It's BBQ Season!

I'm a big, BIG fan of entertaining. You can find me with an apron on and glass of wine in hand.

Spending all day cleaning the house, prepping for guests and cooking brings me so much joy, as I know it will culminate into a wonderful evening shared with friends and family. What do I love even more than entertaining? Oklahoma BBQ!!! Some of my fondest memories of my childhood were the family BBQs in my grandparent's home in Oklahoma City. Recently Shaun and I invested in a meat smoker, the same one my Grandaddy has, and I even had my favorite BBQ sauce, Head County, shipped from Oklahoma. We're not messing around here....

Which is why I was super excited to host a very special BBQ to honor my momma and mother in law for Mother's Day, and also to celebrate my dad's birthday!

Here's a look into the nosh for the evening, and even a couple recipes, too!

First, let's talk meat. Tonight we prepared ribs and salmon - nom. However, these aren't your average ribs. These ribs were smoked at 250 degrees for five hours with hickory wood chips. The meat literally falls off the bone when you're done. And I'm not a seafood fan, but we put the salmon in the smoker, too, and it ends up with amazing flavor and consistency - no fishy taste! 

The best BBQ sauce on earth!! www.headcountry.com

The smoker. I ordered ours from Target.com.

Look at my handsome man!! Couldn't be luckier.

For the side dishes:

Cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes (emphasis on cheesy)

These are SO easy - but a little time consuming, so make sure to leave yourself enough time to prep! 

We were expecting six guests, so this recipe reflects that number - with lots of leftovers!

Ingredients:
6 Russet potatoes
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons of butter
2-3 cups of shredded cheese (don't be shy!)
1 cup of bacon bits
1/2 cup of chopped green onions
1-2 tsp Cholula, or your favorite hot sauce
Pepper as needed

Directions:
1. Pour yourself a glass of wine.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry potatoes and put them on a foiled cookie sheet. Brush the potatoes with a light coat of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. This makes the skins extra crisp! Bake the potatoes for 75-80 minutes.
3. Once the potatoes are cool, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop the insides into a mixing bowl. Be delicate, as you want to keep the skins in tact. It is inevitable that a couple of the skins will fall apart, but no big deal - just buy yourself an extra potato at the start in case you need a back up!
4. Put all of the skins back onto the baking sheet and start preparing the potato mixture. I went with a "loaded" baked potato vibe - but you could put whatever the heck you want in there! So, add your milk and butter into the mixing bowl with the potato and use your electric mixer to achieve a nice, smooth mashed potato mixture. Once you're happy with the consistency, add the cheese, bacon bits and green onion and continue to mix. For an extra kick, add some hot sauce and pepper at the end.
5. Scoop potato mixture into each potato skin. Garnish with a bit (or bunch) of shredded cheese, bacon bits and green onion. Because, cheese...
6. Put in the fridge to wait until it's time to bake, or if you're short on time, pop them back in the oven!
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is a bit crisp. Enjoy!

We also did a garbanzo bean and veggie salad - so summery and perfect! This recipe credit goes to my bestie Madison.

Summer Salad:

Ingredients: 
2 cans garbanzo beans
1 1/2 can corn
1 cup baby tomatoes
1-2 avocados
1/5 red onion
Chopped cilantro to taste
Lots of Feta cheese
Lemon juice to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions: 
1. Pour yourself a glass of wine.
1. Prep the veggies. Chop the red opinion, avocado and tomatoes.
2. Throw all the ingredients into a bowl - mix,
3. Add lemon juice and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!!! What are your favorite family traditions and recipes?


XOXO,
Lauren


...and more wedding photos because we all look spiffy!