I love Labor Day weekend. In fact, it may be my favorite weekend of the year. Football kicks off, grills light up, and appetites are gorged on mountains of meat, bread, desserts, and countless snacks in between. With any luck, a quick nap can be grabbed after the eating is done. I spent part of Labor Day weekend this year with my family back in my old hometown of Paragould, AR. Mom managed to coordinate things so that all of us kids would be there at the same time. Sleeping logistics aside, we had a great time. And of course, there's always a feast to be had at Mom and Dad's house. This time around was no exception.
Saturday morning, Mom and I got up early and made a grocery run. I had forgotten how slowly people tend to move in smalltown Arkansas...even those who are paid to quickly expedite shoppers from the checkout line at Wal-Mart. Our cashier, who proudly displayed a badge on her apron congratulating her for 20 years of service, moved with all the enthusiasm of a sedated turtle. An hour and a half later, we were on our way back home with a truckload of supplies. I handled breakfast duties and prepared my quiche along with maple-glazed sausage links and pancakes. After we ate our fill, the girls went shopping, Dad fired up the grill, and I crawled under the Exploder to fix a faulty spark plug. Before long, the rest of the family started showing up and it was time to get ready for lunch.
Dad has been grilling for a long time, so he has the technique reduced to a science. He has a large pull-behind rotisserie grill which could feed a small army with no trouble. On the menu today were St. Louis ribs, chicken, ribeye steak, and burgers, along with grilled corn on the cob. Mom and I prepared some sides while Dad finished grilling. Everything was prepared and a spectacular buffet was laid out before us. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.
Grilled corn on the cob - served with my "sweet heat" honey butter
Twice baked potatoes
Rolls
Mom's fresh garden salad with strawberries
Big pile of hamburgers
I tested the physical limitations of this styrofoam plate.
We had enough food to feed a group twice our size, and there were 15 people eating. After a short break, dessert was served. I brought a homemade cheesecake with blueberry and strawberry glazes, Aunt Amy supplied a gooey butter cake, and Mom made a chocolate sheet pan cake and cherry pie with sweet cream cheese filling.
Ultimate Cheesecake
Mmmm....calories
Well, it would be an understatement to talk about how good the food was. I'll be running for a few weeks to make up for the weekend, but it was worth every bite.
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