I thought I’d put together an end of summer easy grilling roundup to help you plan your last minute Labor day menu. So invite some friends over to enjoy some of these summer grilling favorites.

• Chipotle Grilled Corn on the Cob~ Corn on the cob with a kick!
• 11 Yummy Grilled Fruit Ideas~ Because you’ve got to have dessert!
• Chicken or Beef Kabobs with Vegetables~ A grilling staple at our house.
• Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers~ You won’t even miss the beef.
• Grilled Shrimp Kabobs~ With fresh shrimp, yum!
• Grilled Potato Dippers~ Because you’ve got to have some great side dishes.

If you’re doing some late summer grilling this weekend, I’d love to hear what’s on your menu.

Image via Istockphoto.com

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Combine them with greens, golds, bold yellows, or chocolate browns, like they did in this fall sunflower tablescape.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Don’t forget the invitations, here’s a beautiful  invitation featuring sunflowers courtesy of Invitation Consultants.

Or a sunflower wedding note card from Etsy.

I love these sunflower inspired cakes.

Via Flickr johnattebury cc

This sunflower wedding cake looks fabulous with the garden setting behind it.

Via Flickr Tracy Hunter

Mix and mingle fresh sunflowers into your tables, and food presentation.

Via Flickr Ken Mayer

Sunflowers can make a fabulous table centerpiece.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Mix sunflowers with fall leaves, and fall colors for a fabulous fall wedding or party.

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One of my favorite fall vegetables to decorate with is the pumpkin. Pumpkins make wonderful serving bowls if you hollow them out. You can have them do double duty, for function and decoration.

Image istockphoto.com

Or use a pumpkin as the base for a floral arrangement.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Load some fall vegetables into a cornucopia horn with some flowers for a beautiful fall party centerpiece.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Or use them in a floral arrangement as a backdrop for your food table, or the focal point of your harvest party.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Fall is a bounty for vegetables, you can put them on a tray to load it with color, or use them in combination with flowers to create a dazzling fall harvest display.

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The 6-Bottle shot cooler comes with six 750ml bottles and 50 shot cups. Just add ice and you’re ready for a party!

The new  cooler will be available from retailers starting September 1st.

One important note, don’t forget to remind your guests (and yourself) to drink responsibly whatever the event or occasion!

Images Jägermeister

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Citrus is my favorite to work with in floral arrangements. I love their bright vivid colors, and they will hold up for several days without spoiling.

You don’t have to incorporate the fruit in the arrangement, you can hollow out an orange, or an apple and use them for as a vase for your floral centerpiece.

Arrange flowers and fruit in a basket to give your backyard party a casual feel.

You don’t have to pair a floral arrangement with your fruit, you can float some flowers in a clear vase as a focal center for a fresh fruit display. It makes a beautiful contrast, and dresses up your fruit. It can help make your fruit part of the decorations.

You can also arrange flowers in small glass vases right in your fruit display, or float flowers in shallow glass bowls to add color and texture to your food table.

My favorite thing about using fruit and floral arrangement centerpiece is the versatility. You can dress it up, or make it casual and fun.

Images (c) L Gerlach

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It’s almost the end of summer, but it’s not too late to catch a warm sunny day. Head to your garden, or local farmers market for fresh in season flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

Serve your favorite tea, maybe a glass of wine, and some yummy finger foods. Here are a few that would be fabulous for  a garden tea party.

• Cucumber sandwiches would be refreshing and cool on a warm summer day.
• Cheesy Stuffed Artichokes with marinated artichokes, yum!
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries are very elegant, and strawberries are plentiful this time of year.
• These zucchini corn tacos look like they’d fit right in at a garden party, and you could use up some of that extra zucchini.

Keep it simple, and just enjoy your friends on a warm sunny afternoon.

Image sxc.hu

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Set up a fully loaded hot dog bar with buns, chili sauce, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, cheese, onion, relish, tomato, and anything else you can think of that people might want to add to their hot dog.

Pick out a variety of different types and flavors of hot dogs for your guests to sample. Cheese dogs, sausage dogs, beef dogs, or corn dogs, they’re all fair game to add to the menu for a hot dog party.

Don’t forget the side dishes! Some great side dishes for hot dogs are baked beans, cole slaw, or corn on the cob. A simple fun summer dessert would also make a great addition. Keep the menu simple, fun, and casual.

Have fun while you celebrate one of America’s favorite foods.

Image via Stockxpert.com

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You can coat the strawberries with chocolate ahead of time, and drizzle on several different types of chocolate from white to dark for an elegant look, and exotic taste. Or you can make a chocolate fondue and let your guests make their own chocolate covered strawberries.

Here’s a video that shows you how to dip and decorate your own strawberries, and wow your guests at your next party.

These look yummy! They have my mouth watering!

You can use sprinkles, or crumbled up candy to roll your chocolate covered berries in to give them even more flavor and color. If you have your guests dip their own strawberries, set up some bowls of sprinkles for them to add after they dip.

Image via sxc.hu

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You can make kabobs with almost anything you want, from chicken, or beef to shrimp. Add your favorite veggies cut into chunks and your ready to go.

(c) L Gerlach

• Make a simple marinade with A1 Marinade, garlic powder, and Italian dressing.
• Chop and marinade all your meats and vegetables overnight in the refrigerator.
• Kabob them early in the day and store them in the fridge, then pop them on the grill when your guests arrive.

You can also make dessert kabobs with grilled fruit and chunks of pound cake. Marinade them with a little fresh fruit sauce, before or after you grill them. Yum!

You can make your kabobs to suit any taste buds, including all vegetable, seafood, or all meat kabobs. You can cater to your guests without much extra effort, I guess that’s why I’m such a big fan.

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Here’s the basic recipe (it’s not exact so feel free to adjust it to your taste):

(c) L Gerlach

Fruity Frozen Beach Cocktails

Ingredients:

• 1/2 to 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 of a mango peeled and chopped
• 1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries
• 1/2 kiwi peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 banana peeled and chopped
• about 1 cup of ice (top off the blender after adding the other ingredients)
• 1 1/2 oz Coconut rum ( we used Cruzan)
• 1 1/2 oz Pineapple rum (Cruzan)
• Whipped topping

How to make them:

Put all the ingredients in a blender, and top with the ice. Blend all the ingredients together and pour into 3-4 glasses, then top with the whipped topping. Add a strawberry garnish and a straw and you’re set.

Feel free to experiment with different in season fruits. I think we even added watermelon to the recipe a couple of times, and it was a great addition.

You can leave out the rum and make a delicious fruity drink for the kids. Yum!

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