EVERYBODY HAVE A SAFE AND ENJOYABLE LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!

Labor Day is not just a fun day to enjoy relaxing activities with your family and friends and it is not the last big barbecue day of the summer, more importantly it is a time to recognize the contributors America’s working men and women, as well as the achievements of the organized labor movement. My Mother and Father told use that back in the day where they lived, the community usually host a big weekend celebration at the park that actually starts on Thursday with activities for the entire family. This includes a live DJ and a dance and talent contest for the youth, a spectacular gospel fest with special guests on Sunday afternoon, and a huge parade with marching bands and colorful floats on Monday. They would really go all out for their Labor Day weekend. Today I spend Labor Day barbecuing in the backyard where there’s lots of good food, fun, family and friends and we celebrations morning ‘til night. . This holiday is the biggest summer event of the year and it seems to get bigger and better each year.

Let's share some of my salad recipes for July.

If there's one food that really captures the essence of summer, it's salad. All kinds of beautiful, ripe produce are overflowing from gardens and orchards. When fruits and vegetables are at the peak of their season, there's no need to do anything fancy with them - they're just begging to be tumbled into a salad bowl enjoyed in their raw, natural glory.

FRUITED CHICKEN SALAD INGREDIENTS 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halve 1/2 cup seedless grapes 1 red apple, diced 3 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish 1/2 cup mayonnaise 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 cup chopped pecans fajita seasoning or your house seasoning to taste DIRECTIONS Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add chicken and cook until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink inside, approximately 20 minutes. Drain, cool and chop. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, apple, onions, relish, mayonnaise, celery, grapes, pineapple (with just a little juice for flavor), cilantro, pecans and fajita seasoning to taste. ENJOY Try grilled chicken or a whole rotisserie chickens