With spring finally here and summer soon approaching, it seems there is almost always a weekly or bi-weekly gathering of friends and families coming together to enjoy the outdoors and spend some quality time together. This time is always magical. You get to share stories from the week, catch up with those you maybe haven't seen in a while (let’s face it, sometimes we can’t make it to all our gatherings), and play an abundance of outdoor games.

If there’s one thing you should know about attending a summer BBQ, it’s that you best never come empty-handed.

Sometimes, if you’re anything like me, this can be a little bit intimidating. I mean, what should you bring? You definitely can’t bring the same thing as someone else, so that means you better get your coordinator hat on and start contacting the attendees to figure out what you should bring.

To help you find that perfect classic dish to bring to your next gathering, here’s a list of my top 12 go-tos.

1. Pulled Pork BBQ.

Typically this is the dish the host provides, but nevertheless, sometimes they opt to provide some other yummy food.

2. Baked beans.

What BBQ is complete without baked beans?

3. Pasta salad.

Carbs make me happy.

4. Potato salad.

Carbs on carbs on carbs.

5. Deviled eggs.

Talk about delish.

6. Meatballs.

Super easy to make and absolutely yummy.

7. Fruit salad.

Healthy, refreshing, and appetizing? Check.

8. Veggie platter.

Most people prefer fruit, but at every BBQ there’s always one person who heads straight for the veggies. In my circle, this person is me.

9. Dip.

This one gives you some options, but typically what I’ve seen is buffalo chicken dip or spinach artichoke dip. You can easily pair these with crackers, french bread, or the flattened pretzels.

10. Cheese and crackers.

Such an easy little snack.

11. Dessert.

Again, so many options. You can bring the classic brownies, brownies with a twist, cake, cookies, pie, cobbler with vanilla ice cream, or if there’s a fire pit bring the makings for smores. The possibilities are endless.

12. Drinks.

This is the one category where you definitely need lots of options for your guests. Although most people provide soda, that can not only get expensive, you need to purchase multiple different flavors. With this in mind, the easiest options that you can provide in bulk are water, lemonade, sweet tea, and a punch.