Memorial Day Weekend Recipes, Tips + Dump Cake! [VIDEO]

I'd be remiss if I didn't offer you, right out of the gate, the infomercial that had me in stitches (admittedly, for childish reasons) for a cookbook with a silly name and even sillier, unhealthy ingredients...

If you're over the dump cake, or even the dump dinners, here are a few more tips for your gatherings...

1. Serve less meat, but buy the expensive stuff.
2. Focus on veggies instead of chips and salsa.
3. Make your own dry rub.
4. Use high, medium, then low heat (sear first, cook in the middle, keep warm).
5. Keep track of cooking temperatures to avoid food poisoning.
6. Serve fruit for dessert.

We've also gathered a bunch of different recipes and simple instructional videos for you, from pizza on the grill to shrimp and seafood to the all-American burger. I'm making at least...97 percent of them.

Finally, don't let these happen to you...

Feel free to share your favorite simple recipe too!

Diane Labombarbe / iStock Vectors via Getty