What New Jerseyans have at a cookout

With barbecue season upon us we asked our listeners what things they like to offer or bring to a backyard barbecue.

Some of the items were the typical standard and some were pretty creative. Anyone who hosts a cookout likes to add at least one item that will have the crowd saying, "where did you come up with that"?

My mom always made the best potato salad and I've never been able to match it, so I stopped trying.

She always had baked beans and a casserole dish of eggplant parmesan as side dishes. The baked beans made sense, but the eggplant was her way of adding her Sicilian touch to a good old American barbecue.

One of the hits of our cookouts is an amped-up macaroni salad, of which I will include the recipe below. Here are some of the more creative ideas our listeners contributed to the conversation this week.

At least half a dozen toppings for your burgers.

Grilled pineapple rings soaked in spiced rum and dipped in brown sugar before grilling.

Homemade guacamole with chunks of mango.

Bone-in ribeye steaks instead of hamburgers.

Orange salad with sliced oranges, olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper.

Grilled peaches topped with vanilla ice cream.

Rum cake made with coconut rum.

Creamy cucumber dill salad made with slices of cucumber, Greek yogurt, sliced red onion and a splash of vinegar.

Cherry tomato salad with feta goat cheese, kalamata olives, dill and olive oil.

My pesto pasta salad with grilled chicken.

-One box of short pasta like pipette, farfalle, cavatappi or radiatori.
-One small jar of pesto or ½ cup of homemade pesto.
-Two grilled chicken breasts cut into bite size hunks.
-3 large plum tomatoes diced.
-One jar of kalamata olive cut in halves.
-One package of diced feta cheese.
-1/4 cup of grated pecorino Romano cheese.
-4 tbsps. of extra virgin olive oil.

Cook pasta 'al dente' and let drain and cool. Add remaining ingredients and gently mix well. It will go quickly and they will ask for more!

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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