This is what our friends said to us when they arrived yesterday for our third annual Memorial Day BBQ. Since we were hosting two BBQ’s in row, we thought it would be fun to change things up a bit with a themed event.  And this lunch inspired us make fajitas!  We had a lot of leftover limes, which was a good place to start.

 

 

After my run on Saturday morning, the BOY and I headed out to the Mexican grocery store for supplies.

 

 

 

 

 

The BOY prepped the meat with fajita seasoning and lime and let it marinate overnight.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, I got to work on some white wine sangria.  Here is an easy recipe for this classic summer drink.  Trust me, you will want to memorize this one!

Combine a bottle of white wine with 1 cup of fruit juice.

 

 

 

Add in some fresh fruit.  I recommend berries, peaches, and oranges.

 

 

 

Stir well and refrigerate over night.

 

 

Just before serving, stir in 1/2 cup of sparking water, sprite, or gingerale.

 

 

 

I LOVE sangria, and this crisp and refreshing drink was a big hit at the BBQ.

 

 

 

I also made a pitcher of margarita with this mix that I picked up at Trader Joe’s, but the sangria was much more popular.

 

 

 

Here are a few other fresh, fruity, and fun summer drinks…

 

Hungry Girl Sangria

Sunny White Sangria

Fresh Cherry Mojito

Strawberry Coconut Margaritas

Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria

 

 

 

We served salsas, guacamole, and bean dip as appetizers.  The BOY also insisted on empanadas, which is a story for a whole another blog post…

 

 

 

For sides, we served red beans and rice (from a box mix) and black eyed pea salad from this cookbook (recipe to come!).

 

 

 

Despite the 90 degree weather, we we did spend some time sitting around outside.  The BOY was worried that nobody would want to brave the heat, but we did.  The sad news was that we lost the plugs for our baby pool (often used for soaking our feet on hot summer days), so we didn’t have any thing to cool us off.  That is where the beer and sangria came in : )

 

 

For dinner, w set up a DIY fajita bar with beef, chicken, veggies, and all of the fixings.  One of our friends made a delicious guacamole and everyone dug right in.  I know I’ve said it before, but the BOY is a true grill master!

 

 

 

 

By the time dinner was over, it had started to cool off and we were happy to sit out back and hang out, playing with the kids.  We had a nice variety of desserts.  I made banana bread and cookies (more recipes to come).  One friend made a frozen peanut butter chocolate chip pie and the other friend showed up with everyone’s favorite Slutty Brownies!.

 

 

I also made Fruit Salsa, served with cinnamon sugar pita chips.

 

 

 

Even though the sun was blazing and the humidity was thick, our Fiesta Memorial Day BBQ was a huge success!!!  The BOY even commented that he would love to do another one again soon.

 

I will post the new recipes throughout the week, but first I have to go heat up some leftovers for dinner tonight.

Check out last year’s Memorial Day menu for more summer BBQ ideas!