Backyard Hosting Made Easy

Backyard celebrations, whether with family or friends, are frequent all summer long. How to host these seasonal get-togethers for an unforgettable night? Read on and find out how to keep your guests happy and make things easy on yourself, too!

Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

These grilling classics are easy to make and will please both kids and adults. Sure, there are the classics with ketchup and mustard, but don’t forget that there are vegetarian and vegan options on the market, or you can even prepare your own patties with vegetables or pulses, to make all your guests happy and feeling welcome. Here are a few recipe suggestions:

Recipes Everyone Will Love

Veggie Burgers from Christian Bégin

If you’re up to the challenge, the patties for this vegetarian burger recipe are made with a combination of oats, potatoes and bean purée.

Veggie cheeseburgers by RICARDO

In this meat-free version featuring vegetables and grilled cheese, the patty is replaced by a thick eggplant slice.

Classic and Newfangled Hot Dogs

And for hot dog lovers, here’s a recipe that’s been adapted into many versions. There’s a classic hot dog, a vegetarian version, and two other presentations that’ll impress your guests.

Everyone Gets a Slice

Perfect for stress-free hosting in the backyard, pizza is also a unanimous meal option. For those of you looking to do the least amount of work possible (no judgment, you’re on holiday too, after all!), ready-to-cook versions will suit almost all tastes, whether for a carnivore, vegetarian or someone who prefers plant-based. And good news, even gluten-intolerant folks will find what they’re looking for.

Original Recipes

Barbecue Hawaiian Pizza by RICARDO

Go beyond the classic all-dressed pizza and let yourself be tempted by the recipe for grilled Hawaiian pizza with pineapple and white ham. In this recipe, you’ll even get all the steps to make the dough.

Veggie Pizza on the BBQ

With this recipe, you have the option to either make your own dough, buy a store-bought version or simply use naan bread as a crust. The pizza is loaded with zucchini, eggplant and asparagus to make your veggie friends happy.

Salad: The Ultimate Side Dish

The ideal is to have at least two options available, but with the objective to do less and depending on the number of people you’ve invited, don’t hesitate to ask your guests to contribute. So host a potluck and have some people bring salad and others, dessert. You’ll take care of the rest!

Seasonal Recipes

Tex-Mex Vegan Pasta Salad by Geneviève O’Gleman

Prepare a classic macaroni salad with an egg-free mayonnaise to make your vegan friends happy, and bet that this colourful pasta salad will surely impress them.

Strawberry and Greens Summer Salad

Summer strawberries are here in abundance at farmer’s markets. Take the opportunity to add them to your dishes.

Ready-to-Drink Mocktails

More and more people are trying to control or limit their alcohol consumption. Given this, the availability of ready-to-drink mocktails in stores has continued to grow. Margarita, gin and tonic, spiced rum, sangria, mojito and more, all without a drop of alcohol, are among the assortment of offerings that are looking to stand out on shelves.

Recipes That’ll Quench Your Thirst

Watermelon Drinks

For hosts and hostesses who prefer mixing their own homemade drinks, here are two recipes–one with alcohol and one without–that share one common ingredient: watermelon.

View the Recipes:

Pitcher of Lemon Iced Tea

This refreshing drink is loved by kids and adults alike. You can even transform it into a cocktail by adding some rum and ginger beer to the mix.