Labor Day Menu Ideas (Five Ingredient Friday)

Since Labor Day is this weekend, rather than a Five Ingredient Friday post, I’ve decided to give you a Five Recipe Friday post for the upcoming weekend celebrations. There are links for Slow-Cooker Carolina-Style Pulled Pork, THE potato salad – Southern-Style Mustard Potato Salad, Cowboy Caviar (Black Bean Salsa), The Endless Summer Cocktail, and Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream. All of these recipes can be made ahead of time, leaving you to be able to celebrate the last long weekend of summer with fabulous food while relaxing!

First up on is the Endless Summer Cocktail. You can use this for two different manners of celebrating an Endless Summer. If you’re happy summer is over and kids are heading back to school? Perfect! If you’re wishing you could keep summer bottled in a glass to have close to you all year? Perfect! This light, fruity, citrus-y cocktail carries the glow of a warm summer sun in an icy-cold, refreshing adult beverage.

Endless Summer Cocktail

Next up are the ingredients for a fabulous end of summer picnic. The key to starting a party off right is a great snack. And this recipe for Cowboy Caviar, which is just a simple version of Black Bean and Black Eyed Pea Salsa; it is always a hit! Have plenty of chips on hand, and don’t expect there to be even a smidge leftover.

Black Bean & Black Eyed Pea Salsa

Then move the feast forward with Slow-Cooker Carolina-Style Pulled Pork. This stuff is so easy to throw together and let your slow-cooker do all the work! It’s really delicious to eat with your favourite BBQ sauce, it can be used in a variety of ways, and it freezes really well (if you have any leftovers). Make it ahead of time and just reheat it in the oven in a covered dish, or in the microwave.

Carolina-Style Pulled Pork

Then, of course, it’s not a picnic/cookout weekend without THE potato salad. Southern-Style Mustard Potato Salad. The quintessential potato salad…loaded with hard-cooked eggs that give it that distinct southern flair.

Southern-Style Mustard Potato Salad

Finally, put a cherry on top of your summer with Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream. Nothing screams summer like ice cream. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  The subtle flavour of Bourbon and the delightful taste of cherries in a custard-style ice cream provide the perfect dish to finish summer and slide into fall.

Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream

I hope your summer has been as delightful as mine has been! I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to all of the delicious foods of Fall.

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend!

P~