Labor Day

There's nothing like grilling some meat on the barbecue pit to make a weekend complete. Go ahead and serve this with potato salad. Oh, and remember, when slicing flank steak or London broil, you always want to cut across the grain. I made this for a kicked-up tailgating show on Emeril Live, and it definitely was one of the hits of the party out in the parking lot!

This lovely finale is from Dwayne Fortier of La Reserve in Houston. Begin preparing it well before serving, as the mousse needs to freeze for at least six hours.

Cumin, chili powder, garlic and fresh lime juice are combine in the easy-to-make spice paste. It adds lots of flavor to the beef in this recipe, but can also be used on chicken, pork, shrimp or firm fish like halibut, swordfish and shark.

Brush this peppery sauce onto beef, chicken or pork during the last 15 minutes of grilling. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For this fabulous salad we used red onions, beets, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers, but any mix of summer vegetables would work. The salad gets served with grilled bread and is nice with a white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc.

Margaret DeMatteo of Stirling, New Jersey, writes: "My husband recently took me to the nearby Perryville Inn to celebrate my birthday. We had a fabulous 'BLT' appetizer made with layers of fried green tomatoes, pancetta, and basil mayonnaise. I would greatly appreciate it if you could get the recipe."

Tomatoes and bell pepper also give color and flavor to this impressive side dish.

Beef rib meat becomes tender and succulent with slow cooking over low, indirect heat. Marinate the ribs overnight and allow for three hours of cooking time on the grill.

Inspired by Middle Eastern cooking.

For this robust and easy entrée, chicken is baked with a barbecue-style glaze. Removing the skin cuts back on fat.

We discovered that store-bought mango sorbet and ice cream were so good we could do little to improve upon them. But most store-bought raspberry sorbet lacked the color, tang, and true berry flavor of homemade.

This cobbler is wonderful after the chipotle-honey glazed pork (frankly, it's wonderful after anything).

Orange juice adds zip to the dressing.

A quick almond crust gets filled with ice cream and topped with cardamom-scented whipped cream and berries.

The beergarita perfectly encapsulates laid-back summer sipping in a single pitcher, combining the familiarity of a margarita with the effervescence of beer.

The best fruit pie, complete with a brown sugar streusel topping.

With homemade quick pickles, this will be your new signature side dish.