Cooking

 I’ve collected a number of grilling recipes over the years, dividing them into entrees, side dishes and dessert categories. Outdoor grilling isn’t just for steaks, hamburgers or hot dogs. Try grilling combinations of different vegetables or even fruits.

Many vegetables do really well on a grill, but try to avoid those with a high water content, like cucumbers, celery or greens. Some of the best grilling vegetables are asparagus, eggplant, onions, a variety of peppers and even cabbage.

  “Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country,” said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. “Labor Day ... is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.”

To that end, it’s appropriate that we pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of our nation's strength, freedom and leadership: the American worker.

For those who aren’t quite sure what the difference is between herbs and spices, most herbs come from grassy plants and spices from barks or seeds. Another distinction is that herbs tend to grow in temperate climates, while most spices come primarily from tropical regions.

But in this day and age, “spice” has also come to mean all dried plant seasonings, including spices, herbs, blends and dehydrated vegetables.

 Named after Arthur Wellesley, the first the Duke of Wellington, this dish became an entertaining extravaganza back in the 1960s.

Beef Wellington is an English preparation of filet of beef tenderloin assembled with liver pate and duxelles, a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms and onions sautéed in butter and reduced to a paste, and then encased in a puff pastry, making the outside buttery and crispy. This dish should always be served with the center slightly pink.