If your life is as busy and unpredictable as ours, random, last minute cookouts and get togethers are just part of summer’s fun. With relatives in from out of town, my Mom surprised me with a last minute call to get together – at my place! Yikes! Mom was dead set on doing burgers on the grill. If you are going to do burgers on the grill, there is no better burger than the pre made patties at Lowery’s Meat Market and Grocery Store in Buchanan, Michigan. *Don’t buy the regular buns, these burgers are huge and they don’t shrink when cooked!
For vegetarian friends and family, stuffed portabellas are a great option. (Martin’s Food and Deli – in the produce section)
I tire of the coleslaw, potato salad, baked bean “go-tos” so I grabbed some grown up chips (step beyond the Lay’s and Jay’s, friends….) and made them presentable with one of those lined baskets that I swear by, and a martini glass – the results… you be the judge…
Buns (pretzel, onion and Kaiser), cantina chips and salsa, thin pretzels and samba hummus, Mediterranean vegetable chips (parsnip, taro, sweet potato, yucca and batata) with Tuscan Farmhouse dip (*all purchased at Martins)
Tuscan Farmhouse Dip – In a large bowl, mix and chill at least 30 minutes prior to serving: 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup sour cream, 3 Tbsp Tuscan herb blend, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh ground black pepper (1/2 Tbsp fresh dill optional)
Also pictured in a Martini glass, round toothpicks with Spanish pimento stuffed olive, cube of mozzarella, fresh basil, and cherry tomato
Just because it was last minute doesn’t mean it needs to look or taste like it!
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