Labor Day Weekend: 17 Party-Friendly Recipes

It’s time to say sayonara to summer with a Labor Day bash and lots of good food. So fire up the grill and cap off the season with a killer cookout. From Old Bay Shrimp Salad to Juicy Steakhouse Burgers, all of these foolproof recipes will make your summer send-off unforgettable.

1. Old Bay Shrimp Salad

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This is a classic shrimp salad with an Old Bay kick. It’s delicious piled onto a roll, scooped over a salad, or served with crackers as an appetizer. GET THE RECIPE

2. Best Summer Berry Trifle

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This dazzling, delicious trifle can be made in under 30 minutes–just be sure to plan ahead as it needs to chill in the fridge at least 8 hours before serving. GET THE RECIPE

3. Juicy Steakhouse Burgers

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These burgers are tender, juicy and full of flavor — just like the ones served at your favorite steakhouse. GET THE RECIPE

4. Grilled Turkey Burgers

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Turkey burgers are usually dry and tasteless. Not these! The secret is adding Italian turkey sausage — a trick often used with meatballs. GET THE RECIPE

5. Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

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If an empty bowl is the sign of a good dish, this dip adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is a sure winner. It’s tangy, delicious and full of bright summer flavor. GET THE RECIPE

6. Simple Summer Strawberry Cake

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A few pantry staples and some fresh strawberries are all you need to make this delicious, foolproof cake. And it’s so simple, you can have it in the oven in 15 minutes! GET THE RECIPE

7. Black Bean Salad with Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

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Perfect for a summer BBQ, this is one of those crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipes that everyone loves. GET THE RECIPE

8. Grilled Asparagus & Feta Salad

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This grilled asparagus and feta salad is the kind of dish that makes you wonder if you might possibly be a very happy vegetarian. So simple, and so good. GET THE RECIPE

9. Luscious Lemon Squares

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With their crisp and buttery shortbread crust, tart lemon filling and powdered sugar topping, these lemon squares are as pretty as they are delicious. They also freeze beautifully, so you can make them ahead of time. GET THE RECIPE

10. Stone Fruit Salad with Ginger-Lime Syrup and Mint

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Sweet summer peaches and berries go from simple to sublime when soaked in lemon syrup infused with fresh mint. GET THE RECIPE

11. Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon, Garlic & Herbs

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This is my basic, go-to grilled chicken, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or cookout. You can serve the fillets on their own (kids love them), topped with cheese on a toasted bun, chopped up in a quesadilla or sliced over a salad. GET THE RECIPE

12. Fresh Corn Salad with Scallions and Basil

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Instead of boiling corn on the cob for a crowd, try a fresh corn salad that you can make ahead of time. GET THE RECIPE

13. Grilled Thai Curry Chicken with Coconut-Peanut Sauce

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This wonderful recipe originally comes from Alice Currah of the blog and book, Sweet Savory Life. It’s the sauce that makes it so good — if you’re anything like me, you’ll be tempted to eat it with a spoon. GET THE RECIPE

14. Raspberry Lemonade

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Made with puréed fresh raspberries, this refreshing lemonade has a fruity flavor and vibrant pink color. GET THE RECIPE

15. Coconut Lime Mexican Wedding Cookies

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Also known as Snowballs, Butter Balls or Russian Tea Cakes, these crisp, shortbread-like cookies are made from ground pecans, coconut and lime. Perfect for a party! GET THE RECIPE

16. Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Unlike most carrot cakes, which are heavy and dense, this one is light with a fine texture. It feeds a crowd, and is a crowd-pleaser! GET THE RECIPE

17. Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

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If there were ever a cake for lemon lovers, this is it. Lemon zest and lemon juice are added to the batter, which lightly perfume the cake with lemon. And then the cake is doused with lemon syrup and drizzled lemon glaze, adding a pop of intense lemon flavor to every bite. GET THE RECIPE

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