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Tips for a Great Picnic Menu
By Megan L Taylor
Summertime is coming with the trees all blooming and the rivers flowing, gives you the inspiration to take your family out for a picnic and enjoy the great outdoors. All you need to do is gather your food and a blanket and head out to your favorite picnic spot. While the kids start playing you lay out the blanket and start setting out the food on it.
While this sounds great, the most important part of the outing is the food. In just 4 easy steps you can have the perfect meal planned and ready to go. The first step is to pick 1-2 beverages to take with you, so you stay hydrated. Next, you want to pick a couple of side salads. Then, you want to pick your main course. Finally, you want to pick an easy dessert.
Here are some recipes that can help you gain ideas for your meal. A few ideas for beverages are iced tea, lemonade, strawberry lemonade, soda pop, and water. An easy recipe for strawberry lemonade is to make up a batch of lemonade and add chopped strawberries to it. This gives your drink texture and tastes great.
Some ideas for salads are potato salads, pasta salads, vegetable salads, fruit salads, and jello salads. Some examples are Summer Pasta Salad, Cucumber Salad, and my favorite Summer Fruit Salad.
Summer Pasta Salad
1 (12 oz) pkg elbow macaroni
1/2 lb pkg shelled edamame
1/4 c mayo
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (12 oz) can chicken, minced
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 TBSP sunflower seeds
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c green onions, chopped
Boil both the macaroni and the edamame til cooked about 8-10 minutes. Then drain them and rinse with cold water. Mix the mayo and seasonings together in a small bowl. Combine the chicken, pastas, eggs, sunflower seeds, cheese, and green onions in a large bowl and and the mayo mix, stirring to coat. Chill for around an hour.
Cucumber Salad
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/4 lg red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
1 tomato, thinly sliced and chopped
1 ear corn, cut from cob (optional)
1/4 c mayo
2 TBSP vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
Toss vegetables together in a bowl. In another small bowl combine all other ingredients. Pour over vegetables and toss again to coat. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Summer Fruit Salad
2 c watermelon, cut into bite size pieces
2 c cantaloupe, cut into bite size pieces
2 c fresh pineapple chunks
2 c strawberries, halved
2 c fresh peaches, cut into bite size pieces
1 c seedless grapes
1 c kiwi, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 c cold water
1/4 c orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 c limeade concentrate, thawed
1/4 c lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 c toasted pecans (optional)
Combine fruit in a large bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients except for pecans in a smaller bowl. When mixed, pour dressing over fruit and toss to coat. Sprinkle pecans over the top. (I personally prefer this without the pecans.)
Some items that could be used as main dishes are cold fried chicken, sandwiches, bbq beef, or pulled pork. For an easy dessert I would suggest, no bake recipes, such as, ice box pies, jello salads, or fruit salads. Even something as simple as sliced strawberries, shortcake or angel food cake, and whipped cream makes a great dessert. An easy recipe for an icebox pie is Chocolate Chiffon Pie.
Chocolate Chiffon Pie
2 (1oz) squares of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream, whipped
1 prepared chocolate or graham cracker crumb crust
additional whipped cream
Over low heat melt chocolate with condensed milk. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand 1 minute, then stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine 2 mixtures and add vanilla. Cool and fold in whipped cream, then spread in crust. Chill for about 3 hours or until set.
I hope this gives you some great ideas for a wonderful picnic menu. Just remember simple is always better with a picnic.
If you are looking for the perfect picnic basket, check out the picnic backpack from http://www.shop.simplysimplekitchencookware.com. It has everything you need from plates to silverware and glasses, it even has a cutting board and room for food.
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