Sweet Heat Coleslaw

We kicked off summer this weekend by hosting a BBQ for the Elders Quorum at our house. D is a counselor in the presidency and we are the only ones with enough parking and a big enough yard to do a big backyard BBQ.

The weather was perfect. It stayed in the mid80s with the humidity under 50 percent. That may sound awful, but here...that's actually a pretty nice day.

I should have taken a picture of the setup, and I really regret it now...but D arranged the smokers and the BBQs, and the tables in such a way that it gave a great visual of exactly how far out we need our deck to come. That's IF we can get permission from the city to build a deck.

At one point, I counted roughly 50 people in our backyard! And we probably could have held another 50 without a problem. This is the biggest gathering we've hosted so far.

D volunteered me to make potato salad and coleslaw. I hate both. I delegated the potato salad to a friend and bought bagged salad. At the last minute I decided to make a coleslaw after all.

I started with Paula Deen's coleslaw as a base and built my own sauce to give it a bit of sweet heat. Since the really large bowl was almost empty by the end, I'd say it was a pretty big hit.


Start with the basics: diced onion, chopped green pepper, matchstick carrots, and cabbage. Toss in some mayo and the secret ingredient, plus sugar and vinegar and you're good to go! I had to triple the recipe for this crowd. Here's a smaller version

 Sweet Heat Coleslaw

• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 /2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 large carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cabbage head, sliced then chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
•  1 T Weber's New Orleans Cajun Grill Seasoning
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

In  a large bowl, toss together the bell pepper, onion, carrot and cabbage.

In a small bowl, mix together mayo, the New Orleans Cajun seasoning, and sugar. Stir in vinegar.

Add the dressing on to the salad mixture and chill for an hour before serving.

D was surprised by the heat at the end. It doesn't get you at first. It lures you in like a sweet coleslaw, then hits you with the cajun flavors. Definitely not MY grandma's coleslaw!

Linked up at:

Tatertots & Jello ** Weekend Bloggy Reading ** Project Party Weekend ** Weekend Show Off ** What's Shakin' ** Overflowing with Creativity ** Busy Monday ** Scrumptious Sunday ** Newbie Party ** Mop It Up Mondays ** Creative Me ** Tuesday Confessional ** Simply Sensational Tuesday ** Show me What you've got ** Ta Da Tuesday ** Tell Me Tuesday ** Talent Tuesday ** Jillify It **