Labor Day Party Menuposted in Beverages by Jessica Howard
The grill is ready to go and there are lots of fresh options for a low-key cookout or a smart casual soiree. Even if you just want to have a couple of people over for nibblies and drinks, startcooking.com can help you nail down the menu. We've broken it down into drinks, appetizers, main courses, side dishes and desserts, spotlighting foods you can make ahead so that there's not much to do on the day itself. Isn't that the whole idea? Drinks Refreshing summer classics like iced tea, fruit punch and lemonade come to mind. There are all kinds of twists on lemonade, like pink lemonade, peach lemonade or Latin Limeade, which calls for lime juice and brown sugar. For the adults in the crowd, a limoncello cosmo is a perfect summer cocktail. (Recipe at bottom of post) Appetizers A great summer party appetizer is bruschetta, which is French bread topped with a tomato-basil topping. Take a shortcut and buy the topping at the grocery store, or make it yourself, using fresh tomatoes. These have to be assembled just prior to party time, otherwise the bread will get soggy. If you'd like to try an alternative to bruschetta, go for olivada, a spread made of olives (pitted, please), pine nuts and garlic. These ingredients go in the blender, and the finished spread can be made ahead and kept in the fridge. A standard vegetable and dip platter is a good idea at any party. All the vegetables can be cut up the night before and stored in an airtight container. Assemble them on a platter with dip just before guests arrive. Don't forget everyone's two favorites Seven Layer Dip and Guacamole with corn chips. Main courses If you're into grilling, you could choose between hamburgers, sausages, shish kebabs, steaks or grilled fish for the main course. But keep in mind that a barbecue is not a pre-requisite for a Labor Day party. You could always do something like Roasted Vegetables and Sausage, which can be prepared in advance and then cooked in the oven just prior to the event. If you don't want to turn on the oven or the barbecue, Wild Rice and Chicken Salad can be made the day before. It's a meal-strength salad that will just need to be topped with avocados and pecans before serving. Side Dishes and Salads Good old corn on the cob will always be a hit, but there are also lots of ways to enjoy corn off the cob. If you do make corn on the cob, it's nice to jazz it up with a flavourful herb butter. This Layered Salad, which contains hard-boiled eggs, bacon and other goodies, goes well with pretty much any other dish, and it's easy to pull together the day before. Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is lighter and classier than the traditional mayonnaise-based version. While we don't recommend consuming instant noodles on a daily basis, they're really worth it in Ramen Noodle Crunchy Coleslaw. Dessert A sweet, simple end to the meal could consist of two ingredients: strawberries and whipped cream. Another idea is to serve a platter of fresh fruit with a fruit dip. Ice cream pies or ice cream sandwiches are super easy to assemble in advance and just sit in the freezer, waiting to be eaten. Did you know you could save pizza for dessert? Fruit pizza, that is. It's basically a big sugar cookie with cream cheese frosting and fruit on top. Another yummy summer treat is old-fashioned banana pudding — the kind with vanilla cookies and chunks of banana in it. The photo tutorial on My Wooden Spoon shows exactly how it's done.
Recipe: Limoncello Cosmo ½ ounce limoncello 1 ounce vodka ½ ounce cranberry juice Place all ingredients into a martini shaker with several cubes of ice. Shake vigorously, pour into a martini glass and serve immediately. Garnish with lemon twist. If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free. 21 commentsPatty I love Caravella Limoncello- I bring it to house warming/summer party- great taste for the summer weather! Jana I've never had Caravella Limoncello before but it sounds like a great idea for summer BBQs, etc. Can't wait to try it!!! Limoncello is a really refreshing drink (for adults as it does contain alcohol!). I brought some to a dinner party instead of a bottle of wine and it was a HUGE hit! Kate I love those Caravella Cosmos! My sister-inlaw made them at our last outdoor get together and they were a huge hit! Suzanne ooohh! There is an orangecello as well! Sooo fun! These drinks remind me of my trip to Italy sitting at a small cafe in Florence near the river basking in all that is beautifully Italian... PS Love Limoncello and agree it is a great gift/party addition. Orangecello is a must try! Thanks for the post, I haven't had Limoncello in a long time. Vince I have been bringing Caravella Limonette to every barbeque this summer and I've been the hit of the party. The Limonette is so smooth and easy to drink! Vince P.S. sorry for the typo "Limoncello" ....not Limonette Samir I've made my own homemade limoncello and it's come out fantastic. A word of warning, it's SUPER strong, and you use quite a bit of lemons for it, but, it'll keep forever in a freezer. Limoncello goes great with some tonic btw. 1 750ml bottle of Everclear (151 will do if you can't find Everclear) Zest all of the lemons into a bowl while being extra careful to only get the yellow zest and not the white stuff under it. Any of those white bits and your Limoncello will be BITTER! Pour Everclear and Vodka into a large sealable container and add zest. The reason we use a middle of the road (but decent) vodka is that the cheap stuff is filled with impurities and the age old adage is true -- garbage in, garbage out. But, the lemons are the star here, so a brand like Grey Goose is just wasting money. The reason we'd like to use organic lemons is the use of the peels. Regular lemons are covered with pesticides, which usually isn't a problem because we're using the juice, but anytime you use the zest, try to go organic. If you can't find them, or it's too expensive, regular is fine, just wash and scrub nicely before using. Once you've added the zest to the alcohol, juice one of the lemons. This step isn't necessary, but it'll add a nice bit of acidity to the final product. Seal up the container and let sit in your pantry (or other cool, dark place) for about 2 weeks. At the end of two weeks, make simple syrup out of the sugar and water: Boil water and add all the sugar until it disolves, let boil for about 5 minutes, take off heat and let cool completely. If you don't let it cool, your Limoncello will be cloudy. Once cooled, add water to vodka/everclear/zest mixture, stir well, reseal and let sit again for about another week (letting it sit for longer won't hurt). After the time's up, you're ready to bottle. I use a bunch of those resealable pop top bottles that Lorina's Lemonade comes in. Strain out zest and funnell into bottles. Enjoy mixed with frozen berries, yogurt, or with tonic. If you're adventurous, it's shot time, but be careful, if your college experience was anything like mine, you'll know the wonders (and dangers) of Everclear. Jackie You are right Labor Day doesnt mean the summer is over!! Its still time to celebrate the great weather with loves ones, good food, and drinks! Great post- cant wait to host my party :) Samir, that looks like an amazing recipe but there are some things that seem like an awful lot of work when you can just buy a bottle of great Limoncello. :-) Thumbs up on the limoncello recommendation. I'd make it at home though, much better than Caravello Hi, I really like this post - nothing like a party starter..and nothing starts a party as well as some refreshing lemonade. I also think the ice cream sandwiches are a classic, an old family favorite that really can be enjoyed all year! (Well at least i like them any time of year ;) Thanks JP I just checked out sugartown and we are talking hot, hot HOT! Your photos and graphics are really quite something! Marcy All these fabulous treats can be used through out Fall- when entertaining guest on weekends! I had a special party at my house with family with all these fun summer dishes- ice cream, dips,the BBQ and Limoncello!!! Hi Marcy, sounds like a great party! I love entertaining and can't wait for the season to change so I can take the party indoors! Kim Labor day seems so far away- great to find recipes I can still use year round- and a cocktail for almost every occasion! Biff I served Caravella Cosmos at the last party and it was a big hit! They are good anytime of the year. Amy I stumbled upon this post looking for fun ways to host parties. Thanks for the Limoncello suggestion. I'll keep this in mind for next year! Hello Amy, Limoncello is great to keep in mind any time you're having guests, because it's original and elegant. No need to wait till next Labour Day to use it! Jessica Post a Comment0 trackbacks |
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On Labor Day, we've got two choices: we can mourn the passing
of summer, or keep it alive and kicking with a great outdoor party. Rally
friends and family to the patio to enjoy this official day of rest and to toast
the 20-odd summer days still ahead. 
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Patty
OOOOO Caravella Limoncella is my favorite summer cocktail!! I bring it to every party and house warming !