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Backyard Burger Blitz

© Lisa Henshall

My father teases my mother that he can tell when she makes a hamburger because hers always have "three little pickles" on them. And he's right. Bun, meat, ketchup, mustard and three little pickles are the ingredients for Mom's burgers -- well, and a mother's love, which always adds much to the flavor. But, if you don't have my mom handy and you'd like to grill up some impressive chow, just start experimenting.

Backyard "burger" entertaining doesn't have to be difficult or fancy -- even if you do decide to get creative. Getting together with friends for some conversation in the afternoon sun or cool evening breeze can be a lot of fun -- and doesn't have to be a lot of work for you, the host. Hamburgers are a relatively inexpensive and easy way to feed a large group.

You can jazz up your ground beef by adding chopped up onions, Lipton soup mixes, barbecue sauce, chunky spaghetti sauce, salsa, chopped up bacon or minced red peppers to the mix. Use your imagination! I personally like adding a tad of minced garlic to my meat, although some folks don't like the flavor. Keep the tastes of your guests in mind as you prepare your patties. You might want to make more than one "type" of burger for your guests to choose from.

Now that the meat is prepared and ready to go on the grill, what should you serve alongside it? Potato chips! Potato chips! Potato chips! Everyone loves potato chips, so why bother spending hours making salads and side dishes? Pick up a variety of chips and a few dips and spread the goodies out on a buffet table for the guests to pick over. Make sure you have plenty of condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese. A good selection of buns is a must, as well. Purchase onion buns, potato bread buns, plain buns and sesame seed buns for your guests to choose from.

Dessert can be as easy as a tub of ice cream or a batch of homemade vanilla ice cream. For a lemony and cool treat that tastes great with summertime barbecue fare, try a lemon angel food cake. Purchase or make an angel food cake. Whip up a package of lemon pie filling or pudding and grab a tub of Cool Whip. Or if you want to be a bit fancier and tastier, use real whipped cream. Split the angel food cake in half lengthwise, spread some lemon filling on it and put the cake back together. Mix the rest of the lemon pie filling with the tub of Cool Whip and frost the entire angel food cake. If you want the cake to look a bit more impressive, buy some lemon fruit slice candy to decorate the top. Angel food cakes are rather large and can serve a group of 10-12 easily. If you have a large group, try making a key lime angel food cake, as well, for some variety.