23 Labor Day Recipes Perfect for an End-of-Summer Party | Fresh Fridays, September 2
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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
Pink Lemonade Vodka Cocktail
Watermelon Slush
Blueberry Gin Cocktail
Cherry Bomb Recipe | Cherry Bourbon Smash
Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drinks
The Best Texas Tea Punch Recipe
How to Make a Homemade Strawberry Refresher
Easy Blueberry Limeade Drink
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Frosted Lemonade
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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About Kathleen Pope
Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer
Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen. Read more about Kathleen here.
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!
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!