What to Include in Your Labor Day Menu

Labor Day is just around the corner - the capstone, for many, of a long and lazy summer. With Fall comes a new school year, a new day planner loaded with meetings and sports practices and lessons, and a sharper bite to the air. Sure, come November, you can still grill steaks while bundled in a parka. Sure, you can still buy all the veggies you want, albeit to a soundtrack of power ballads and restless children at your local supermarket since the farm stands are closed for the season. If there's ever a reminder that time is of essence and those fresh local produce stands, evening breezes, and seasonal flavors will be disappearing shortly, it's on Labor Day. So throw one last cookout as Summer draws to a close. But what to have? Consider the following for your Labor Day menu:

BLT - In late summer, the tomatoes are at their peak. It's worth spending a few extra dollars at the local farm wagon for a locally grown tomato, as opposed to the often flavorless or mealy produce piled up at the supermarket. You can taste the difference. Add a few slices of bacon and crisp lettuce, and you'll have a textural combination that's tough to beat. Make sure to sandwich said items between two sturdy pieces of bread. Sourdough, with its chew and tanginess, is a good choice. And don't forget to slather on some mayo. Burgers and hotdogs may be the norm, but for a variation on the sandwich theme, BLTs would be a great Labor Day menu item.

Kebabs - Buy a cheaper cut of meat (pork shoulder, chicken thighs), cut it into large chunks, marinate it in dressing, yogurt, or other seasoning mix, and pierce it with a (pre-soaked) skewer. A perfect, pre-portioned Labor Day treat. I'm not one to argue with eating kebabs in the dead of winter, but again, there's something about the lightness of presentation that screams, "Summer!" On a hot day, I'd pair kebabs with a fresh salad, or grilled zucchini, or a humble hunk of bread - something light and healthy. Save the pork roasts and baked chicken (and mashed potatoes and sauerkraut) for winter.

Soft serve ice cream - If you live in a cold weather climate, remember that your neighborhood soft serve ice cream stand will more than likely be shutting its doors some time in the weeks following Labor Day (75% of the labor force will be hitting the books at school, after all). Make sure you schedule at least one more stop. There's nothing worse than showing up in early October with a hankering for chocolate-dipped nostalgia, only to find that you'll have to settle for a McFlurry

Potato Salad - the homemade kind, to be more specific. The electric yellow stuff in the quart containers is available year-round. The homemade variety, with boiled potatoes, mayo, herbs, celery, and maybe even bacon, tastes best during summer (next to a kebab on your Labor Day spread, perhaps?)

There are countless other summer treats (fruit pies, for example), but one can only shove so many calories into one day. So use good judgment. Put it to a vote, if you must, but don't let Labor Day breeze by without one last indulgence.