June Recipes of the Month

It's officially summer!!! The children are out of school and everyone wants to cook out. Here is a recipe any griller would lo-o-o-o-o-v-v-v-v-v-ve to make. Also, a cool sweet low-cal drink.

Finger-licking Grilled Chicken

 

4lb Chicken

4tsp. Black pepper

2tsp. Season salt

4tsp. Garlic powder

1c Onion

40oz bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

1c Yellow mustard

2½c Water

 

Clean chicken by double washing it and trimming any excess fat. You may skin the chicken if you would like. Season chicken with black pepper, season salt, and garlic powder. Be sure to coat the chicken well with seasoning. Set chicken aside while the grill gets hot. Line the racks of the grill with non-stick aluminum foil. If you like grill lines, place foil on the side of the rack facing the charcoal. Don't forget to put holes in the foil. Wait until you get the grill warming good before placing the racks on the grill. You may use dry onions or a fresh onion finely chopped. In a separate bowl, mix Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce, mustard, onions, and water together. Stir well until a smooth mixture. Once your grill reaches 350°, place chicken on the grill. Don't worry about leaving space between the chicken. Be sure to place the biggest pieces of chicken in the center of the grill. Let chicken cook about 10 minutes. After that, turn chicken every five to seven minutes. Smaller pieces like legs, wings, and skinless chicken only take about 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Larger pieces take about 20-25 minutes to cook. Stab the center of the chicken to make sure it is done. You can determine that by the clear juices that come out of your chicken. Brush on a thin layer of sauce onto both sides of fully cooked chicken. Cook for 5 minutes on each side. Pour barbecue sauce into the pan that you will be putting the chicken in. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. As you fill the pan with chicken, pour a layer of barbecue sauce over the chicken. Any excess sauce can be used on hamburgers, hot dogs, or grilled vegetables. 

 

                                       Fresh Strawberry-Lemonade

 

2 cans of frozen lemonade

4 cups of lemon juice

5 lemons

2 10oz bags of frozen strawberries

10lb bag of ice

 

In a big mixing bowl, mix frozen strawberries and lemon juice. Set the bowl aside. Cut lemons in quarter inch rings. Set them aside. Make frozen lemonade in a 5 gallon drink cooler (or individual pitchers that total 5 gallons) according to the directions on the can. Add strawberry and lemon juice mixture to cooler. Stir well. Finally add the sliced lemons and ice. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving. To add extra flavor, you can add fresh strawberries or raspberries and peaches. Lemonade is best served in a punch bowl, so everyone can get a little fruit with their lemonade.

Invitations

Having a gathering or party? Want people to come? What is the best way to invite them? I get that last question A LOT! Everyone wants the people they invite to come to the party. And often times people come; however, not exactly everyone you want to come. Your "invitation" is everything! Here are some helpful tips to getting the guest that you want to come.

 1. Give your guests time. Rule of thumb is to give your guests at least two weeks notice. Letting someone know at the last minute tells them you didn't really want them to come. If you have less time to plan, make sure you give everyone a personal invitation. Nothing makes someone feel uninvited more than a message-invitation from someone other than the host. 
2. Save the date. It's okay to let people know you're thinking about having something, before you have all of the specifics, and you want them to come. E-vites are an awesome way to mass send a save-the-date to your potential gathering. Save-the-dates don't have to be very specific. For example, I have an event I'll be hosting in September. I will begin sending e-vites out the first week of August to let people know I will be having something the second week of September. This is especially recommended if you have guests that live an hour or more away. 
3. Less is more. Invitations don't have to include a lot of words or pictures. Get straight to the point. The main information invitations should include is the who (the host with contact information), what (what kind of gathering it is), when (an exact date and time), and where (an exact address). One or two pictures are good. You don't need a border, pictures at the top, and pictures inside. 

 Visit www.sweetestevent.com to view some sample invitations.