End-of-Summer Food, Drinks and Games.
Throwing a Labor Day party is a blend of trying to hold onto summer while gearing up for fall.

Start off the celebration with some libations that everyone will be gushing over. Here are some ideas:

Blueberry Mint Spritzer

Ingredients

• 1 ounce blueberry vodka, preferably Smirnoff

• 1 ounce blue Curacao

• 1/2 ounce lime juice

• 1 pinch muddled mint

• 5-10 blueberry

Method

In a cocktail shaker add a handful of ice, vodka, blue Curacao, cranberry juice and lime juice. Shake and pour into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with the muddled mint and blueberries.

Madras Frozen Pops

Keep the kids away from this frozen treat! This one is for just the grown-ups.

Ingredients

• 3 parts cranberry juice

• 1 part orange juice

• 1 part vodka

• 12 snack-size zip-top plastic bags

Method

1. In a cocktail shaker, add a handful of ice, vodka, cranberry juice and orange juice.

2. Shake and then pour into zip-top bags, seal tightly and freeze overnight (or, use a popsicle mold if you have one).

Kids Hydration Station

Fill two giant beverage dispensers, one with water and one with lemonade and let kids serve themselves.

Mason Jar Pulled Pork Sandwich Station

People will never stop talking about this pulled pork sandwich station. Not only is it visually mouth watering with all the scrumptious fixing but it also gives the grill master the day off.

Ingredients
Pork

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin

• 1/2 onion, sliced

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black paper

• 1 teaspoon salt

• One 8-ounce bottle barbecue sauce

• 2 clovers garlic

• 1/2 cup water

Cornbread

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 egg

• 1 cup milk

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

To serve

• Relish

• Ketchup

• Pickles

• Lettuce

• Guacamole

• Mustard

• Hot sauce

• Shedded cheese

• Bacon bits

• Cornbread, cut into cubes (recipe above or potato rolls)nbsp;

Preparation

For the pork

1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.

2. Cook on medium for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

3. Once tender, shred the pork.

For the cornbread

1. Preheat oven to 400. Coat a 9-inch round pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flower, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake the cornbread for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of load comes out clean.

To server

Serve the pork, cubed cornbread or potato rolls and the toppings in separate bowls. Set out mason jars for guests to assemble and top their own individual sandwiches in the jars.

Corn-on-the-Cob Pinwheels

Using the food as part of your decor is a double dipping win! The crowd get wild for these visually adorable and healthy side dishes.

Cut corn into 2 inches wheels and boil to your desired tenderness. Take skewers and pierce the wheels. Then stick into a foam stabilizer in a ceramic pot.

Campfire-less S’mores

Bite size desserts are my kind of delectable treats. Not only are the cute but they are so easy to make that you can outsource the whole thing to the kiddos. Great way to keep them busy and happy!

• Display: Brown Rectangle Wood Plate

• Ingredients: 2 Hersheys Milk Chocolate Bars, 1-1/2 Grahmam crackers crushed, 12 pretzel sticks, 12

  Marshmallows

• Directions: Microwave chocolate 1 minute, stirring until completely melted, Crush Grahman crackers in

  separate bowl. Insert pretzel into each marshmallow. Cover baking sheet with parchment. Dip Marshmellow into melted chocolate, then into crumbs. Refridgerate 30 minutes

  
  

Apple Snickers Salad

Ingredients

• 4 large green apples

• 4-5 snickers bars

• 8 oz cool whip

• 1 small box vanilla instant pudding

• 1/2 cup milk

• caramel

Instructions

1. Mix milk and pudding then fold in the cool whip.

2. Cut up apples and snickers and mix in. Top with caramel. Serve cold or layer and serve cold.

Giant DIY Ker-Plunk Game

Take game-time fun to a whole new level with a giant-scale version of the classic Ker-Plunk game.

Supplies

• 4 (16-inch) 2 x 4 boards

• 4 (10-inch) 4 x 4 boards

• Drill

• Screws

• Spray paint

• Wire netting

• 18-gauge wire

• Wire cutters

• Staple gun and staples

• 30-40 bamboo garden stakes

• Ball pit balls

Instructions

1. Start by screwing the 16-inch 2 x 4 boards together to form a square.

2. Screw the 10-inch 4 x 4 boards to the four corners of the square to. make legs.

3. Give the wood platform a coat of spay paint, and then let the paint dry.

4. Make a tube out of the wire netting, and use the 18-gauge wire to hold it in place.

5. Place the wire tube on top of the wooden platform and use the staple gun to secure the tube to the platform.

6. Slide the bamboo garden stakes through the openings in the wire tube. Make sure the stakes go all different directions and don't leave any large gaps.

7. Fill the top of the tube with the ball pit balls and the game is ready to play!