing. (more…)

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Let me tell you how I’m officially OLD.

I love these lettuce wrap burgers.

Like, LOVE THEM. Blue cheese burgers piled high with caramelized onions, drizzled with creamy honey mustard and served in lettuce wraps. Freaking delicious.

I just adore them!

A few years ago, you couldn’t have paid me to eat a burger wrapped in lettuce. 

And trust me, this is nothing about cutting out the bun or the bread. Has nothing to do with that. It’s all about the CRISP LETTUCE.

Refreshing, crisp iceberg lettuce that we all usually treat like garbage. You know? We say it tastes like stale water and is worthless in a salad.

But as a wrap? TOP NOTCH. It is supreme. 

Sure, we kind of already know this from lettuce wrap – the famous ones with the sesame chicken and all that. 

But lettuce wrap burgers are the one way I have always avoided using the lettuce… thinking it would be too messy, not sturdy enough and just not as… good? Sort of like a give me brioche or give me death situation. Nothing can beat the brioche bun. 

However, it was definitely my cheeseburger salads that started to change my mind a few years ago. Something about the crisp lettuce is part of that classic cheeseburger flavor – mixed with the cheddar and the ketchup and the mustard and oh! It’s fabulous. 

So I started making cheeseburger lettuce wraps. Dreamy. And so easy. The lettuce wraps add this cooling, refreshing bite on a hot summer day. 

Now here is why THESE burgers are the best: 

They are topped with blue cheese which gets extra melty. 

Caramelized onions, which we know make every burger better.

And a drizzle of creamy homemade honey mustard! 

All wrapped up in that cold iceberg lettuce leaf. Juicy as heck, melty with cheese, so flavorful I could scream.  (more…)

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We’re making a salad today!

A BLT salad. But a pasta salad too!

This broccoli BLT pasta salad is incredible – super flavorful, filled with crunchy texture, mixed in an asiago ranch dressing (!!!!) and tastes divine.

This is a party pasta salad.

There is no other way to describe it. The recipe will make a TON. It feeds a giant crowd. It’s perfect for a summer BBQ or a potluck any time of year. 

And this is a pretty huge deal because if you search for pasta salad here on the site, you will know that I don’t love creamy dressings or pasta salad with creamy dressings. I am very much in the vinaigrette camp when it comes to pasta salads.

But I make an exception for this one. 

I know that BLT pasta salads have been around for years. In fact, I had a terrible experience with one about a decade ago that turned me off of them completely. I swore I would NEVER make one and serve it, let alone share it with a ton of people on the internet. 

But here we are! 

Something about bacon and broccoli, and turning that into a pasta salad, just spoke to me. 

And let me interject and interrupt myself. One of you mentioned in my weekend post, after you saw this photo, that it looked like a “wedge salad pasta salad.”

Um, hello. Why didn’t I think of that?!

Here’s the good news: this totally CAN be a wedge pasta salad. Just swap out the ranch for blue cheese dressing! And boom. A classic wedge salad pasta salad. 

Anyhoo. Back to my rambles.

This pasta salad does take some prep work. However, you can prepare everything ahead of time and combine it before serving. 

First things first! I cook the pasta and set it aside to cool. This is a cold pasta salad, so you want cold pasta. 

I also fry the bacon. I chop it and then fry it, making it easier and quicker. Then, I remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain the excess grease. 

And I blanch the broccoli! This is not required, but I prefer it this way. You can chop raw broccoli into florets and use it that way, just like a classic broccoli salad. I prefer to blanch it so it’s slightly softer but also retains that gorgeous shade of green.  (more…)

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Sweet sweet summertime! 

These queso hot dogs are a summertime dream. Grilled hot dogs topped with melty cheese, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, green onions and a crunchy tortilla chip shower. 

Wowza!

It’s no secret that I love a good hot dog. I LIVE for the perfect hot dog in the summer. I’m fine with one. 

If I have the chance to have another in the summer, I go full-on hot dog bar. There is nothing better.

Hot dogs, All the toppings. Lots of cheese. 

It speaks to my soul!!! 

It always feels FUNNY to post a “recipe” for a hot dog. We all know this isn’t really a recipe. A hot dog is not a recipe.

Even if it has flaming hot cheetos!

In this case, grill it, pop it in a toasty bun, drizzle it with your favorite melty queso and top it with jalapenos, tomatoes, scallions and crushed tortilla chips. 

Yum yum yum. 

This is embarrassingly easy, but it’s fun! I use my classic queso recipe and have it ready to go as soon as the hot dogs come off the grill. You can make that queso and keep it warm in a tiny slow cooker. That way, your guests can drizzle it on their hot dogs or buns or even tortilla chips on the side! 

And let’s be real – you don’t even have to make your own queso. Yes, I love my recipe. But if I’m in a pinch, I’ll grab the tub of queso from costco (it’s so good!) and throw that in a slow cooker. 

Who can resist these?! (more…)

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I live for a festive summer cake!

This berry sheet pan shortcake is so delicious and easily feeds a crowd! The biscuit cake is so fluffy and tender, full of creamy vanilla flavor. It’s topped with a whipped mascarpone cream and all the fresh summer berries. 

It’s so fun and gorgeous and looks pretty on the table!

I first saw the idea of this sheet pan shortcake on southern living. I was instantly hooked! It makes so much sense to me – especially when it comes to entertaining friends and family in the summer!

I love that you can make a big slab biscuit that essentially pulls apart easily. And then top it with whipped cream and tons of fresh berries! 

Oh and speaking of whipped cream… It’s mascarpone whipped cream.

!!!!!!!!!

Dreamy! 

Words can’t express how delicious this biscuit cake is. 

The thing is that it’s not sweet. It is not overly sweet at all. And it’s studded with blueberries and strawberries for the perfect fruity pop in the cake. 

I also choose not to sweeten the whipped cream. There is something about unsweetened whip cream that I just love, especially in a dessert. It’s light, fluffy and almost tastes more decadent when it’s NOT sweet. 

What a revelation! 

So this is how I do it!

I cut up tons of berries! I like to use strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. But any berries that you have work. Use what is in season for you.

The cake is super simple. Flour, sugar, buttermilk, cream… I love these ingredients. Delicious!

I stir in some chopped berries too. And then I scoop it onto a sheet pan, lined up in the little scoops. Then I bake it and let it cool. 

While the cake is cooling, I make the whipped cream! Heavy cream and mascarpone with a touch of vanilla. I like to keep it soft. I don’t whip it to heavy peaks… just very soft peaks. 

The key is frosting it once it’s cool, this way the whipped cream won’t melt off. And then top it with tons of berries!

You can also do some fresh mint and even a drizzle of honey. 

Use a spatula to gently cut and pull apart the shortcake to serve. It’s so easy! (more…)

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Burger season is here!

These portobello burgers are marinated and grilled until tender, smoky and charred. They’re topped with havarti cheese and served with my howsweeteats house sauce. Lettuce, tomato, bun, done! 

I’m on a major sandwich kick right now! Just in time for memorial day weekend and the start of summer. If you don’t feel like making my pimento cheese grilled chicken sandwiches, go for the meatless version!

Mushrooms burgers take on the flavor of whatever ingredients they’re paired with. Marinating them gives them a big tangy boost and when they are drizzle with my house sauce… oooooh eeeee. 

Best meal ever. 

The burgers are ridiculously satisfying and smooth. You can make them into slider sized burgers or use the large portobellos like I show here. 

Over a decade ago I had a huge infatuation with portobello burgers. I discovered them and absolutely fell head over heels. 

I love the flavor, the texture – everything!

Then, I got more into bean-based burgers. These veggie burgers are out of this world. The best I’ve ever had!

And just recently, I shared my black bean smashburgers. Oh my gosh. The next level was unlocked… those are crispy, crunchy, satisfying and taste amazing. 

Originally, I wanted to make portobello smashburgers. I tried a few times and it just didn’t give me the result I was craving – those crispy edges, that paper thin burger, the texture I love.  (more…)

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Is there anything more perfect than warm cobbler + ice cream in the summer?

I think not.

This double berry cobbler has a mix of strawberries and blueberries in the filling. It’s topped with a light and fluffy batter made with mascarpone cheese and sprinkled with coarse sugar for some crunch and texture. If you’re a cobbler fan, then this is a must try!

Because here’s the thing. This might just be my new favorite cobbler recipe.

!!!!!!

Cue every exclamation point that exists. 

The topping is incredible – almost wonderfully cake-like and my favorite part? It uses mascarpone cheese!

But here’s the kicker. Instead of mascarpone, you can also use sour cream. Or even greek yogurt. I have tried all three and the result is excellent. 

See? New favorite cobbler alert! 

I have been making this nonstop with strawberries and blueberries. But you can use any fruit that you’d use for cobbler. I’ve done a mix of berries and I’ve also done blueberry peach – one of my favorite combos ever. There are blueberry peach cobbler bars in The Pretty Dish and they are just absolutely divine. 

The mascarpone cheese is a huge winner in this cobbler recipe. Not only does it make the topping deliciously rich, but at the same time it keeps it light too. Don’t ask me how. Mascarpone is just magic like that. And yes, I’ve used the exact same amount of sour cream and the end result is still perfect. It’s like a foolproof cobbler topping or something.

And I am here for it! 

I don’t even want to tell you how many spoonfuls of this Eddie has taken straight out of the pan after I make this. The soft cake-like topping melts right into the bubbly, syrupy berries and it truly is a fab combo. Even with a drizzle of heavy cream or whipped cream instead of ice cream, it’s so good. 

Just look at that syrupy, berry filling! (more…)

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