Labor Day Idea #3: Bacon wrapped rosemary garlic chicken

Will you guys be entertaining this long weekend?  I will be, and while my fantasy backyard set up looks something like this:

The reality will be far different.  I do know I will have some delicious food though, I am thinking chicken.

The below recipe was a sort of collaboration between Brooke and me. I am sure there are variations on this theme all over the interwebs, but this one was just easy and delicious and we wanted to share it with y'all! 

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary divided)

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 slices bacon

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle each breast with salt and pepper.  Rub each breast on one side with 1/2 the olive oil.  Spread garlic evenly over the olive oil, add rosemary to each breast.  Roll the chicken up around the rosemary and garlic, secure with toothpicks. Wrap one piece of bacon around each breast.  Grill or bake for 40 minutes or until juices run clear.  Remove rosemary sprig, slice and enjoy. You could serve the chicken with potato salad, we like this one:

5 pounds red potatoes                         2 T. parsley, chopped

1 pound package bacon                      1 cup vinegar

1 cup thinly sliced celery                      1/2 cup water

1 cup chopped onions                          1 t. salt

1 cup sugar                                          ¾ t. ground mustard

2 T. flour                                              2 carrots, shredded

Wash 5 pound sack of red potatoes, boil in large pot.  Remove from pot & put on plates to cool. Slice when cool.

While potatoes are cooling, take 1 pound package of bacon; cut into small chunks and cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from drippings.  Use drippings to sauté 1 cup thinly sliced celery & 1 cup chopped onions.  In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon ground mustard.  Add 1 cup vinegar and ½ cup water to skillet with celery and onions; add dry ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, until boils and thickens.  Slice potatoes into a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 2 shredded/grated carrots, and cooked bacon.  Pour dressing mixture over potatoes.  Stir gently to coat. 

This is good warm, or can be refrigerated and served cold.

Come back tomorrow when we will talk Labor Day cupcakes!

Labor Day Idea #2: Cheap and Chic Table Decor

You may have noticed the charming tablescape in the deviled egg post; at least I hope you did.  It was one of the most simple and downright cheap ideas ever.  We picked up a vinyl tablecloth at the dollar store for (you guessed it) a dollar.  Next at the Target dollar aisle we found this great wrapping paper, red with white polka dots.  I could go on and on about the delights of the dollar aisle at Target (or as I like to call it the best place on earth) but I will refrain for now. 

To achieve this fun look, we just layered the wrapping paper over the table cloth and voila!

There are so many things you can do with this idea.  You could start with a fancy tablecloth and then add a swath of butcher block paper and top it off with a bouquet of seasonal flowers. But the beauty of the vinyl tablecloths is that you can just ball the whole thing up and throw it away after the party! Is this something you guys would try?  Let me know!

Labor Day Idea #1: Best Ever BLT Deviled Eggs

OMG these are seriously the best deviled eggs ever!  And I mean, who doesn't love deviled eggs? Don't answer that, if you don't love them I don't want to know about it.  So the idea with these is to get that delicious BLT taste in a delightful deviled egg package.  Super simple and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, you should totally try them out over the long Labor Day weekend.  Here you go, you can thank me later:


12 hard boiled eggs peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup dijonnaise
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing seasoning
4 pieces of bacon cooked
4 grape tomatoes


Cut each egg in half and scoop out the yolk. Add all of the yolks to a medium bowl and set the whites aside.  To the yolks add the mayonnaise, dijonnaise and Ranch seasoning blend well.  Chop the bacon and tomatoes finely and add to the yolk mixture.  Stir all ingredients together until they reach your desired consistency.  Fill each hollowed out egg white with the yolk mixture, serve and eat!