Li'l Man Turns 6 with a Barbeque Party

My li'l man turned six recently, and to celebrate it, we had an outside barbeque... 

He had been asking for three parties in celebration of his 6th birthday.  I had to explain only celebrities do week-long parties.  We are just simple and ordinary folks so naturally we do what simple folks do - have a simple celebration.  "But I need three parties!!!  How else will I get a lot of gifts if I only have one party?" Hahaha! 

 

All of the food was prepared at home, save for the pizzas, which we ordered using a buy-one-take-one promo.  We used a grill which we got as a wedding present some many years ago. 

I saw some baby potatoes in the grocery while grocery-shopping for the barbeque, I thought they would be a nice addition.  I always include the skin when cooking baby potatoes as the thin, crispy skin provides a contrasting texture to the soft interior.   No worries, potatoes were nicely scrubbed and prepped before cooking. :)

Just toss in foil, put some garlic butter and a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper and roast till fork-soft.

Roasting corn is hands down a better alternative to boiling.  Grilling the cobs over charcoal brings out an intensity of flavors, mixing the bite of hickory with the sweet and juicy kernels.

Slice a pear thinly and roast it on top of the grill.  Melt some sugar on a pan and quickly toss in some roasted walnuts.  Layer them both on a bed of arugula or your choice of greens.

Grab a few cobs and slice off the kernels and add some diced mangoes. tomatoes and minced onion to make a roasted corn salad.  Finish off with a sprinkling of some lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt.

Grill some all-beef patties over high heat.... 

... add some caramelized onions and button mushrooms to make the tastiest burgers this side of town.

Fall of the bone baby back ribs.

Bottles of your favorite beer to gulp it all down with...

Cheers!  Maybe, some wine, perhaps?  A guest bought a bottle and was finished off right away.

But the birthday boy could not care any less about the food as he was overjoyed with the boxes of Lego toys he received!

He quickly got to work.  And while he needed no help making this....

... this one is too complicated and still waiting for Dad's help.