Labor Day Recipes

Ah! The end of summer is near and for many of us it's the last time for a great outdoor meal. Here are some tasty recipes for those final warm filled days.

Salmon Appetizer Puffs:

Ingredients:
· 1-1/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
· 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
· 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
· 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
· 2 6-1/8 ounce cans skinless, boneless salmon, drained
· 1/4 cup chopped almonds
· 2 17-1/2 ounce packages (4 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
· 1 slightly beaten egg

Method:
Filling for Puffs: In large skillet, sauté mushrooms, onions and thyme in butter or margarine over medium-low heat until mushrooms are tender. Stir in salmon and almonds. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll a sheet of pastry into a 12-inch square. Using a 2-1/2-inch round cutter, cut into 16 rounds. Save scraps. Repeat with remaining pastry.
Place half the pastry rounds on ungreased baking sheet. Spoon approximately one tablespoon filling on top of each. Combine egg and 1 tablespoon water and brush mixture around edges of pastry. Top with other pastry rounds; seal with tines of a fork.
Cut decorative shapes from scraps, place on rounds and brush pastry with egg mixture. Puffs can be covered, chilled for up to 24 hours or sealed in airtight container, and frozen for up to 1 month.
Convection oven:
Bake on Convection Mode at 375degrees on racks 1 & 3 for 15 minutes (16-18 minutes for frozen pastry) or until golden.

Fried Shrimp Cajun Style

Ingredients:
· 1/4cup coarse ground yellow corn meal
· 1/4cup white corn meal
· 1/8cup (or a coffee scoop) spicy Cajun seasoning
· Frank's Hot Sauce
· A bunch of shrimp

Method:
Peel the shrimp (divining is for wimps) and let them marinate in the hot sauce while you prepare the breading. Meanwhile have your deep fryer heating. 375 max.
Either dip the shrimp individually in the breading mix, or toss them with the breading in a large zip lock bag. Make sure that you don't have too much liquid when breading. You just want to coat the little crustaceans for frying.
One would think that having marinated in hot sauce and being breaded in a mixture that includes spicy Cajun blend would render the shrimplets rather hot, but it is not so! The flavor profile the above ingredients impart is just plain tasty, not hot at all. If you want a hotter spice, add a tablespoon of cayenne pepper to the dry breading mix. That will give them a bit of kick and will wake up your tongue!

Bleu Burgers:
Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck, round or sirloin
· 4 Tbs. bleu cheese
· 4 Tbs. minced sweet onion
· 4 tsp. A-1 steak sauce
· 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
· Salt & pepper

Method:
Mix onion, steak sauce, vinegar and salt & pepper well into ground beef. Take 1/4 of the mixture and shape into a flat patty, make a depression in center of patty and place 1 Tbs. bleu cheese in center of meat. Form meat around cheese to enclose it. Cook on hot grill until done to your taste and serve on hamburger buns, which have been buttered with garlic butter and grilled until, light brown.

Red Wine and Spice-Marinated Steak 6- Servings

Ingredients:
· 1/4 cup red wine
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 2 tablespoons McCormick® Grill Mates® Salt Free Steak Seasoning
· 1 tablespoon brown sugar
· 1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Mustard
· 11/2 pounds steak, such as sirloin, or New York strip, trimmed of excess fat

Method: 1.Combine red wine, olive oil, steak seasoning, brown sugar, and mustard in a large self-closing plastic bag or glass bowl. Add steak. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
2.Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill steak 6-7 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

Greek Salad Serves

Ingredients:
For the dressing,
· 1/3 cup olive oil
· 1/4 wine vinegar
· 1/2 tsp salt
· 1 tsp oregano
Salad
· 1 large hear romaine lettuce, trimmed and torn into pieces
· 1 cucumber, pared and cut into 3 1/2 pieces
· 1 small bunch of radishes, cleaned and trimmed
· 2 small green peppers, trimmed and cored
· 1 can (8 oz) whole beets, drained
· 4 tomatoes
· 1/3 lb feta cheese
· Greek olives
· Anchovy fillets (optional)

Method:
Place romaine pieces in a large salad bowl. Using slicing disk of your food processor or a knife, slice the cucumber, radishes, green pepper, and beets into to preferred thickness. Cut tomatoes into quarters. Combine with romaine lettuce. Crumble feta cheese over salad. Top with olives and anchovy fillets if desired. Pour chilled dressing over salad and serve.

Garlic Cajun Ribs

Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 gallons water
· 1 tablespoons minced garlic
· 4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
· 4 tablespoons seasoned salt
· 4 pounds pork baby back ribs
· 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
· 2 tablespoons minced garlic
· 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
· 2 tablespoons seasoned salt
· 6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Method:
Preheat grill for medium heat.
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Season boiling water with 2 tablespoons garlic, 4 tablespoons Cajun-style seasoning, and 4 tablespoons seasoned salt. Boil ribs in seasoned water for 15 to 20 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, mix together barbeque sauce, 2 tablespoons garlic, 2 tablespoons Cajun-style seasoning, 2 tablespoons seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce.
Place ribs in large baking dishes, and apply a generous amount of the barbeque sauce mixture to the ribs. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes to marinate.
Grill the ribs for 7 to 12 minutes per side, until nicely browned.

Sirloin Steak with Garlic Butter

Ingredients:
· 1/2 cup butter
· 2 teaspoons garlic powder
· 4 cloves garlic, minced
· 4 pounds beef top sirloin steak
· Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat with garlic powder and minced garlic. Set aside.
Sprinkle both sides of each steak with salt and pepper.
Grill steaks 4 to 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. When done, transfer to warmed plates. Brush tops liberally with garlic butter, and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Smoky Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients:
· 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
· 2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
· 2 yellow bell peppers, halved and seeded
· 2 zucchini, sliced
· 2 large onions, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick round
· 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
· 1 cup teriyaki sauce

Method:
Brush vegetables with oil to coat.
Prepare smoker using manufacturer 's instructions using either alder or apple chips. Place veggies in single layers on smoker racks. Smoke for about 30 minutes.
Preheat grill for high heat.
Brush grate with oil. Arrange vegetables on grill, with the peppers away from the center. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. Baste with teriyaki sauce frequently. Vegetables will cook at different rates; remove tender pieces from the grill, and continue cooking until all are done.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:
· 2 cans tuna (in oil or water, your preference)
· 1 lb of pasta, spiral is the best
· 1 can of cream of celery soup
· 1 can of French fried onions

Method:
· Boil pasta slightly under done is better
· Preheat oven to 350
· In a bowl mix tuna, soup, 1/3 of onions and drained past
· Pour into a square casserole dish
· Sprinkle remaining fried onions over mixture, cover dish with tinfoil
· Bake for about 30 min, careful not to overcook, it will dry out

Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:
· 2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli cooked and drained
· 1 small chopped onion
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 1 cup of mayonnaise
· 1 can cream of mushroom soup
· 2 eggs beaten

Method:
Mix above and put in casserole dish
Topping · 1/2 cup bread crumbs
· 1/2 grated cheddar cheese
· Slices of Margarine
Mix breadcrumbs and cheese, sprinkle on top of casserole, dot with slices of margarine. Bake for 350° or 45 minutes.