Plan Your Memorial Day Menu

The average person may not consider Memorial Day a huge food holiday, but as the unofficial start of summer and a long, good-weather (we hope) weekend, Memorial Day kicks off grilling season for food lovers across the country. So fire up the grill and start the summer Cooking Channel-style by mixing and matching our new, great grill-out recipes.
Start building your menu with a show-stopping burger, like this Cheddar-stuffed, double-stacked, bacon-topped Juicy Lucy Burger. The Juicy Lucy is an all-American creation, originating in 1950s Minneapolis (November 17th is Juicy Lucy Day in Minneapolis). The exact location is contested with both Matt’s Bar and 5-8 Club claiming credit for the first Juicy Lucy, but everyone agrees it was a great score for hamburger lovers everywhere.
If you like your burgers, well... shorter, browse more of our new burger recipes, from classic-done-right to bison burgers, turkey burgers, crab burgers and more.
Fries with that? While you have the grill heated up, you might as well throw on some sweet potato wedges to make grilled fries. They’re easy and tasty, smoky from the grill and sprinkled with fresh cilantro for a fresh kick.

And don’t skimp on traditional picnic sides. These are the foods of summer you’ve been craving all year, like pasta salad, potato salad and coleslaw. Choose a few new summer side dish recipes to liven up your menu, starting with Roger Mooking’s superstar offering, Pasta Salad with Green Onion Dressing.

What’s to drink? Mix up a few pitchers of summery sangria ahead of time, so you can sit back and relax instead of playing bartender.

For dessert, snatch up the last of spring’s rhubarb to bake Emeril’s crunch-topped pie or Kelsey’s essential Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. And send guests off with a bite of nostalgia, with Chuck’s Gorilla Ice Cream Sandwiches or simple root beer floats.
