Labor Day Menu

Labor Day is one of our national holidays that gives us a long weekend to celebrate with family and friends. If you play your cards right, you have three days of food and fun before the long stretch to Halloween.

Most of these recipes are easy and some take help from pantry shelf items.

Watermelon Salad

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 ½ quarts watermelon, seeded and cubed
• ¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup black olives, pitted and halved
• 1 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

• Place onion in a small bowl with lime juice (to mellow the rawness of the onion) and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine watermelon, feta, olives, onion with lime juice, and mint. Drizzle olive oil and toss to blend.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon steak sauce
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

• Preheat grill at medium.
• In a shallow bowl combine mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and steak sauce. Reserve a small amount for basting. Coat the chicken with the mixture.
• Grill chicken, occasionally basting, until chicken is done with juices running clear.

Brown Sugar Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken
• 1 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup bourbon
• ¼ cup Italian salad dressing
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• In a slow cooker, combine barbecue sauce, sugar, bourbon, salad dressing, garlic powder and paprika. Add chicken, making sure all pieces are fully coated
• Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• ½ pound uncooked pasta
• 3 ounces salami
• 1 ½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 bell pepper, or ½ each in colors of your choice
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped
• ½ cup black olives, halved
• 4 ounces mozzarella balls, halved
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup Italian salad dressing
• Parmesan cheese, optional for topping

Directions:

• Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and rinse.
• Combine pasta, salami, tomtoes, bell pepper, onion, olives, mozzarella, and parsley in a large bowl. Add Italian salad dressing and toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
• Top with shaved or grated Parmesan.

S’mores Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.3 ounce) package of fudge brownie mix
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons water
• 6 graham crackers
• 1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows
• 8 (1.5 ounce) chocolate bars, coarsely chopped

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9X13 baking dish.
• Combine brownie mix, oil, eggs, and water. Mix well and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, break graham crackers into 1 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add marshmallows and chopped chocolate to combine.
• Remove brownies from the oven and sprinkle with graham cracker mixture. Return to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or about 7 to 10 minutes.