Memorial Day 2010: Time to Fire Up the BBQ Grills!

I love to travel, but on a 3-day weekend, my vision quest extends to about as far as my own backyard. It's amateur hour on the road and besides, I've got a people coming. Lots of hungry people who are ready for the first official party of the season: The Memorial Day BBQ! Just the fact that an ordinary Monday is eclipsed by history and also includes one of my favorite sayings, "Company Holiday" should be enough to get motivated, but when it's the first party of the season--well, it's got to be slammin'!

There's more to throwing a slammin' barbecue than figuring out how to keep the potato salad fresh. I'm talkin' about fostering a festive attitude that extends to the borders of cult behavior, my friends!

Yes, you should dress in red, white and blue! You are the host! Get out that flag bandanna from your Harley days and step up to the stage! I equate a great host with royalty: wear that crown with pride, win the wars, and deliver thy kingdom of party greatness.

The five elements of The Slammin' BBQ are:

1. Great Food n' Libations
2. Fun-Loving People (yes, food n' drink does come first at a BBQ)
3. Groovy Music
4. Festive Décor
5. Goofy Games (a great sidekick to the libations)

Great Food: Carnivores, gather 'round. This is your day. Vegetarians: there's nothing like fresh veggies on the grill, smothered in olive oil and minced garlic. Dieters: give it a rest!

So here's the thing on food: depending on how many peeps you have dropping by, you can do it all yourself or you can try one of my favorite tricks and go for the "Control Freak BBQ." The Control Freak BBQ is a potluck by any other name, with the added element of you, Militant Millie/Mikey dictating what everyone will bring by category. Sure, it's a little totalitarian but the free-for-all potluck could produce one fabulous plate of grilled chicken and eighteen bags of Doritos. Send an invitation out with open categories: Red meats, chicken and poultry, starchy salads, veggies and desserts. Then, for the non-foodies of the group: Chips, Soda and Libations. Ask your friends to put their name next to the category and send you back an email. You run the master list, because well, you wear the crown.

If you're doing it all yourselfm it might be fun to pick a theme. Like Traditional Americana: hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, baked beans--the usual suspects and always crowd-pleasers. If you want to throw a little variety in there, go "Gourmet" and stuff your burgers with spices and fine cheeses, then serve on wheat buns with arugula and red onion--ala this Emeril Lagasse recipe that's sure to impress.

I love this recipe for its ease and economics: Take a flank steak, lay flat and beat it up a bit (tenderize) then marinade for a few hours. Cook bacon until it's almost done--do not "crisp" it, as it will continue to cook on the grill. Lay the bacon strips lengthwise and roll the flank steak up with the bacon inside. With a sharp knife, cut the steak up so it resembles a meaty cinnamon roll. Place metal skewers through the roll and grill to desired temperature, about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium. Then, if you want to get super fancy, sauté up some shrooms and drizzle over meat. Ding! We have a winner!

I dig an Island Flair BBQ with grilled pineapple to top burgers and chicken and Wipe Out Punch which is simply: cups of any grain liquor you can get your hands on, mixed with a light fruit punch, ice and slices of lemons, limes and oranges. Stir, pour and stay clear of open flames.

Fun Crowd: The bigger the crowd, the more mixing of personality profiles you can do, but if you're aiming for the intimate party, be mindful of your guest list blend unless you want to play referee. Inviting Crabby Sue from accounting and Wild Uncle Eddie to the same party of six could dominate your event with awkwardness. But then again, who knows, they might be destined for love. Wipe Out Punch plays a huge role in offsetting awkwardness in the event you can't find your team whistle.

Groovy Music: Whatever your preference in music, set up your groovy party mix in advance. I've made the mistake of fighting flames at the grill, getting that steak to absolute perfection, and then realizing a moment too late that the only music going on is the tune I happen to be humming. Oops. I always go for traditional rock n' roll, mixed with the occasional TV tune that my guests have to guess if they want a taste of the meat on the grill. It's festive, it's silly, it works. If you have friends in a band- see if they'll bring out their guitars in exchange for a few steaks. If you want to go hard-core, break out the karaoke machine, but understand that means the party is going to go until the last drunk has had their turn at the mike and the sober people sneak out long before the games begin…

Festive Décor: It takes about 15 minutes to string some lights, and hang up a few party favors and balloons. Why not? It differentiates any other BBQ with the Red, White and Blue pride of a patriotic holiday. Check out Shindigz for some great ideas.

Goofy Games: Don't roll your eyes at me. I'm not talkin' about baby shower games where we all sit in a semi-circle and do blind testing of baby foods. I'm talkin' about the good old-fashioned Horseshoes, Apple-bobbing and for an extra treat: beating the @#$% out of a piñata. That's such a great stress reliever.

If the party is a success, at some point you should look around and see/hear: Something scrumptious on the grill, corn in someone's teeth, laughter, an impromptu sing-along to the Flintstones, a frenzy of floating apples, a friend passed out in the sun while another friend applies sunscreen.

Ah, food, drink, favorite peeps, sun, fun AND the day off? Heaven!

What are your plans for this Memorial Day weekend?  Let us know in the comments!