Believe it or not, there are plenty of ways that you can make the cooking for your Labor Day meal virtually labor free.  At least the cooking that will take place on the actual holiday.  This is a big deal in most homes because the one who is doing the entertaining rarely gets to enjoy themselves.  Here are some tips to try if you want to have a labor free Labor Day.

First, plan a menu that is full of foods that can be prepared ahead of time and either stored, refrigerated, or frozen.  Some excellent ideas are vegetable trays (the veggies can be chopped a day ahead of time and stored in zipper bags in the fridge), sausage balls ( these may be prepared well ahead of time and frozen), and frozen desserts.

Second, do all your holiday shopping ahead of time.  If you wait to close, it will be more hectic, a lot more crowded, and you are twice as likely to either not be able to get the items that you need or forget something from your list.  Be like Santa with your list.  Check it twice. You don’t want to have to run out for anything on the day of your party.

Third, consider meals that can be made relatively trouble free in the crock pot.  This means a few minutes of trouble in the morning for each crock pot treat and hands free cooking the rest of the day.  Barbecue ribs and baked beans are popular crock pot items that require little prep work and taste great at the end of the day.

Fourth, if grilling is something that is an important labor day tradition, try to do all the marinating and rubs the night before.  While you’re at it, you may want to toss a few veggies you set aside for the veggie tray onto the grill as well for another no fuss strategy and the work only had to be done once.  I love squash and zucchini marinated in olive oil and garlic salt.  Yum, yum!

Lastly, you need to limit your labor contribution to the Labor Day cooking by recruiting help for the process.  Invite friends and family that will be joining in the festivities to bring specialty dishes that they prepare.  This leaves you free from the need to prepare that particular dish and, equally important, from the need to clean up after the dish was made.  If you have kids and a husband, put them to work for the preparation and the clean up efforts.  There is no written rule that says you have to do it all and you shouldn’t be expected to.  Let others feel needed and take a moment to have a nice cold glass of sweet tea!

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