My mother-in-law is the queen of just a small scoop. And yes, I always get assigned the sides. I don’t know why, but maybe that’s what I always choose.
And then I feel like I’m always running out of ideas. So here is a list for when I run out of ideas. This is the perfect list.
1) Creamy Pasta Salad
Nothing’s more summer barbecue backyard get-together than a pasta salad. I love it because you can literally use any shape of pasta you have, and then just add your favorite ingredients. This one is creamy, so you could use mayonnaise, or you could use yogurt if you’d like.
You can use so many things in pasta salad, like celery or some pickles. My brother-in-law makes a really good pasta salad that has olives, salami, cilantro, tomatoes, and I think some mozzarella cheese. There are so many delicious pasta salad recipes out there, so I recommend finding one that you love, and that can be your thing.
2) Caprese Skewers
Let’s be honest, caprese skewers are good year round, but I love them in summer, especially because it’s so easy to grow basil. If you don’t have a basil plant in your kitchen, what are you even doing right now? Go pick up a basil plant. They’re super cute and small, and they survive well indoors next to a nice sunny window. There’s nothing like fresh basil, and the smell of it is so great too, I barely brush by the plant and I can smell it.
So take a couple leaves off that and grab some fresh tomatoes. If you grow any, you’re amazing. Otherwise you can get the tiny cherry tomatoes, those are my favorite because they’re dark red and just so delicious. Then get some mozzarella, the fancy mozzarella is perfect, or if you have string cheese, I always have string cheese. Chop those up and boom, you can stab them all with toothpicks or skewers. This is such a fresh, cool appetizer or side.
3) Coleslaw with vinegar
Oh yes, there is nothing like my grandma’s coleslaw, so good. We use apple cider vinegar in ours, but any vinegar is great. Chop up or buy the pre-chopped cabbage. It could be green, or the red cabbage, which is actually purple, I don’t know why we call it red cabbage.
We like to put some toasted sunflower seeds in ours, and then we make a dressing for the coleslaw. And I don’t know why, but we top it off with some toasted top ramen. Is that weird? I don’t know, but it gives it a crunch. I definitely recommend playing with the coleslaw recipe and getting one you really like.
4) Watermelon Feta Salad
This is so summer and so fresh. Watermelon and summer just go together. When I think of watermelon, I think of eating slices by the pool in my dad’s backyard. Combine that with some delicious feta cheese and some lime.
You could even put some sort of greens in there, like some mint, or ooh, you could put some basil in there, that would be really good. Such a great, fresh dish.
5) Corn Avocado Salad
You could totally use canned corn for this, any canned corn, and then chop up some avocado in there, such a great healthy fat. So delicious.
This pairs well with any meal you’re having. If they’re serving tacos, there you go, corn and avocado salad. If they’re serving hot dogs and hamburgers, corn and avocado salad. It just goes with everything and it’s so good.
6) Deviled Eggs
Some nice cold deviled eggs with a little paprika on top. I don’t know if you’ve already mastered how to hard boil your eggs, I feel like everyone has their method. Mine is usually putting the eggs into cold water, putting it on the stove, and getting the water right to boiling. As soon as it’s boiling, I shut off the stove, put the lid on, and let it sit there for eight minutes. The key is to find a method that doesn’t give you that green ring around the yolk.
This is such a great side because deviled eggs are high protein, low carb, and gluten free, so they’re great for a lot of different people.
7) BLT Pasta Salad
BLT, but in a pasta salad, so great. You can use any shape of pasta, plus bacon, lettuce, and tomato, and you can use your choice of lettuce, spinach, romaine, kale, whatever you like.
Then top it off with whatever dressing you like. It could be a mayonnaise based dressing, but it could also be an oil and vinegar, or whatever sounds good to you. What a fun thing.
8) Greek Orzo Salad
I love a Greek orzo salad. Orzo is the little tiny pasta, they kind of look like rice, super good and easy to make. You could put some olive oil and some oregano in here to give it that Greek flavoring. And of course feta cheese, anything Greek, I’m adding feta cheese.
You could put tons of other things in here. I might add some Kalamata olives, if you’re telling me it’s Greek, I’m probably going to want some Kalamata olives in there. And then some more cheese, because I just love cheese.
9) Cowboy Caviar
If you haven’t had this before, it’s super good. It’s a mixture of different things. You could have some beans, I like black beans, plus some corn and some tomatoes. You could put some red onions in here if you’d like.
This is basically something you dip chips into. Squeeze some lime in there and some vinegar, and you could put cumin in if you’d like. You can even put some avocado in here if you really want, or have it on the side, but it would be really good.
10) Baked Beans
If you’re having a backyard barbecue, maybe some ribs or burgers, definitely baked beans. You could buy these or make them yourself, and you could put them in the crock pot if you’d like. I usually use pinto beans with this one and then add some sauteed onions and some paprika. You could put bacon in there if you don’t have any vegetarians in the group. Such a fun and delicious high fiber side dish.
11) Macaroni And Cheese
Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Adult or child, everyone loves mac and cheese. You can make it from the box if you’re in a pinch, but I make mac and cheese more than once a week from scratch and it’s super easy, let me tell you.
Take any shape of pasta you have, boil it, and throw it in the colander to strain when it’s done. While you use that hot pot, put about two tablespoons of butter in it, depending on how much pasta you have, then pour some milk in and let that melt together. Then shred up some sharp cheddar, of course, and put that in, stirring on low heat until it all melts together. Then just add your pasta back in, and voila, it’s beautiful.
Of course you could use whatever type of cheese, or mix different cheeses if you like. Super yummy, everyone loves it. You could also do a baked mac and cheese in a casserole dish, that would be super good too.
12) BBQ Chicken Sliders
You could put these on Hawaiian sweet rolls. They actually make some that are pre-sliced for sliders now, so that’s really nice. Then just make some barbecue chicken. I’d probably make it in the crock pot, because I feel like it comes out perfectly that way, but if you’re barbecuing in the backyard, barbecue the chicken right there. Serve it on those Hawaiian sweet rolls as little bite-size barbecue chicken sliders. So good.
13) Buffalo Chicken Dip
I’m not a big fan of buffalo chicken, I’m going to be honest, but buffalo chicken dip, I don’t know why, it hits different. It’s so good. You make the buffalo chicken as you’d expect and then add some cream cheese in there. You can make it spicy, but you don’t have to, it’s good either way.
You could serve it with some chips, and of course you’re going to want some celery and carrots, because I don’t know why we always do that, but we do, and it’s super delicious.
14) Guacamole
This is a favorite in our house, we love guacamole. First of all, let’s pick out the avocado. You want it to be a little bit soft, not super soft and mushy. If you’re in the grocery store feeling the top of it, you want the top to be a little soft. If you pick off that little stem on the very top and you can see down inside and it’s a little bit green in there, then it’s good. If it’s not green inside, do not pick that one, move on and pick a different one.
Typically what I do is buy the avocados a couple days before I need them, just to make sure they ripen, and once they’re ripe you can stick them in the fridge to slow it down if you want. Slice them in half, making sure to reserve the pit, then mash them up with a masher and add whatever you like.
We like garlic powder and lime. I love cilantro, some people don’t. Dice up some tomatoes, you could put some red onions in there, add a little salt, and then put the pit back in, that’s going to help your avocado not turn brown as fast. The lime juice or lemon juice helps with that too. And voila, super good served with chips.
15) Seven Layer Dip
Who doesn’t love a dip, especially a seven layer dip? I love a Mexican themed seven layer dip. I would do refried beans on the bottom, then guacamole, then sour cream, then some salsa or chopped tomatoes. Salsa can sometimes be kind of wet and make everything wet, so I would do maybe some tomatoes, then some olives and green onions.
I’d make sure to add some taco seasoning in there, maybe mix that into the beans if you want, for some taco flavor. You could also mix it in with the sour cream if you want.
16) Strawberry Spinach Salad
I love a strawberry spinach salad. I like to use spinach, but use any lettuce you like, and then some strawberries. I like to have some nuts in there, maybe slivered almonds or pistachios. You could add some goat cheese or feta cheese, and maybe some avocado. Super good, you can add lots of fresh ingredients, basically whatever you have.
17) Cucumber Salad
Super refreshing. Cucumbers are so cool and refreshing during the summer. I would do some chopped cucumbers, some tomatoes, some feta cheese, and some red onions, and you’re good to go. Keep this nice and cool. You can put some vinegar on top, or whatever dressing you want, to really hit home. It’s going to be amazing.
18) Potato Salad
My mom’s favorite. She’s the one who makes the potato salad, she’s assigned it every time, no one else is going to take that job. It’s hers and it’s amazing.
You get lots of potatoes, of course. I don’t even know my mom’s recipe, because it’s her recipe, but there are so many delicious potato salad recipes out there. You could use mustard, mayo, or both, and you could do celery or pickles. Super good, and always a favorite at our family potlucks.
19) Pesto Pasta Salad
Probably one of my favorites here. You could use any shape of pasta you have, a big box of it. Once you cook that, add in your pesto. I like the one from Costco, it’s my favorite, but if you have your favorite, go with that one. Then you could dice up some tomatoes in there, and put some spinach and some olives. Delicious.
20) Antipasto Skewers
These are so cute because you can take a skewer and literally add on whatever you have. There are so many options, you could do tomatoes, salami, basil, mozzarella, pepperoncinis, cucumbers. You could even add a little tortellini or olives, so many different options. Layer them up and lay them down, and they’re super pretty, very presentable and beautiful.
21) Ham And Cheese Sliders
These can either be cold or warm. The warm way, I take the Hawaiian sweet rolls sliced in half and put ham and cheese on those. Then there’s a recipe for the dressing that you put on top, I believe it’s got some mustard in there, and it’s really good. You pour that right on top, bake them, and then slice them up into little squares. Super good. But you could serve them cold too if you just want a cold side.
22) Vegetable Platter
Of course, there always has to be a vegetable platter, and it’s usually my cousin Jeremy who doesn’t cook, so he’s going to bring that vegetable platter, and no one’s going to be mad, you know what I mean? Grab some hummus or some ranch dressing and then have some fresh or roasted veggies, like carrots, bell peppers, cucumber spears, celery, and jicama. Super good.
23) Broccoli Salad
This is a cold salad made with broccoli and some dressing, kind of a little creamy dressing that coats everything. There are usually cranberries in there, and some sort of nut, like slivered almonds. You could put sunflower seeds too, that would be good.
24) Caesar Pasta Salad
I love Caesar, so I’d be totally down with this one. You’re basically just mixing your favorite shape of pasta with Caesar dressing and then adding in the romaine lettuce. Super easy and delicious. I’m sure my daughter would demand that the croutons go in too, because she loves the croutons. I would definitely top this off with some Parmesan cheese as well. Delicious.
25) Grilled Corn Salad
If you’re grilling anyway, you could char that corn on the cob, cut it off, and serve it on a salad. Use whatever greens you like, I would probably do some spinach. You could do some cilantro and some scallions. Delish.
26) Peanut Noodles
Super yummy, and these are cold noodles. Think of spaghetti noodles with a delicious peanut sauce, it’s like a peanut sesame sauce. Mix that all in, and I’d probably put some peanuts in there, maybe some edamame, then refrigerate it and serve cold. You could use whole wheat spaghetti noodles too if you want a little extra fiber.
27) Three Bean Salad
You’re bringing the fiber today. You can make this ahead of time, which makes it so good and so high in fiber. You could add some red onions to this, and some vinaigrette would be really tasty. For this one, green beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans would be a great combination.
28) Fruit Salad
Fresh fruit in the summer, of course everybody eats fresh fruit in the summer. Take whatever fruits you have and chop them up. Some of our favorites are strawberries, blueberries, honeydew, or cantaloupe, just chop it all up, whatever you have.
I tend to avoid a couple, let me tell you which ones. I avoid bananas because they turn brown immediately. Apples can turn brown too, but you can squeeze on some lemon juice to help them last a little longer. You can use a pear, but I wouldn’t use a super ripe one, it might fall apart in there, though it might also be super delicious because it’s a little mushy, so I’d do a not-quite-ripe pear. Otherwise, good to go, chop up your fruit and put it in. You could put a little mint in there if you want.
29) Lemon Bars
My grandma makes the best lemon bars. They’re super lemony, super fresh, and super easy to make, with a delicious crust on the bottom, lemon filling, and some powdered sugar on top. Super good.
30) Brownie Bites
My dessert of choice. If there are no lemon bars, I’m going for the brownie bites, chocolatey and delicious. You can make them or buy them. If you have a mini cupcake tin, you can easily make brownie bites using boxed brownie mix, just put it right in there and serve at room temperature. It doesn’t have to be cold or warm, delicious either way.
31) Rice Krispies Treats
Delish. I use Rice Krispie cereal with some mini marshmallows, because they melt faster, and some butter, then press it down in a casserole dish and slice into squares. You could also jazz it up a little like I like to do, and use Cocoa Krispies with peanut butter in there. Super good, as long as you don’t have any allergies.
32) Strawberry Shortcake Cups
You’ve probably seen those little shortcake cups in the produce section, I have. They’re like little mini circle cakes with a little pool part in the middle. Take some strawberries, chop them up, put that on top of the little cake, and top off with some whipped cream. Super refreshing, delicious, and best served cold.
33) Cheesecake Jars
This is a no bake cheesecake, super yummy with your cream cheese and whipped cream. Of course you’re going to need that graham cracker crust, because it’s so good. You could put the crumbles right on top, it doesn’t have to be on the bottom. Then add some berries, I love berries in my cheesecake. Super good, and you don’t have to bake cheesecake, I don’t know if you knew that.
34) Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies, perfect. You can buy them or make them at home, and you can make them any size you like. Super great. Let me help you learn from my mistakes: make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh and not expired, because otherwise they won’t rise.
35) Banana Pudding
My grandma makes the best banana pudding. We like to layer it up in a trifle or something, but you can easily put these in cups or let everyone do it themselves. You make banana pudding, slice up some bananas to serve in there if you’d like, and then we like to put in some vanilla wafers. Oh my gosh, so good.
36) Homemade Lemonade
We have a lemon tree in our backyard. I don’t know why, but all the lemons are always ripe in January, and who wants lemonade in January? I prefer it in summertime. There are some really great recipes online.
After you slice and squeeze out all your lemons, taking out all the seeds that fall in, I like to make a simple syrup, it really makes it so delicious. I feel like lemonade is mostly sugar with a little bit of lemon juice, but so good served cold. There are a lot of different recipes you could do, if you like it more sweet or more tart, and you could add some mint. There’s a lot you can do with it. Super delicious, super summery.
