Life goes by so fast, doesn't it?
Labor Day is the last picnic of summer. It s always sort of bittersweet…because even through there are still several more weeks of summer it is over for all intents and purposes.
Here are some past favorites on Restless Chipotle that would be great for Labor Day entertaining. As much as you can try to make things ahead of time. Pasta salads, deviled eggs…. all of these can be made a couple of days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Seriously… Picnics are not the time to try to impress people with your tricky 17 layer banana-chocolate ganache torte with homemade dulce de leche.( No, my birthday is a good time for that. April 21st….Just sayin’….) This is the time to keep it simple, comforting, homestyle, and delicious. Pull out those grandma and auntie recipes and keep the traditions alive…If you don’t have any now is a good time to create your own. Make it easy so you can enjoy your family and friends and appreciate the fruit of your labor. 
This Labor Day I will be aboard ship…. so excited! In fact, I think I might be skinning my knees on ancient Mayan ruins while you cook up your meal. I have invited friends over and my friend who is staying with the kids..and told them to carry on just as we always do! I am gonna try to leave some goodies for them too.
Kyrie is a little unsure of my leaving but she loves Edye to distraction and they are going to have a blast. What a blessing family and friends are! Never take them for granted!
Foil Wrapped Brisket – If you don’t have a smoker then this is the way to go.
Retro Hibachi Sauce for Beef – My dad made it famous…on our street anyway.
Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork with Mango Salsa – Don’t want to grill? Expecting rain? Do this in the crockpot!
Homemade Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns – The classic. Easy and perfectly soft.
Homemade Catsup – Why accept second best? This takes like 5 minutes!
Comback Chopped Salad - Tangy, spicy, full of texture…your guests will want to comeback for sure.
Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad – This is the real deal. Use Hellman’s!
Southwestern Style Potato Salad – Chipotle gives it a little smoky sizzle
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad – A twist on potato salad. Sweet, spicy… Perfect with grilled pork especially!
Watermelon Basket – Everyone will be impressed with your madd knife skillz
Sweet Corn Pound Cake – Light, sweet delicious…and would be great paired with fruit.
Banana Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – Gramma could have made this one. Old fashioned awesome right here.
Cookie Dough Brownies – O. M. G.
Texas Sheet Cake – Sooooo quick and easy you can do it last minute.
Quadruple Chip and Pecan Cookies - Easy and they will disappear fast. Slap some homemade ice cream between two of these babies…
Peach Tea and Ginger Ice Cream – We like our sweet tea here in the south….. any way you want to serve it is fine.
That’s it for now… I will be posting more links to recipes on other sites this week…so you can have some to choose from. Makin’ it easy for ya is my life! Well, not really but I thought it would make you feel appreciated.
Images:Marye Audet
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Enjoy both your cruise & scaling those Mayan ruins! What an exciting Labor Day you’ll be having! As for me—I’m not even sure what I’ll be cooking yet, but you’ve given me some great idea to start. Thanks!