Your Labor Day Menu

[Chew on That]

Planning a get together for Labor Day? What's on your menu? Going to use up summer produce?

[swsidejim]

ribs in the smoker, probably some sweet corn from the farmstand. a fresh green salad, and whatever else looks good at the farmers market, and farmstand.

The star will be the slow smoked baby back ribs. Well, that and the beer and tequila.

Sunday night will be prime steaks(Porterhouse), and prawns the size of my hand on the grill.

[Will Owen]

Sunday is the Second Annual White* Trash party - pork shoulder on the bottom shelf of the water smoker, assorted sausages in rotation on the top, with the gas grill cleaned up for anyone who's brought anything that needs it. Though we're doing it mostly potluck this year, I will make a cold dish or two, probably mixed beans in vinaigrette, and either potato salad or devilled eggs. So the short answer is: on Labor Day, the menu will be LEFTOVERS!

* Etcetera!

[Glencora]

Absolutely going to use up homegrown produce. Toasted baguette with olive tapenade and roasted red peppers; goat cheese and roasted roma tomatoes. Salad with lemon cucumber. Sausages on the grill, with onions. Apple pie. It's also my dad's birthday and he's not a wildly adventurous eater so we'll keep it simple. The weather should be nice.

[jeanmarieok]

Menu so far.... Steamed blue crabs, steamed shrimp, pork butt (in the smoker), rolls, butter, smoked baked beans, 3 bean salad (using up a big jar someone brought to the beach) , sliced tomatoes, fresh seasonal fruit, blueberry cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream....

[diablo]

The regular. Hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq chicken, fresh caught flounder and crabs *with luck* (I live on the water so the fishin and crabbin's usually good), potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs, green salad, watermelon, ice cream and whatever anyone else brings. Add lots of booze=fun, fun, fun! Happy labor day and hello to the best time of the year---uncrowded beaches :)

[Emme]

we're eating at the beach at my buddy's house, so i'm bringing some brined rotisserie chicken that i'll make sunday or monday morning. i'm gonna do a bunch of roasted veggies that ill reheat there. fruit salad with whatever i find at sunday morning's farmers market. there's been a request (an odd one) for popovers and smashed sweet potatoes (i have weird friends)...sangria, wine, beer, and oh yeah key lime cupcakes and nutella white chocolate chunk brownies.

[ElissaInPlaya]

The nutella white choc chunk brownies sound great. WIll you share your recipe?

[dcdavis]

Yes, please share Emme!

[Emme]

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
4 oz. milk chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup Nutella
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
white chocolate chips
[optional alcohol: hazelnut liquor or kahlua stirred in with the white chocolate]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter & flour a 9 inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler with butter & Nutella, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat.

While chocolates are melting, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Add eggs, whisking until mixture is glossy & smooth. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in pieces of grated white chocolate or chunks.

Pour batter into baking pan and bake in the middle of oven 35-40 minutes, or until tester comes out with moist crumbs adhering to it. Cool brownies completely in pan or on a rack.

OPTIONALLY: Chop hazelnuts and stir into batter or scatter across the top -- i don't do this.

[CindyJ]

I just saw a circular advertising live lobsters for $5.99 a pound at Shop Rite. So lobsters will be on my menu, probably accompanied by an heirloom tomato salad, cole slaw and Mirai corn. Does summer eating get any better than that?

[Chew on That]

Your menus sound delicious, especially those fresh green salads and tapenades. Keep 'em coming. Happy Labor Day weekend!

[DonShirer]

80% homegrown: Orange roughy, garden grown acorn squash, pasta verde with garden peppers, mesclun salad with garden grown carrots and tomatoes. Mt. Tom cheese and crackers for dessert.

[ldkelley]

We grilled a whole red snapper, stuffed with home-grown key limes, onions and fresh dill. Our first attempt at grilling whole fish, and we will definately do it again. Consumed on the patio with some napa cabbage slaw and a cold adult beverage, it was a very nice evening.