Its a Hero

The Perfect Date Night (Cook)Out // PLUS Party-Perfect Potato Salad RECIPE

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Summer has officially arrived in Northeast Ohio, and one thing that my husband and I love to do in the summer, is use our grill and entertain friends. Well, since Remy was born (yes, 16.5 months ago…), we’ve fallen a tad bit short on the date nights and having friends over for barbecues. In fact, most Summer nights we find ourselves eating the kids leftovers and falling asleep before dark. It’s true!

But last week I decided to change that. Sure, our schedules are mostly determined by two small people; but we can still enjoy an impromptu cookout/date night at home, right!?

I was determined — determined, ya’ll! But I still had to remain optimistic. I mean, I was taking two kids with me to shop for this date night, so getting in, finding my items, and getting out were of top priority! So I stopped by Giant Eagle on my way home from work. It’s close, it’s convenient, and they always have exactly what I’m looking for.

And what I was looking for were their amazing Bacon Cheddar Patties. A friend from work turned me onto these bad boys and they do not disappoint!

Found in the butcher section, these patties are ground fresh daily, mixed with thick-cut bacon and chunks of sharp cheddar. Amazing!

I also picked up some Hellmann’s Mayonnaise for my delicious potato salad (keep reading for the recipe!), cookies for dessert, and some fizzy lemonade for a mocktail!

In and out in 15-minutes, flat! That’s what I like to call the perfect one-stop shopping trip! PS. Had I planned my date night cookout sooner, I would have just used the Giant Eagle Curbside Express to order online and pickup from my car! Silly me…

That was the easy part. The difficult part was actually getting our date night dinner together while wrangling two toddlers. Luckily, I kinda know my go-to potato salad recipe like the back of my hand. And I was able to chop and dice all the veggies while Remy was napping (thank goodness she takes long naps!).

Although I am no grill-master, I can actually operate a grill (I know, I know… it’s a surprise, right!?). Well my hidden ‘secret’ of grilling is to actually throw the burger toppings on the grill, too! That’s right — I throw those sliced mushrooms and onions into a foil packet and let them get all grilled before serving them right alongside my burger! No buns even necessary on a burger that’s this good! 🙂

And, since we were squeezing in this date night cookout just after the kids went to sleep, I figured a mocktail was in order. I made a delicious frozen blueberry sparkling lemonade with Nature’s Basket frozen blueberries and Lemon Lemon Sparkling Lemonade! It was perfect! It just so happened to be a 90+ degree night, so the chill from the frozen blueberries was honestly the perfect touch.

We rounded out our date night with a couple of Farmhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies and called it a night. Okay, we called it an 8:30PM 😛 😛 But seriously, it was much-needed, both the company of each other and the delicious meal. In fact, we even reminded ourselves to slow it down and chew our food! You know, because the kids weren’t there to distract us! 🙂

Okay, now for that Party-Perfect Potato Salad recipe!

[gmc_recipe 11447]
All in all, I’m grateful that we did this. I’m grateful that we spent some time together and reconnected — even if this version of a ‘date night’ is a tad bit different than it used to be!

 

So tell me — what’s your favorite grilling tip!?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Trish

    Oh man, sign me up on the Bacon Cheddar Patties!! I’ll have to tell my hubby about these so he can make some of these and slap em on the grill! My husband and I too love to grill out!

    Reply

  9. Amy Desrosiers

    Your potato salad recipe is almost exactly like my mother in laws. I think it is so delicious! #client

    Reply

  10. Jen

    This is the perfect menu for a cookout…though I don’t think I could squeeze a date night in because my kiddies would devour those burgers too! lol

    Reply

  12. Megan

    This looks awesome! My husband would have a cookout every night if he could so it would make for the perfect date night for us as well! Hope you guys enjoyed!

    Reply

  14. Jen

    Yes! Love potato salad with mustard! And MAYO, it’s gotta be mayo-not miracle whip! This spicey mustard is what’s going to really set it apart. I can’t wait to try it, with so many BBQ’s happening, I won’t have to wait too long. Thank for sharing

    Reply

  18. Krysten

    This is the most perfect date night that I could imagine. We have a toddler at home, so it’s hard to go out for date night, I might have to make this up one night after the little one goes to bed!

    Reply

  19. Erika ortega

    Bacon cheddar patties sound soo good right now. Love your picks, date nights at home and an early bed time are always AMAZING to me. Hardly happens but when it does it sure feels good

    Reply

  20. justine

    YUMMMM
    I’m a sucker for BBQs — i love the smell of food on the grill and a cold beer!
    this potato salad sounds bomb! gonna have to try it.. i like adding dill to my potato salad

    Reply

  21. Jenna

    Kids are a game changer for the social life for sure. I can’t remember the last time my husband and I went out alone let alone with friends that don’t have children.

    Reply

  24. Janette Shearer

    Totally have to save this for later! My husband loves potato salad! I unfortunately do not so I have no idea how to make it! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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