Laborless Labor Day with Tony Roma’s Pre-Cooked Ribs

You may already know that Tony Roma’s pre-cooked ribs are convenient, delicious and perfect for dinner when you don’t have time or energy to cook. You may have even pulled some quick and simple Tony Roma’s pre-cooked ribs out for a party this summer, paired with fresh, delectable side dishes. But are you ready for Labor Day? Why not take the “labor” out of Labor Day, using Tony Roma’s pre-cooked ribs and some other awesome and easy recipes.

• Wow your guests with a drink that looks tricky, but is unbelievably simple. From Pinterest by way of Buzzfeed, we found this great recipe for a layered drink. Simply look at the sugar content of various juices, and layer them in the pitcher or glass, with the heaviest sugar content at the bottom. It’s as easy as that! The example given starts with Ocean Spray Cran-Apple juice, with 40g of sugar, topped by Sobe Pina Colada, with 25g of sugar and finishing up with Gatorade G2, which only has 5g of sugar. The sugar weighs the layers down, so they stay in place.
• For a fun and creative appetizer try these Mini Fruit Bacon Kabobs from IowaGirlEats.com. Using a variety of fruits such as melons, peaches and apples, layer your kabobs by skewering a cherry tomato, a small piece of bacon and a cube of fruit. Create sugared lime zest by mixing the zest of one lime with a teaspoon of lime juice, ¼ cup of sugar and a dash of salt, then either sprinkle it over the kabobs, or dunk the bottom of the kabobs into it before serving.
• As your side dish, choose this Garlicky BLT Macaroni Salad, from FirstHomeLoveLife.com. To make it, begin by cooking 8 pieces of thick-cut bacon in a 350° oven for 15-16 minutes, drain, let cool, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Boil a box of corkscrew pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside in a large serving bowl, then toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Chop 4 cups of grape tomatoes, 5 cups of lettuce and 4 tablespoons of chives, and set aside, then mince 1 clove of garlic and mix it with ½ cup mayo and ¼ cup sour cream. If the mixture is too thick, add a drizzle of olive oil. To this mixture, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and ½ of the chives and then stir. Add the mayo mixture and tomatoes to pasta, toss well, and then add bacon and lettuce, and garnish with the rest of the chives. Serve at room temperature.
• For the perfect main dish, of course, choose Tony Roma’s pre-cooked ribs. Pre-cooked and marinated, they’re mouthwateringly delicious, yet only require about 15 minutes to prepare.
• For the perfect dessert, we turn to Bakerella.com, for yummy Snow Cone Cupcakes. To make them, you divide white cake batter into three parts, coloring one part red and one part blue. Spoon the batter into three decorator bags, tying the end of each bag with a twist tie. Tape the bags together near the bottom of the bags, to enable you to fill candy cup baking papers with all three batters at the same time. Cut off the ends, and fill the cups a little more than halfway, using a back and forth motion, applying pressure with your fingers if necessary. Bake for about 16 minutes, remove and cool. Once they’ve cooled, divide white frosting into three bowls, tinting one red and one blue to match the stripes on the cupcakes. Carefully pipe the icing onto the cupcakes, sprinkle them with sugar crystals to match the frosting, and insert a small spoon into the top.

Who says a great celebration has to be labor intensive? With those simple but intriguing recipes, and Tony Roma’s pre-cooked ribs, you can have a Labor Day with no labor, but plenty of memories. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and Instagram for more holiday barbecue tips!

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