Memorial Day Menu For Your Family
Can you use some help with a Memorial Day Menu to make the day extra special? Our family is large when gathered, and we cook all our meals at home.
Here’s our menu for you! When I ran my mortgage company, I looked forward to three-day weekends because I tended to work long hours and didn’t interact with family and friends as much as I would have liked.
Now that my daughters have moved on to create their own life stories and memories, we started our once-a-year get-together on Memorial Day at our home in Southern Utah with the whole crew, or at least whoever could make it.
One year, the count was 22 people, and it took a bit of planning before Memorial Day weekend arrived. We didn’t have any burial graves close by that we could visit and place flowers, but we still made memories together as a family.
I purchased four flags to display on four curbs of homes surrounding my home because it’s a memorable national holiday.
American Flag
In years past, I’d pay to have our neighborhood Boy Scout troop post an American flag in front of my home. Since having only one flag looked lonely, the troop decided to place flags on neighbors’ homes even though they weren’t home.
Seeing the five flags around our part of the neighborhood was beautiful. They stayed in place all three days of the weekend. You have to love it!
If you haven’t already, you might want to start a tradition of showing your patriotism by displaying the American flag at your home or business every national holiday or all year long.
My husband belongs to a civic club called The National Exchange Club. Every year, clubs throughout the country are asked to honor a family and a business that displays the flag all year long.
“Proudly We Hail Breakfast”
They call this their “Proudly We Hail Program.” The family and business owner are invited to the club’s weekly breakfast or evening meal and asked to tell their story regarding why they feel inclined to display the flag consistently. We have heard some incredible stories of heroes from the past, and not too distant past.
The guests are given a plaque to hang on their work or home wall to acknowledge the club members’ appreciation for their display of Love of Country. Check it out at the National Exchange Club.
In case you didn’t know, I have four daughters and 17 grandchildren. Everyone has jobs or commitments, so not everyone could come to our home in Southern Utah on Memorial Day.
Our family is so large now that it’s difficult for us all to get together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Now we live up north, the weather is extreme in some areas, and the cost of getting together for all holidays at this stage is prohibitive.
We don’t like to eat out because we can’t mingle at a restaurant with this many people, and the cost would be ridiculous. Besides, we call ourselves the sister-wives because everyone pitches in to make the meals, snacks, and clean up.
Thanks to my mother’s inheritance after she died, we had a swimming pool in our backyard. I know she was looking down from heaven and knew we were all together and making memories.
The whole family would sit outside, and we’d laugh from morning until night, literally. We wouldn’t leave the house for meals because we made all meals right here, ate our favorite snacks, and enjoyed cold water—lots of water.
Here are some fun meal ideas for special holidays and family get-togethers. I hope you enjoy them.
Memorial Day Menu
Breakfasts:
- Mickey Mouse pancakes, bacon, and orange juice
- Scrambled eggs, link sausages, and orange juice
- Egg, cheese, and sausage patties on toasted English muffins with orange juice
Cold cereal is always available with bananas and milk.
Milk and chocolate milk
Lunches:
My chicken and egg salad recipes are easy to make, and everyone loves them.
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts
- 1 cup chopped apple
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2-3 chopped green onions
- 1 cup sliced red grapes
- 1 cup Mayo or Miracle Whip (I used Mayo)
- 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
- salt and pepper to taste
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Shred the cooked chicken.
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Combine the cooked shredded chicken, chopped apple, chopped celery, chopped green onion, and sliced red grapes.
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Mix everything together in a large bowl.
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Grab a small mixing bowl, and combine the mayo or Miracle Whip with the dill weed, salt, and pepper until thoroughly mixed.
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Scoop the "dressing" over the chicken mixture. Stir well. Serve on a bed of lettuce or in a roll/croissant.
- 8-9 hard-boiled eggs peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 cup Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
- Salt & Pepper to taste
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Boil your eggs in a saucepan, pressure cooker, in the oven, or a Sun Oven outside.
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Drain the hot water, cover the cooked eggs with ice and water. Peel when cool.
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Chop the eggs as finely as possible. I use a chopper.
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Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, or Miracle Whip.
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Stir in the salt, pepper, and sugar. Serve on a bed of lettuce or make a sandwich with the mixture.
- Lunch meat, bread/rolls, vegetables, and fruit
- Chicken salad, egg salad, croissants, vegetables, and fruit
- Crackers, sliced cheese, sliced turkey/chicken, vegetables, and fruit
Dinners:
Here are a few recipes to make your weekend cooking a little easier. Life is good when we eat together as a family.
- 3-4 chicken breasts or equal amount of chicken tenderloins
- 2 cans Rotel Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1-2 limes squeezed over the cooked shredded meat when ready to serve
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Put everything in a slow cooker and set on low for about 8-10 hours. Use two forks to shred the meat just before serving or leave as cubed meat. Squeeze fresh limes over the meat just before serving. Great with flour or corn tortillas.
- 3 pounds pork tenderloin
- 1 12-ounce can Dr Pepper or 20-ounce Bottle Dr Pepper
- 1 onion, chopped or sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Barbecue Sauce of choice
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Grab a slow cooker and put the onions in the bottom. Next, place the pork in the slow cooker on top of onions and salt and pepper to your taste. Pour the can or bottle of Dr Pepper over the meat. Put the lid on and cook on low for 6-8 hours until meat is fork-tender and easy to shred with two forks. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce on French Bread Rolls with coleslaw, if desired.
- 12 Potatoes (shredded or sliced)
- 1 Pint Sour Cream
- 2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1/4 Cup Butter
- 2-3 Cups Cheese-grated
- 1 Cup Frosted Flakes type cereal
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Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Grease a 9 by 13-inch pan and scoop the mixture into the pan.
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I crush the frosted flakes and sprinkle them over the casserole.
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Bake at (350°F) = (176°C) degrees covered with foil for 1 hour, or until bubbly.
- 3 packages-3.5 ounce dehydrated potatoes re-hydrate according to your brand of potatoes-mine takes 45 minutes covered with water and drain or fresh potatoes sliced, peeled or cubed to fill a 9 by 13-inch pan about ½ full because you will add the cheese
- 3-4 cups grated Swiss Cheese depending on how cheesy you want yours
- ½ cube of butter melted
- 1 tablespoon minced onion I use freeze-dried
- 1 cup whipping cream
- Salt & Pepper to taste
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Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
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Place 1/2 of the rehydrated potatoes in a 9″ by 13″ greased pan. Next, layer with 1/2 of the cheese, and sprinkle the minced fresh or freeze-dried onion over this layer.
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Add the remaining potatoes and drizzle the butter over this layer.
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Add the remaining Swiss cheese, then pour the whipping cream over the last layer.
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Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour or until heated through and bubbling.
- One bag of baby spinach or salad greens (your choice, any size)
- 6 pieces of thick bacon (cooked, drained and crumbled)
- 1/4 cup chopped cashews or sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup craisins
- 1/4 chopped red onion
- 8-10 ounces of sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/8 cup of your favorite balsamic vinegars (strawberry is good for this salad)
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
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Grab a large bowl and layer the spinach, bacon, cashews, Craisins, chopped red onions, and freshly sliced strawberries.
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Use a blender to mix the ingredients for the dressing. Chill the dressing and pour it over the salad just before serving.
- Slow cooker copycat Cafe Rio chicken
- We cook a large pork tenderloin cut into four pieces with our favorite barbecue sauce in a slow cooker for 8-10 hours.
- Swiss cheese and shredded potatoes
- Baked broccoli and sliced baked yams/sweet potatoes
- Spinach, chopped apples, and strawberry salad with a poppy seed dressing
Barbecued Hamburgers, etc.
I want to share my hamburger and hot dog bun recipe with you, they’re easy to make. All you have to do is change the shape of the dough.
- 2-3/4 cups flour – I use bread flour
- 2-1/2 tablespoons SAF instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2/3 cups parmesan cheese-grated
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cups water
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Combine the ingredients in the order shown above into your Bosch or Kitchen Aid Mixer with a dough hook. This is by far the easiest recipe to make hamburger or hot dog buns (depending on how you shape them).
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I add more flour until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rise with some greased plastic wrap for about one hour. Remove plastic and evenly divide the dough into 6 balls.
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Roll each ball, tuck the edges under, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball to about 3-1/2 to 4 inches wide.
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Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise until double. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350°F) = (176°C) degrees for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Hamburgers and hamburger buns
Hot dogs and hot dog buns
Ready-made salads, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, and cheese slices
Baked homemade French fries with homemade fry sauce
Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, and relish
Snacks
This is one of my favorite dishes to make for friends and family.
- 3 cans black-eyed peas or black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 cans of corn (drained)
- 3-4 tomatoes chopped
- 3 avocados-chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro-chopped
- 1/2 sweet purple onion, minced
- Juice of 2 Limes
- Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Packet-prepared or just make it yourself vinegar and oil dressing
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Mix all together with the amount of dressing you prefer, then just Salt & Pepper to taste! Serve cold with tortilla chips. Great as a side dish, too!
Chips-salsa
Fruits, vegetables, and nuts
Harmon’s Grocery Store cream cheese ball and crackers
Chocolate milk, regular milk, orange juice, smoothies
Marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers (S’mores)
Frozen Creamies, banana, chocolate, and orange flavors
Water is served at every meal and outside in the backyard
Final Word
My menu costs about $10.00 per person for the entire three days. It beats eating out, and I know what’s in our food. We would eat very frugally during our Memorial Day three-day weekend. Please have a wonderful and safe weekend. May God bless our country at this time. Linda
Copyright Images: Loaded Cheeseburger AdobeStock_65422608 By Annie1961, Hot Dog And Hamburger On a Plate AdobeStock_361011126 By Joshua Resnick, Mexican Chicken AdobeStock_1131368878 By Fabián Montaño
Happy Memorial Day to you and your family.
Linda, got a suggestion for you on one of your recipes. Your hamburger/hotdog buns. Instead of using 2T sugar, try using 2T raw honey. I use honey when I make mine and my recipe is similar to yours. Enjoy your weekend. Be safe!
HI Pam, great idea, I just ordered some honey! I use honey in my whole wheat bread. I’m sure they would be perfect with the honey! Linda
We used to do a multiple family camp and cookout when the kids were young as it was one of the few holidays I could actually take leave and be gone on. We sure had some good food and plenty of it!
It’s supposed to be a day of remembrance but that’s a daily thing. Escape from it doesn’t come often.
It appears to be just a normal day this year though I’ll have grandson who will want to have grilled ham n cheese the way I make them lol. His folks tried making some fancy tv grilled cheese and he rejected them lol. I told them he’s a kid keep things simple but they don’t listen. I’m blessed for getting the time with him.
Anyway yall enjoy and have great one.
Hi Matt, thank your for your service my friend! I love hearing that your grandson wants his grandpa to make his grilled ham n cheese! LOL! We know how to make them simple! You are both blessed to have each other, nothing is better than those grandkids, life is good! LInda
Your recipes are great! Thank you for sharing them all in one post. I got a few ideas to try with my versions. I have one recommendation – add a tablespoon or so of pickle relish (sweet is our favorite but dill is good too) to the egg salad. Amazing flavor boost!
Hi Kay, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! Oh my gosh, I have got to try the sweet pickle relish in my egg salad, thank you!! Linda
I’ll be all alone this Memorial Day – Not unusual!! I am farm sitting until Monday evening, so my “food” choices are limited to what I have brought with me!
I have a ton of eggs (daughter has a flock of around 50 hens) so I get 3+ dozen a day – sell some and eat some! Egg salad sounds great – however, Linda, you need to add a bit of mustard to your recipe!! LOL! I just have always added mustard to egg salad as well as deviled eggs. Probably because my mother always did!
I won’t be cooking outside as it is supposed to rain starting this afternoon through next Tuesday so no BBQ even if I wanted to.
Hi Leanne, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! 3+ dozen eggs a day, what a blessing! I love hearing when you are farm sitting, you can enjoy the good life and smell the fresh air! I think my mom added mustard to her egg salad, great reminder! Linda
I’m with leanne concerning mustard and egg salad. But this year Jane and I are having left overs–filet mignon, corn of the cob and baked potatoes. Either that or BBQ ribs with the same two sides. I have fresh salad and grapefruit every day, usually with breakfast, so we’ve been eating well. As I write this Jane is making shrimp dip. I know, it’s tough being us. 🙂
Hi Ray, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! You may not know but that is my favorite steak, filet mignon! Only on special occasions of course! LOL! Life is good with corn off the cob and baked potatoes! Having a fresh salad ad grapefruit everyday is the best! Do you grow the grapefruits? Shrimp dip sounds yummy! Life is good! Linda
Linda, no I don’t grow the grapefruits. We’re a bit too high and cold for citrus–unless I built a greenhouse and planted dwarf citrus. I finally saved seed and pulled all my snow peas, replacing them with a Hopi Gray squash, Tuscany cantaloupe, Black Beauty Zucchini and Sweet Success cucumbers. I also have Kajari melons, a Sweet 100 tomato (Jane’s favorite cherry tomato–which is a hybrid I cloned last winter and kept alive in my mini-greenhouse until I could transplant it this spring), Cal Wonder Bell pepper, and several other cukes and tomatoes–the latter being volunteers from last year. My Red Pontiac and Canela potatoes have crowded out my spring broccoli planting but the Detroit Dark Red Beets I put in beside them are holding their own. My Covington sweet potato plants are finally looking like they’ll make it. Oh, I also planted Charleston Gray watermelon for the first time this year. Eager to see how that works out. I’m direct sowing Tohono O’oham watermelon today. It’s a yellow variety I got from Native American Seeds and it grows beautifully here in the Mojave desert.
Wishing you a great Memorial Day. Fly our flag.
Hi Ray, a friend who lives in AZ would bring us fresh grapefruits once a year in Southern Utah, so I wondered if you grew them as well. Not sure where they lived. Your garden sounds so wonderful. I’m still trying to figure out if I have space of my own to have a small garden. It’s a little tricky when you share a backyard. I do have a friend that has a huge garden two doors down. But there is something awesome about picking your veggies in your yard for dinner. BLT’s are right around the corner! LOL! Happy Memorial Day! Linda