As we move into fall, there is still plenty of time to barbeque and enjoy the deliciousness of grilled foods. If you’re tired of eating the same foods repeatedly or doing the same boring things, learn how to bring your barbecue to the next level even if your gathering is smaller than you’d like.

If there’s one thing COVID can’t take from us, it’s family memories and now’s a great time to make more.

Make it a Themed Barbecue

Even if it’s just you and your family having a BBQ day, why not have a little fun? Create a theme and let everyone get as into it as they want. Themes can go one of two ways:

• Create a theme and have everyone dress the part (example: Hawaiian them, cowboy theme, etc.) and decorate the area too
• Create a theme with the food. Pick a movie, celebration, or any other theme your family enjoys, find new recipes to include and go all out

Try new Recipes

Is everyone tired of the same food? Have a little fun. There are numerous recipes you can make with grilled bacon, hotdogs, or sausage that are perfect for a barbecue, but fun enough to be different.

Get creative – grill your meats and add them to macaroni and cheese or slice them up and layer them over tater tots. Or even just grill up bacon or sausage and cut them into bite-size pieces, stick them with toothpicks and place them in a fancy mason jar or another fun bowl.

Just make sure to label everything so your family knows what they are trying – use this time to try new things!

Create a Fun Atmosphere

While the weather is still nice, it’s a great time to get outdoors and have fun. Go all out with your barbecue. Whether you make it a non-traditional barbecue, going fancy rather than rugged or you turn it into a movie day, or game day – there are plenty of ways you can incorporate other fun things into your barbecue.

Of course, the main show is the food – who doesn’t love grilled food, especially meats? But, while the meat is cooking, show everyone a good time.

If you have a projector, throw a sheet up in the backyard and show your favorite movies. If you’d rather have a more active gathering, bring out all the favorite games or buy new games. Cornhole, yard Jenga, volleyball, and croquet are all classics.

Create a little friendly competition and let everyone have fun while enjoying the last days of summer and delicious barbecued food.

While we can be outdoors, let’s make the most of it! When the weather cools and we’re stuck inside, we’ll be dreaming of these days. Make the most of them – creating memories that will last a lifetime no matter how different it may seem today. While we may not be able to get together with everyone we want to see, we can make the most of what we do have available to us today.