Labor Day Recipes and Menus

[cat lover]

Labor Day will be here soon, the kids will be back in school and cooler weather will be right around the corner for most of us. What do you plan on cooking for that day? A picnic at a park or just a grill day at home? Let's share our special recipes here!

Here's one to get us started!

We'll probably have:

Grilled Salmon

Pasta Salad -recipes follows

Pasta Salad


8 ounces dried rotelle pasta
6 green onions, ends trimmed
3 Roma tomatoes
2 fresh jalapeno chilies
1 red bell pepper
1 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 can (8 1/2 oz.) reduced-sodium kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta, uncovered, in 3 to 4 quarts boiling water till tender to bite, about 12 minutes. Drain, then rinse with cold water until cool and drain well.
While pasta cooks, chop the green onions and Roma tomatoes. Stem, seed, and mince jalapenos. Stem, seed, and cut the bell pepper into thin, short slivers.In a large bowl, combine the pasta, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, cilantro, and beans. Add the vinegar, oil, and cheese and mix well. Transfer to a serving platter. Makes 6 servings

Grilled Potatoes In Foil- recipe follows


Grilled Potatoes in Foil

Red potatoes
Onions
Butter
Green peppers
Salt and pepper
Sheet of foil

Rub and scrub red potatoes. On a sheet of foil, dice potatoes, onions, and peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay butter across top of potatoes. Put on grill and roast about 20 minutes.



Grilled vegetables - recipe follows

Take yellow squash, zucchini,sweet green peppers, small whole onions and whatever veggies you want. Slice the squash, zucchini and bell peppers into slices about 1/4" thick; brush all vegetables with French salad dressig and grill till slightly blackened and they are ready!

Watermelon, cantaloupe sliced in to servings size pieces

[cat lover]

Apple Coleslaw
This is a rather sweet colesalw, but easy to fix!


6 oz. cole slaw mix
1/3 cup raisins
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. plain nonfat yogurt
2 apples, cored and coarsely shredded


Combine all ingredients and salt to taste in a bowl. Toss gently to combine. Chill and serve.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

We don't make anything special on Labor Day because it falls right after school starts and everything is rushed.

[cat lover]

We try to make it a "close down summer"; time so to say. We grill all year though! LOL Actually the grill is used more in "off season" because there isn't as much to do outside then; picking the garden goodies, and the wild fruits and such, and running the tractor to keep up with the grass we do keep cut! LOL

[ajrsmom]

Speaking of "closing down summer"....

When I first moved in with my DH, We lived in a duplex. Next door to us there was another young couple who believed in taking out the grill on Memorial Day and packing it away for the winter on Labor Day. :confused:

I can't imagine not grilling in the winter. We always have.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

We grill year-round too. I even made sure to pack a small grill for Las Cruces. It comes in so handy when it is too hot to cook inside.

[cat lover]

These are a good dessert for the day just because you can make them ahead of time!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave butter and margarine together till melted. Place in mixer the melted butter, white sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter and mix on medium speed till well blended. Add eggs and beat mixture for 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Add 2 cups of the flour 1 cup at a time,blending into mixture. Remove from mixer and mix by hand the remaining flour. Add the milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, mix well. Scoop 1" balls of cookie mixture onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or till lightly browned. Makes 4 dozen cookies

[cat lover]

Terikayi Glazed Beef Kebobs


1 1/2 pounds beef top or bottom sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup bottled teriyaki baste-glaze
1 tsp Oriental sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
8 to 12 green onions
1 or 2 plum tomatoes, cut into slices


Thread beef cubes on metal or bamboo skewers. (Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 20 minutes before using to keep them from burning.)
Combine teriyaki glaze, sesame oil and garlic in a small bowl. Brush beef and onions with part of the glaze, saving some for grilling and let stand 15 to 30 minutes. Oil hot grid to help prevent sticking. Grill beef, on a covered grill, over medium coals, 6 to 9 minutes for medium doneness, turning several times and brushing with glaze. Add onions and tomatoes to the grill 3 or 4 minutes after the beef; grill until onions and tomatoes are tender. Remove from grill; brush beef, onions and tomatoes with remaining glaze. Makes 4 servings

Source: Kingsford Products Co.

[cat lover]

Bratwurst with Onions


8 uncooked bratwurst links
12 ounces beer
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tsp chili powder
bottled hot pepper sauce
2 cups hickory or oak wood chips
3 medium onions, sliced
3 tbsp margarine
1 tsp chili powder
8 French style rolls, split and toasted
sweet pepper relish

Use the tines of a fork to pierce several holes in each bratwurst. Place bratwurst in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in a medium bowl combine beer, brown sugar, mustard, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and the hot pepper sauce. Pour over bratwurst; seal bag. Refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. At least 1 hour before smoke cooking, soak wood chips in enough water to cover. Drain before using. Fold a 36x18-inch piece of heavy foil in half to make an 18-inch square. Place onions in center of foil. Dot with butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chili powder. Bring up 2 opposite edges of foil; seal with a double fold. Fold remaining ends to completely enclose onions, leaving space for steam to build. Refrigerate the packet until ready to grill. Drain bratwurst, reserving marinade. Arrange medium-hot coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above the pan. Sprinkle the drained wood chips over the coals. Place bratwurst on the grill rack over drip pan. Place onion packet next to bratwurst on grill rack directly over coals. Cover and grill for 20 to 25 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degree F when inserted near the center of a bratwurst, brushing once with marinade halfway through cooking. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect grilling. Grill as above, except add drained wood chips according to the manufacturer¿s directions.) Remove bratwurst and onion packet from grill. Serve bratwurst on toasted rolls and top with onions and sweet pepper relish. Makes 8 servings.

[cat lover]

Has anyone decided on what they will be fixing for the Labor Day Holiday yet?