Fathers Day BBQ

The post is in partnership with World Market, a brand that I love and use all the time.

Summer has arrived you guys!  So that means Father's Day is right around the corner and I wanted to share this fun outdoor BBQ I put together that would be perfect to celebrate the lucky man in your life.  I absolutely love outdoor parties and putting together an outdoor gathering, so when we had Adam's parents come into town a week ago, we invited his cousins and aunt and uncle over for a little party.  It was so great to be able to have everyone over and just enjoy each other's company with some good food.  We wanted to keep with the sea life theme of the plates and serve some fresh seafood.  The menu was sour dough bread with garlic butter, corn on the cob, jumbo shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce, a crab louie salad, and fresh salmon with my dad's special sauce.  I always request my dad to make this salmon whenever I have the chance because it has always been a favorite meal growing up and now we try to imitate it.  The secret is a packet of Lipton's onion soup mix cooked with butter and fresh lemon juice.  Trust me you will love it!  We also had a couple of drinks that Adam's mom helped me put together and they looked really great in these fun drink dispensers.  The Citrus Sunset had grapefruit and raspberries and the Seaside Lemonade was lemons, lime, and mint.  Both turned out delicious, but I kind of favored the lemonade.  Everything tasted so great and it was so fun getting to have an early Father's day with family in town.  I love these outdoor serving pieces from World Market and know that we will be using them over and over again this summer.  Hope this gives you some inspiration to plan your own outdoor party.     

SHRIMP & CRAB LOUIE SALAD

| DRESSING |

1 cup mayo

3 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp sweet pickle relish

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp Tabasco

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1/4 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper

| SALAD |

3/4 lb asparagus 

two 6 oz. romaine hearts, cut crosswise 1/2 inch thick

one 6 oz. seedless cucumber, thinly sliced or cut into spears

4 large radishes, thinly sliced

4 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into slices

1 avocado peeled, cut into slices

1 lb crabmeat

8 oz poached shrimp

1|  Prepare the dressing: In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the ketchup, relish, lemon juice, garlic, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and chile powder and season with salt and pepper.  Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

2|  Meanwhile, prepare the salad:  In a medium saucepan of boiled salted water, cook the asparagus until just tender, 3 minutes.  Drain and cool.

3|  Arrange the romaine, cucumber radishes, tomatoes, eggs, avocado and asparagus on a platter.  Top with large chunks of crab meat and shrimp in the middle and serve,  passing the dressing at the table.

table | benches | place mats | chargers | sea life plates | napkins | table runner | serving plate | candles | buckets | drink dispensers | ice bucket | drink tub | 3-tiered stand | drink mugs | apron | summer cook book