"labor day" news and stories

Planning a get-together today and still don't have your menu planned out? No worries. Slashfood rounds up our favorite easy Labor Day Menus:

• Grilling Recipes for a Labor Day Blowout [KitchenDaily]
• 10 No-Labor Labor Day Desserts [Serious Eats]
• A Labor-Free Labor Day Menu [KitchenDaily]
• Best Backyard Barbecue Recipes [Food Network]

Labor Day weekend fun. Photo: churl, Flickr

Labor Day -- the most bittersweet of all national holidays. Sweet because the majority of folks have Monday off; bitter because it marks the end of the summer season.

Here at Slashfood, we want you to make the most of the long weekend for yourself and your tastebuds. AOL Food is lighting up the grill and savoring the last tastes of summer with tips on grilling steak and fish as well as a slew of tasty recipes including Steven Raichlen's Stuffed Hot Dogs and Grilled Peach Sundaes.

And as you cut open that watermelon, why not find other ways to enjoy the juicy summer staple?

So while Labor Day may mark the end of summer, it means stores are spending the weekend unfurling their Halloween decorations. We're sad to see summer go, but can't wait for the candy, turkey and eggnog!

It's time for football to start back up again, both college and pro. In celebration of the Chik-fil-A College Kickoff game, the company has a great freebie offer lined up for Labor Day.

On September 1st, go into any participating Chik-Fil-A wearing a sports team logo and they'll give you an order of their "new and improved" chicken strips. The logo can be from any level of football team, even the one your kid is on.



When I read about this on Fast Food Critic, I immediately thought it was a good deal, Chik-Fil-A being one of the few fast food places that I think has reasonably good food. Fast food Critic also gave the new chicken strips a good review. Can I borrow a team logo hat from someone?

Yes, I hate bbq, summer, and Memorial Day. I'm a terrible person.

Of course, I don't hate Memorial Day itself, what it represents, I hate that it signals the start of summer, my least favorite season. I hate summer the way Lost fans hated Nikki and Paolo (yes, everything I do comes back to television). Maybe even more.

Here are the 8 reasons I hate about Memorial Day and summer in general.

We all know that Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. Vacations are ending, kids are going back to school, and even though it might still be warm there's something that has changed in the air compared to August. There's still time for one more cookout though!

AllRecipes has a great selection of foods you can make today, whether you're having a cookout or just making something to eat inside. How about a Bucket Salad, or maybe some Factory Workers Chicken? Or how about the Cholesterol King Heart Stopper 3000, a giant party sandwich? If you're feeling guilty about that you can always eat a Watermelon Fruit Bowl for dessert.

Check out that first link above for all the recipes, categorized by different themes: America's Melting Pot, This Land is Your Land, and Big Appetites, Unite.