The perfect picnic - article from Allrecipes.com
The Perfect Picnic
Don't set the table, pack the picnic basket! Picnicking is one of the most worthwhile culinary pastimes we can think of -- it lets us spend more time enjoying that precious warm weather that we waited for all autumn, winter and spring, and it breaks us out of our usual mealtime routines. Even eating something as ho-hum as a sandwich and a bag of chips takes on a new thrill when we're lounging on a blanket in a beautiful outdoor setting. Whether you're looking for a no-fuss impromptu meal to take to the park or a lavish alfresco feast, let us help you fill your summer with the most idyllic and delicious picnics you've ever prepared.
Filling the Picnic Basket
Of course, you can take just about anything you want on a picnic, but sandwiches and salads make especially good picnic fodder for any occasion because they offer so much variety, and they taste good cold. However, a picnic should be more than just a brown bag lunch eaten outside. To make picnic sandwiches a little less like a dreary school lunch and more like the eating adventure it should be, bring all the ingredients and let everyone assemble their own. If the meal takes longer to eat, it just means you get to spend more time in the beautiful outdoors. After all, you're not in a hurry -- you're on a picnic! Treat yourself to bakery-fresh bread, quality meats, your very favorite cheeses. Add a salad of garden-ripe vegetables or fruits, and your meal will be far from ordinary!
Picnic Precautions
Of course, warm-weather dining comes with its own set of concerns, the most important of which is food safety. Foods we enjoy on a regular basis without a trouble in the world can suddenly become homes for dangerous bacteria to breed when left unrefrigerated for long periods of time in warm weather. There are some foods that should not be left at room temperature for any period of time, including raw meats, and anything containing raw eggs. It's really better to take ready-to-eat foods on your picnics and save the cookouts for your backyard; handling raw meats and then touching other foods can be dangerous when you don't have a proper place to wash your hands. If your picnic destination is more than a few minutes away, put all perishable foods in a cooler with ice or a frozen gel pack. If you're going to have to be in the car for awhile before arriving at your picnic destination and you don't want to hassle with a cooler, consider going vegetarian for the day, or buy your perishable items once you near your destination.
Give Mayonnaise a Break!
We feel it's our duty to say a word or two in the defense of that much-maligned condiment, mayonnaise. It has gained an undeserved reputation as the most dangerous food to take on a picnic. It's true that homemade mayonnaise, which contains raw eggs, should never roam far from a refrigerator. Store-bought mayonnaise, however, contains pasteurized eggs and enough salt and lemon juice or vinegar that it actually inhibits bacterial growth. Low-acid foods in picnic dishes such as potatoes, chicken, and ham are much more susceptible to bacterial growth than the mayonnaise itself. So, while you should still be careful about keeping everything cool, don't let that stop you from using all the creamy, dreamy mayo you like in your picnic sandwiches, salads and dips!
Become a Pro Picnicker
From the fanciest to the most casual of picnics, every single outdoor dining experience can be picture-perfect. Why sit on the dirt fighting with the bugs over who gets to eat your soggy sandwiches from your paper plates when, with just a little extra planning, you could be stretched out on a soft blanket, languidly tucking slices of your favorite cheeses and meats into a crusty roll and spooning fresh salad onto your colorful and sturdy matching plastic plates?
If you have a picnic basket, a blanket or tablecloth, a set of durable plates, and a pocketknife complete with corkscrew, scissors and can opener, any picnic will be a luxuriously delicious and relaxing experience. The basket is a handy way of keeping all your food and utensils together, as well as lending a sense of occasion to any picnic. If you don't have a traditional picnic basket, any large basket or canvas tote bag will work. You could even get a sturdy box with handles and let the kids decorate their own made-to-order picnic basket. The blanket or tablecloth will make your picnic pretty, as well as keeping you and your food comfortably away from the dirt. If your linen closet doesn't already have what you need, look for fun, inexpensive sheets at any department store, or even try combing your local thrift stores for an interesting blanket. Party stores and drug stores usually have a good selection of inexpensive, colorful and sturdy plastic plates. The plates can double as cutting boards and serving platters. Many of these plate sets also have matching utensil and cups. A deluxe pocketknife is a wonderful investment, too. When armed with one of these, you can handle any food or drink that needs slicing, peeling, trimming or prying open, and foods like bread, fruits, cheese and vegetables will be fresher when you slice them on-site. Once you've chosen your picnic gear, keep it all in your basket so you'll be ready to grab it and head out the door whenever the picnicking whim strikes you!
These are some of our favorite things to tuck into a picnic basket!
Munchies and Things
> Hummus
> Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
> Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls
> Bacon and Tomato Cups
> Sweet and Tart Strawberry Salad
> Ginger Lemonade
> Boston Iced Tea
Main Dishes
> Mendocino Chicken Salad
> Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps
> Smoked Turkey Tortilla Wraps
> Real N'awlins Muffuletta
> Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwich
> Bo Nuong Xa
Salads and Side Dishes
> Fresh Fruit with Poppy Seed Dressing
> Tortellini Salad
> Alyson's Broccoli Salad
> Insalata Caprese
> P.J.'s Fresh Corn Salad
> Tabbouleh III
> French Baguettes
> Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls
> Ham and Cheese Picnic Bread
Desserts
> Scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake
> Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
> Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
> Fresh Apple Tarts
> S'more Brownies
> Black Bottom Cupcakes
> Awesome Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Don't set the table, pack the picnic basket! Picnicking is one of the most worthwhile culinary pastimes we can think of -- it lets us spend more time enjoying that precious warm weather that we waited for all autumn, winter and spring, and it breaks us out of our usual mealtime routines. Even eating something as ho-hum as a sandwich and a bag of chips takes on a new thrill when we're lounging on a blanket in a beautiful outdoor setting. Whether you're looking for a no-fuss impromptu meal to take to the park or a lavish alfresco feast, let us help you fill your summer with the most idyllic and delicious picnics you've ever prepared.
Filling the Picnic Basket
Of course, you can take just about anything you want on a picnic, but sandwiches and salads make especially good picnic fodder for any occasion because they offer so much variety, and they taste good cold. However, a picnic should be more than just a brown bag lunch eaten outside. To make picnic sandwiches a little less like a dreary school lunch and more like the eating adventure it should be, bring all the ingredients and let everyone assemble their own. If the meal takes longer to eat, it just means you get to spend more time in the beautiful outdoors. After all, you're not in a hurry -- you're on a picnic! Treat yourself to bakery-fresh bread, quality meats, your very favorite cheeses. Add a salad of garden-ripe vegetables or fruits, and your meal will be far from ordinary!
Picnic Precautions
Of course, warm-weather dining comes with its own set of concerns, the most important of which is food safety. Foods we enjoy on a regular basis without a trouble in the world can suddenly become homes for dangerous bacteria to breed when left unrefrigerated for long periods of time in warm weather. There are some foods that should not be left at room temperature for any period of time, including raw meats, and anything containing raw eggs. It's really better to take ready-to-eat foods on your picnics and save the cookouts for your backyard; handling raw meats and then touching other foods can be dangerous when you don't have a proper place to wash your hands. If your picnic destination is more than a few minutes away, put all perishable foods in a cooler with ice or a frozen gel pack. If you're going to have to be in the car for awhile before arriving at your picnic destination and you don't want to hassle with a cooler, consider going vegetarian for the day, or buy your perishable items once you near your destination.
Give Mayonnaise a Break!
We feel it's our duty to say a word or two in the defense of that much-maligned condiment, mayonnaise. It has gained an undeserved reputation as the most dangerous food to take on a picnic. It's true that homemade mayonnaise, which contains raw eggs, should never roam far from a refrigerator. Store-bought mayonnaise, however, contains pasteurized eggs and enough salt and lemon juice or vinegar that it actually inhibits bacterial growth. Low-acid foods in picnic dishes such as potatoes, chicken, and ham are much more susceptible to bacterial growth than the mayonnaise itself. So, while you should still be careful about keeping everything cool, don't let that stop you from using all the creamy, dreamy mayo you like in your picnic sandwiches, salads and dips!
Become a Pro Picnicker
From the fanciest to the most casual of picnics, every single outdoor dining experience can be picture-perfect. Why sit on the dirt fighting with the bugs over who gets to eat your soggy sandwiches from your paper plates when, with just a little extra planning, you could be stretched out on a soft blanket, languidly tucking slices of your favorite cheeses and meats into a crusty roll and spooning fresh salad onto your colorful and sturdy matching plastic plates?
If you have a picnic basket, a blanket or tablecloth, a set of durable plates, and a pocketknife complete with corkscrew, scissors and can opener, any picnic will be a luxuriously delicious and relaxing experience. The basket is a handy way of keeping all your food and utensils together, as well as lending a sense of occasion to any picnic. If you don't have a traditional picnic basket, any large basket or canvas tote bag will work. You could even get a sturdy box with handles and let the kids decorate their own made-to-order picnic basket. The blanket or tablecloth will make your picnic pretty, as well as keeping you and your food comfortably away from the dirt. If your linen closet doesn't already have what you need, look for fun, inexpensive sheets at any department store, or even try combing your local thrift stores for an interesting blanket. Party stores and drug stores usually have a good selection of inexpensive, colorful and sturdy plastic plates. The plates can double as cutting boards and serving platters. Many of these plate sets also have matching utensil and cups. A deluxe pocketknife is a wonderful investment, too. When armed with one of these, you can handle any food or drink that needs slicing, peeling, trimming or prying open, and foods like bread, fruits, cheese and vegetables will be fresher when you slice them on-site. Once you've chosen your picnic gear, keep it all in your basket so you'll be ready to grab it and head out the door whenever the picnicking whim strikes you!
These are some of our favorite things to tuck into a picnic basket!
Munchies and Things
> Hummus
> Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
> Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls
> Bacon and Tomato Cups
> Sweet and Tart Strawberry Salad
> Ginger Lemonade
> Boston Iced Tea
Main Dishes
> Mendocino Chicken Salad
> Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps
> Smoked Turkey Tortilla Wraps
> Real N'awlins Muffuletta
> Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwich
> Bo Nuong Xa
Salads and Side Dishes
> Fresh Fruit with Poppy Seed Dressing
> Tortellini Salad
> Alyson's Broccoli Salad
> Insalata Caprese
> P.J.'s Fresh Corn Salad
> Tabbouleh III
> French Baguettes
> Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls
> Ham and Cheese Picnic Bread
Desserts
> Scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake
> Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
> Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
> Fresh Apple Tarts
> S'more Brownies
> Black Bottom Cupcakes
> Awesome Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
