Here’s a Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party Menu for those of you who might like to entertain!

For so many years, the neighborhood I lived in had a Gourmet dinner group that gathered for a dinner party one weekend every single month. There were twenty of us.  This is one of those dinners that we had, and this menu was a big time favorite of all of our gatherings.

Table centerpiece for Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party

How to make a centerpiece for a summer party:

To create this centerpiece for your Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party, use a rubber band to wrap asparagus around formula (or coffee) cans, stick a glass inside and arrange flowers in the glass.  Wrap raffia around the asparagus to  cleverly cover the rubber band.  Aren’t they wonderful centerpieces?

Our menu:
The featured beverage…

Blueberry Margaritas
Blueberry Margaritas (edged in sugar): Yum!

The appetizers…

Lima Bean Hummus
Herbed Lima Bean Hummus: This is very, very good. You have to play with the spices a bit to get the flavor that you’re looking for, but it’s unique and summery and perfect with veggies or pita chips or crackers.

Fresh Blueberry Salsa: It sounds unusual, but it’s a very summery approach to an appetizer, and it works. Dip a chip or two in this stuff, and you might have trouble stopping.

The starter…

Chilled Zucchini Soup
Chilled Zucchini Soup with Lemon- Cumin Shrimp & Cilantro Cream: These can served in small tea cups or another small cup.  Dunk the shrimp, and then sip the soup out the cups. It’s a gorgeous soup for an extremely hot day- great choice.

The main meal:

Gorgonzola Stuffed Burgers
Gorgonzola- Stuffed Beef Burgers with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms & Caramelized Red Onion Marmalade: Oh My! Everything about these burgers is perfect- the mushrooms, the marmalade and the hint of gorgonzola. These are definitely gourmet, and no extra condiments are needed.

Grilled Corn Salad: This is always a favorite salad recipe. It has a creamy vinaigrette that completely makes the salad. Everyone will ask for seconds!
Watermelon and Avocado Salad
Watermelon & Avocado Salad: This salad is the classic mix of watermelon, feta and greens, but it also has avocado added in.  It’s tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette. It’s a very good summer salad.

The dessert…

Fresh Peach Ice Cream
Fresh Peach Ice Cream with Vanilla- Scented Peaches: This is a creamy, creamy ice cream loaded with fresh peach flavor (not frozen peach chunks), and topped with peaches that have marinated in a vanilla bean-wine simple syrup. Oh yeah!

All recipes for this Labor Day Gourmet Grilling Party Menu are fantastic, and each would be a welcome addition to a Labor Day Barbecue.  Have a terrific holiday weekend of grilling, eating, relaxing & hanging out with friends. Be sure to try out a new recipe or two.

All recipes listed can be found by clicking on the recipe titles above.

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36 Comments

  1. Louise says:

    Do cooking groups do cook-offs or show downs? This menu would beat the best of the best!!! This is Summer Sunshine in all its glory! Thank you for letting us share, Heather:)

    P.S. My Recipe Girl Button is acting up. Any ideas???

  2. Joan Nova says:

    Where do you live? I’m call the moving van so I can join your gourmet group.

  3. Gaby says:

    everyone looks perfect and so delicious!

  4. April Marie Claire says:

    Now that is what I call a centerpiece!!!

  5. megan says:

    What a meal! I was just telling a coworker about your gourmet club. What a blast. I’m all over that burger and ice cream!

  6. Annette says:

    That sounds delicious!

  7. ingrid says:

    Wow, all of it looked terrific! Where do you live? 🙂
    ~ingrid

  8. Deborah says:

    Those centerpieces are amazing! And that spread of food looks amazing as well.

  9. Justopia says:

    This food looks GREAT! It’s so vibrant and festive. Enjoy.

  10. Hugging the Coast says:

    That sound you just heard is my tummy grumbling! Great menu!

    By the way, I’ll be retweeting this tomorrow (@huggingthecoast on Twitter) as part of a special Labor Day Weekend Twitter Marathon.