Labor Day Cooking Plans, Anyone?

[spindrifter]

Looks like it will be hot here for the big Virgo Birthday Week Celebration. Seems like everyone I know or am related to has a Virgo birthday.

[spinbaby]

1. I'm cooking for a crowd

Two days cooking time planned: homemade bread, pot roast, ham, chili, biscuits, tomato salad, green beans, Dutch apple pie, butternut squash pie--the works. If everyone is in a coma after dinner and at least one person has a heart attack, my work will be done.
;)

[babylonsister]

2. I'm off to the Yucatan and letting someone else do the cooking! nt

[spindrifter]

3. Where in the Yucatan are you going? We were there

last year in August--some mighty tasty food! Oh yeah, have a great time.

[babylonsister]

4. Playa del Carmen. We've been there several times, but not

in over a year, since Wilma blew through. Very much looking forward to kicking back, reading some books, and testing our a mango daiquiri since I discovered recently that I'm addicted to mangoes!

[calico1]

5. I am going to my aunt's house.

She is having about 18 people over and asked me to make her a cheesecake for dessert. I am trying to decide what recipe to make.

[Warpy]

6. My only plan this weekend

is to take a long drive Sunday morning to find out where the hell in Rio Rathole my eye surgeon moved his office.

There is no way I'm gonna do it next week in traffic without knowing where the hell I'm going. Don't ask me to read street signs, folks, because I can't.

Eye surgery sucks.

[babylonsister]

7. Warpy, I sympathize. My dad was just diagnosed w/

macular degeneration; had a procedure last week where they stuck a needle in his eye with only a local, so he was aware of the whole thing. And he has to get this done monthly for a year or so. :-( Your eyes are so precious, I hope yours are improving.

[eleny]

8. Mine's September 5th!

Happy Birthday to you!

I just got home from shopping. Got a huge brisket and asked that they cut it in thirds for me. The tip is marinating in a glass dish with Italian fat-free dressing. I can't wait and will fix it in a slow oven for tomorrow evening. No huge plans - just a huge brisket, some cole slaw and macaroni salad! Then chicken for the weekend when we get tired of the beef.

Have a good one!

[spindrifter]

11. We have Sept. 2, 4 (x2), 6 and 9 covered.

[NMDemDist2]

9. it's gonna rain all weekend

so I'm making gourmet burgers and tater salad

and a meatloaf

and I bought some thick NY strips

we won't starve LOL

[TygrBright]

10. Cook up a big pot of chicken stock...

...since I got 5 pounds of necks & backs from the organic chicken guys at the Farmer's Market. Otherwise, probably hot dogs, maybe potato salad. We might eat out, too.

It's very hard to get in a celebratory mood over the contributions labor has made to our society, when they're all circling the drain.

diffidently,
Bright

[demgurl]

12. Not sure what I will be doing.

I have been trying to eat more and more vegetarian dishes. My oldest left a freezer door partially open and so they will be having burgers for the next few days. I hate to give them something so unhealthy but the burgers were half thawed when I found them. I just can not stand to waste food.

Guess I am not going to come up with anything that exciting. Mark me down as another Virgo person, though!!!!

[spindrifter]

13. Hooray for Virgo!

[murphymom]

14. Neighborhood pot luck on Labor Day

It's bring something to share, bring something to barbecue and bring something to drink, so I'll probably make baked beans (murphydad's request) or a salad, something fast to grill, and some diet soda for me and a couple of beers for murphydad.

Brother in law and his wife are supposed to show up sometime this weekend, but they're not the most reliable people, so I'm just going to have something simple in reserve on hand that I can cook fast.

[wildeyed]

15. BBQ.

I invited too many people and they all said yes, so I am a bit stressed.

Menu is as follows:

hummus with veggies and pita to start
shish kabob
brined chix breasts for the non-red meat eaters (tedious)
tabbouleh with garden veggies
homemade mango/mint sorbet
homemade coconut ice cream

If it rains, I will probably do a lamb roast with middle eastern spices instead of the shish kabob.

Wish me luck. I adore cooking for small groups, but cooking for a crowd stresses me out.

[NMDemDist2]

18. remember it's fun. don't let your perfectionism get in the way of a good

party!

:hug:

[wildeyed]

20. I don't know if it is perfectionism as much as fear of abject failure.

On the plus side, my BBQ skills have improved dramatically over the past few months. My last BBQ meal was completely edible :) Also I am limiting the number of dishes, and doing as much ahead as possible. I made the bases for the ice creams today. Yummy!

[bearfan454]

16. Brisket

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=236&topic_id=9591

I'll make pasta salad to go with it.

[midnight armadillo]

17. troublewinter's eclairs!!

I was going to do chocolate chip cookies with my oldest son since we'll be at my mother-in-law's house and I won't be tempted to eat the whole batch, but the eclair recipe posted by troublewinter sounds easy and delicious. I will need to bring my silicone spatula and some wooden spoons (my MIL somehow uses large metal spoons with thin handles to mix batter, how? they hurt my hands). Yum, now I'm hungry!

[Skidmore]

19. Ribs, ribs, and more ribs. Last BBQ of the season....

potato salad, corn on the cob, and carrot cake deluxe--the kind with pineapple, coconut, and walnuts in it and slathered with cream cheese frosting. Millstream Wheat and Leinenkugel's Berry beer to wash it down.

[politicat]

21. It's cold this weekend (it's 47 degrees at 11:30 Friday)

So I think we're going to play in the kitchen mostly. We're probably going to do home-made pizza tomorrow night, and Saturday may or may not be another pasta night. Sunday, I have no clue. Monday? Well.... we are probably boozing it up this weekend (yes, that was me at the liquor store with the big ass bottle of Bombay gin and enough wine for a Titanic style dinner) so if our livers are still speaking to us by monday, we'll probably treat them kindly and eat good, cleansing foods. I am planning on canning tomato sauce on Sunday and apples on Monday, so that may change dinner plans.

But we're going shooting tomorrow so that may change plans for dinner, too.