Taking Our Family Dinners to Another Level This Summer

This post is sponsored by Tyson Foods, Inc., but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Summer is by far my favorite season. I love the longer days, family vacations, fireflies, but most of all the food. We love to cook out multiple times a week during the summer months. I’m always down for a traditional hamburger and hot dog, but it’s always fun to find other ways to take our family dinners to another level while enjoying everything about summer.

One of my favorite ways to spice up our dinners on the grille is to have different hot dog themed nights. We love everything from Chili-Cheese to a Chicago-Style Hot Dog. Let’s be honest, you can almost add any topping to a Ball Park® hot dog and it will be amazing. All hot dogs are not created equal, but we love Ball Park hot dogs, and use them a lot throughout the summer months.

Chicago-style hot dogs were so delicious and a big hit in our home, even for our toddler who is a picky eater. Just top your hot dog with tomato wedges, dill pickle spears, chopped onion, mustard, and some banana peppers . What an amazing combination of flavors.

My husband could barely enjoy his hot dog in peace, my toddler loved it so much. He fully believes everything we eat is his as well.

Another way, we spice up our family dinners in the summer is by trying a variety of chicken recipes. I love using Tyson’s® Frozen Boneless Chicken Thighs. They are tender and cook perfectly on the grill. Jerk Chicken is a favorite in our house. I usually buy a simple pre-made marinade or sauce that I can easily brush on while it’s cooking. When I have more time, I look up an easy recipe and mix together all the spices to make it from scratch. Top the chicken with some mango salsa and a few limes and you have one impressive dinner.

Now that 2 of our boys are getting older, it’s fun to let them help out with the grilling process, and learn how to use this cooking method. They usually just salivate over the grill more than actually help, but they are learning.

Finally, a refreshing drink in the summer is such a fun way to take our dinner to another level. There just isn’t anything quite like fresh squeezed lemonade or freshly brewed ice tea. I love how easy the Lipton® tea bags make it. It seeps for a 3 minutes, then add sugar, some ice, and your good to go.