Labor Day Weekend Delight!

Photograph: Kurt Lackovic/Alamy

With the BBQ at hand and other delicious picnic treats and of course beverages, get ready to enjoy this long weekend! Set up shop in the backyard or- since we know how hard it can be in New York City to find ourselves a nice piece of green - make your way to the parks or near by beaches to celebrate the end ofsummer. It's sad but true, the time has come to say goodbye to these beautiful warm days and start welcoming the amber and golden hues to the neighborhood. Might as well finish off this season with a bang, right?

Photograph (below): flavordelights.com

Here are a few quick ideas to keep you on your toes:

If you're going to be surrounded by the BBQ outside all day, you're going to want something refreshing and cold to sip on. Try going for a chilled sangria that you can keep in a pitcher, adding in all of your favorite seasonal fruits - it'll soon be too late, so use them up while you can! Mix in some red or white wine, triple sec, soda, and plenty of ice and you have yourself a pretty sweet deal.

You can also of course never go wrong with a cooler filled with various beers - mix it up in this summer heat with your Pilsner and wheat beers - with some lemon and orange wedge garnishes at hand, and throw in a couple of Brooklyn Lagers for sundown!

For food - most of you will be doing this the classic picnic style way with burgers and dogs, but don't be afraid to go a little crazy, after all you are celebrating! Being a New England person at heart, I like to draw my "menu" from the sea as often as I possibly can, and this could be your last opportunity to do so for a while! Don't let this intimidate you, if you have a grill, you can do this! Get a deep disposable tin dish - fill it with water, lobsters, muscles, clams, potatoes and ears of corn and steal a few beers from your cooler to add into this heavenly concoction. Throw in a few garlic cloves and top it off with some old bay seasoning and let that dish boil! This is the easiest way to cook your entire meal all at once.

Photograph: enjoyfloridamagazine.com

So let's see here… Drinks - check. Food - check. Is it necessary to have a concern for anything else at this point? Probably not but since we can't leave you with just that…

Consider bringing some fun and brightly colored throws and pillows to this shindig, and if you are lucky enough to do it in the comfort of a backyard, light up your yard with tikki torches or hang some votives from the trees to give it that celebration-feel. Finish off the night with a round of your choice of liquor-infused homemade ice pops for dessert!

Photograph (above): blog.al.com

Photograph (below): lickyourownbowl.wordpress.com