21 days until fall! I wish someone would tell that to the temperatures; our temps continue to soar into the 90’s — for those of you who love summertime, you are loving it — I’m melting…:-)
But before we get to all things pumpkin, cinnamon, apples, warm and cozy — I’ve got a few amazing recipes up my sleeve to share with you! Recipes that are perfect for your end-of-summer parties.
Pull up a porch chair and let’s sit a bit, sip on some iced tea <– (my favorite) and get caught up. But of course the table of contents is just below and you can jump to any section you want.
Table of contents
⭐️ New Recipe | Perfect Endings
Why shouldn’t we start with dessert first?!? I have a brand new recipe I know you will love. Other than a quick blind baking of the pie crust the rest is all oven free and comes together quickly!
Creamy, cool and so butterscotch-y with a hint of cinnamon — a little nod to the fall flavors.
And let’s not forget these two top recipes; perfect endings!
Super Starters
We are heading out of town with some friends for the weekend, I love bringing an easy appetizer that I can put together quickly.
Sensational Salads
I love a good salad at a barbecue and these are my two favorites!
Grilling & Main Dish Recipes
Grilling always seems to be the name of the game, but I’m giving a few inside recipes too, because if your Labor is typically like ours, we invariably get a rain shower at cookout time.
Best Side Dishes
These recipes always go nuts over a long holiday weekend — and for good reason, they are amazing and always get rave reviews when I bring them to a barbecue!
- Cowboy Baked Beans <– doctored up canned beans topped with BACON! Amazin’
- Corn Pudding Casserole <– no Jiffy mix, just soft, tender corn puddin’
- Smoked Mac and Cheese <–no Smoker necessary (but ya can if you want to!)
- Cheesy Funeral Potatoes <– Made with frozen hash browns and no canned soup, they are the cheesiest!
Summer Sips
It wouldn’t be a barbecue without some fun summer sips! These are my favorites and a few reader faves too! This first section contains alcohol, but they can easily be made without.
Favorite Cocktails
Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drinks
More Labor Day Recipes
And if you need more to choose from, don’t forget my robust search (just look for the ???? on the right side) and recipe index where you can search by category or by ingredient. And definitely check out this post from with more than 90 Summer Potluck Recipes.
Swimming & Sleeping Update
Confession time! After our vacation I’ve had the hardest time getting up early enough to get my swimming in — that and I just had my hair colored and let’s be honest, chlorine wreaks havoc on colored hair! LOL! Vanity, vanity!
I did swim last Thursday and was so happy that I did, but that hasn’t inspired me to get there again! 😉 Partly because I have had trouble sleeping! I never have trouble sleeping! My hubby swears by the sleep mask I bought him (it has lavender in it) — I might need to steal it or get one for myself.
My husband and I have been reading A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23 in the evening before bed — it’s so relaxing, encouraging and soothing. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I offer up that Psalm in prayer and soon fall back to sleep. What are your tricks to get and stay asleep?
Highly recommend that book — it’s short, with easy to read chapters and a truly inspiring look in to that Psalm!
Weekly Inspiration | Amazing…
I have been loving a little more classical music lately and I think that this rendition of Amazing Grace, Il Divo, is well…Amazing. There are certain opera voices that I adore (hello Andrea Bocelli, The Three Tenors, Luciano Pavarotti). Do you have favorites?
Happy, relaxing Labor day! I hope you get outdoors and enjoy this beautiful world we live in!
P.S. Be sure to browse through last weeks Fresh Fridays for more great recipes!
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Cameron
Yay! And a top tip from a fellow swimmer with highlights: pour (lukewarm) water on your hair before putting on your cap. Then, it’s already wet & can’t absorb chlorinated water. At least, it works for me.
I will have to try that again some time Cameron, thank you for leading our crew this summer!
Debbie
Thanks for the inspiration. I want to give some back. I discovered this group a while back and absolutely love this song. It brings me joy every time I hear it. I hope you enjoy it, too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VlhPd9OiIQ&ab_channel=EZCMedia
Oh wow Debbie, thank you so much for sharing that was absolutely amazing!