Labor Day weekend menu!

I'm thinking more "surf and turf" this year. T-bone, lobster tails, potato salad, baked beans, fresh corn chips, pico de gallo and spinach salad. This year, the garlic butter and pico de gallo will be a hit.

Garlic Butter
1 room temp stick of butter unsalted
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup of Italian seasoning

Toss the 4 cloves of garlic in the food processor along with the butter and Italian seasoning. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove garlic butter from processor and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover and mold into a round log formation. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

The longer you wait, the more the flavors blend. I usually let it sit for a day or two. The garlic butter can now be sliced into medallions for placement on a hot steak or melted for dipping lobster.

Pico de Gallo
12 Roma tomatoes
1 med onion (red, white, yellow... your preference. Red for less sharpness)
4 sprigs of cilantro
1 jalapeno (optional for hot)
1 zest of lime (optional for citrus essence)
pinch of sea salt (optional)

Slice tomatoes in half length wise and use a spoon to clean out the seeds. Dice tomatoes and place in metal or plastic mixing bowl. Dice onion and place in mixing bowl. Finely chop the cilantro and toss it in with the tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle some sea salt on top and mix. Place bowl in fridge to let flavors mingle for at least an hour before serving. Goes great with corn chips and can be used as it's own side dish or garnish.

A citrus tea will add a little something extra to the party.

Citrus Tea
1 lime
1 lemon
1 orange
2 cups of sugar
1 gallon pitcher
2-4 tea bags (depending on your preference)

Let tea bags steep in boiled water for 30 minutes. Slice the lime, lemon and orange and place in bottom of pitcher. Pour sugar on top. Remove tea bags and pour tea into pitcher stirring as you go. Fill the rest of the pitcher with water while stirring.

Add an ounce or two of Flor de Cana rum to individual drinks to give guests of legal age a kick.

Any food or drink recipes you are willing to share for this holiday weekend? Let's hear them!

*Image from Fotosearch