Easy Summer Cookout Menu

School’s out! Summer’s here and it’s time for making plans for outdoor cooking! This Easy Summer Cookout Menu is what every guest will love. An easy menu that you can easily pull off and then enjoy your guests is this Fajitas Recipe cooked on the Blackstone Griddle! These can also be made on a sheet pan in the oven, but the Blackstone adds more flavor and makes them extra delicious. And there’s NO kitchen mess!

The grills and smokers are great, but my husband’s favorite big gadget is the Blackstone Griddle. He loves cooking on it and is happy to cook up breakfast, lunch or dinner any time! I love that I can easily cook great meals on it too, without any hassle. It’s easy to use it and it’s as simple as cooking on a stovetop.

Keep reading for the entire Summer Cookout Menu! It’s super easy when you prep the fajita ingredients and all of the side dishes up to a day ahead of time! All that’s left is the cooking on the Blackstone and that takes all of 10 minutes! You’ll be ready in a flash and will have more time to enjoy your hosting your guests this summer.

The Summer Cookout Menu

Chicken & Steak Fajitas

Cilantro Lime Rice

Grilled Corn Salad

Mom’s Chocolate Secret Cake

Here are the recipes for an Easy Cookout!

Oh, and don’t forget to grab this cute, funny apron or something similar, if giving Dad a new Blackstone Griddle from Amazon!

The Best Grilled Chicken & Steak Fajitas

Yield: 8 servings

Prep: 15 minutes Marinade: 30 min-2 hours

Cook: 15 minutes Gluten Free

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
1 pound flank steak, cut into strips
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 bell peppers (I use all the colors), seeded and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons ground black
12-24 corn tortillas
rice, if desired
guacomole, sour cream, cilantro, and salsa for serving

Instructions

Combine chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Roughly divide spices in half. Sprinkle half over vegetables and set aside. Roughly divide other half so that part is sprinkled over chicken & other part is sprinkled over steak.
Pour 3/4 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon lime juice over chicken. Pour 3/4 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon lime juice over steak. Stir each until well coated.
Cover & refrigerate meats for at least 30 minutes, but ideally 2 hours or more.
Preheat the oven or Blackstone to 400 degrees.
Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons lime juice over vegetables. Toss well to coat in the seasonings.

Prepare guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro into small separate bowls.

Pour the vegetables onto one half of the Blackstone griddle. Stir fry for about 10 minutes, or until desired doneness.
Pour the chicken & steak onto the other half of the Blackstone and stir fry for 5-7 minutes.
Remove vegetables onto sheet pan or serving dish. Remove chicken & steak onto sheet pan or serving dish. Keep warm.
Reduce griddle heat to 350 degrees. Warm tortillas in batches on griddle until lightly browned (just one to two minutes) and then stack onto a plate.

Get ready to serve your guests for your Summer Cookout by lining all ingredients up in order with serving spoons and spatulas for guests to pick & choose their favorite toppings.

Serve tortillas with rice, vegetables, chicken & steak. Top with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and cilantro
Hint: Line two large baking sheet with parchment paper and pour vegetables and meats onto baking sheets in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set oven to broil and broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are lightly charred.
Hint: Leave out the chicken & steak and make this Vegan.
Substitute: shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes per side instead of or in addition to chicken & steak.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
1.5 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Stir in rice. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook 20 minutes.
While rice is cooking, mix oil, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl.
Once rice has finished cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then toss in cilantro lime mixture.

Summer Corn Salad

This easy Corn Salad recipe is loaded with fresh summer flavors and is tossed in the most flavorful dressing! It is the perfect side dish for a potluck or healthy summer snack!

Ingredients

4 large ears of fresh corn
1 ½ cups diced bell pepper, I use red and green
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup English cucumber, diced
½ cup red onions, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup fresh Cotija cheese, see notes for subs

Dressing

3 tablespoons avocado oil, or extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lime juice, can sub lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ chili powder

Instructions

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Store in refrigerator while you prepare the remaining ingredients for the salad.
Place the cut up veggies on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once a boil is reached, salt the water generously with 2 heaping tablespoons sea salt.

Boil the corn OR follow directions to grill corn on the Blackstone Griddle.

If boiling the corn, add the corn and let it boil for 4 minutes only.
Transfer the corn to a colander and rinse it with cold water until the cobs are fully cooled.
Cut the kernels from the cob by placing the cob flat-side-down and slide a sharp knife down the side of the corn.
If grilling the corn, cut the kernels from the cob before grilling. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the Blackstone Griddle and stir fry kernels until tender.
Transfer corn to a large bowl along with remaining salad ingredients. Toss to combine.
Whisk the dressing again and pour it over the salad. Toss until well combined.
Serve immediately.
Hint: Make ahead and leave off the dressing and the cheese to cover and chill for up to 1 day.

Mom’s Famous Secret Chocolate Cake

This is a family favorite! Mom made and took it on camping trips, church pot lucks, and nearly every family occasion I can ever remember. All the guys in the family regularly requested it and asked where it was if for some reason it wasn’t in the mix. Get ready… it’s the best. I can’t believe I’m giving away this family secret!

Secret Chocolate Cake

Yield: 12-16

Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups butter
1 stick butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup shortening
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
2 unbeaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Butter a 11 x 16 x 2 inch pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix sugar and flour with a fork.
Bring to a boil the butter, shortening, water, and cocoa. Pour this hot mixture over the sugar and flour and blend well.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Secret Cake Frosting Ingredients