Lenette:
A few weeks ago, I was approached by a fellow blogger and asked to exchange articles for our very different cooking styles. Needless to say, I was thrilled! Despite the fact that I live in Miami, as a culture, we don’t embrace the outdoors as much as one would think. Of course, there are the beach communities that are frequently showcased on TV; but generally speaking, it is usually so hot, that people here tend to look for thirst quenchers and lite bites. However, liquid lunches can only get you so far and some nourishment is required.

Apple Marmalade and Flank Steak Jerky Crostini

Taking a tip from picnicfood-ideas.com, I started thinking about what I would like to take on an outing. I almost couldn’t help myself from incorporating the holidays into this recipe. So in typical Flavor Fusion style, I merged the best of both worlds.

Picnic Menu: Homemade Apple Marmalade and Flank Steak Jerky Crostini

sashimi pieces

The Jerky
Don’t be overwhelmed; it couldn’t be easier!  Take a slab of flank steak and thinly slice the meat.  Use a fillet knife and cut across the grain to cut sashimi thin pieces.

Ingredients:
In a large zip bag add the following:

¾ cup teriyaki sauce
3 smashed garlic cloves
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
2 pinches of crushed pepper flakes
Several twists of ground pepper
3 pinches of kosher salt
3 tbsp of honey or simple syrup

Instructions:
Seal the bag and shake to mix the ingredients.  Add the meat, seal the bag, and massage the mix into the meat.  This has to sit in the refrigerator overnight.

sealed bag with ingredients

The final step to prepare the jerky is to dry it out.  Set oven to 200 degrees.  Place meat strips onto a baking sheet.  Each piece should lay flat.  Let the meat cook for about 3 hours.  Remove from pan and let it cool completely before eating.

preparing the jerky

the jerky

The Marmalade
Not only is this a great homemade gift, but it is a great way to preserve fruits for later use.  Today, it’s all about the Grannie Smith.

Ingredients:
4 cups of green apples (about 3 1/3 large apples)
1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice
4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 pkg of pectin (sure gel)
1 tsp. of candied ginger
2 cups of water
7-8 small canning jars (sterilized in dishwasher)

preparing the apples

Instructions:
Wash, core, and chop the apples; I like to leave the skin on.

Place the apple pieces in a heavy pot.  Add the lemon juice, water, and pectin; bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and candied ginger; bring to a boil once again.  Stir and let the mix boil for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat.

preparing the marmalade

Gently, take a masher and help break down some of the apple pieces.  Don’t make it a complete puree, but mashing some of the fruit will help the gelling processes and make spreading easier later on.

Carefully fill the pre-sterilized jars with the apple marmalade.  You must leave about ¼ inch space between the lid and the fruit itself.   Seal the lids and rings tightly.  The final step is the water bath which ensures that the product will remain safe to eat.

pre-sterilized jars

Boil water in a heavy pot and place the tightly capped jars into the water bath.  The water should go about half way up the jars and should sit there for about 5-6 minutes.  This is where the lid becomes airtight.  If you find that the center of the lid is still popped up, the process didn’t take. Return the jars to the boiling water bath for an additional 5 minutes.

jars in the boiling water bath

Let the marmalade cool completely before opening the jar.  Give the jars as gifts and save one jar for your picnic.

Picnic Day
On your outing, take your homemade jerky, apple marmalade, a few sprigs of your favorite fresh herb, and a baguette or crispy Melba toast.

Smear some of the marmalade on a slice of bread, place a piece of the flank steak jerky and add a fresh herb leaf.

The mix of sweet apples, spicy beef, earthy herbs, and the neutral yet crunchy bread is a feast for both the eyes and the palate.

Pair it with a crisp white wine and you are ready to spend a great day outdoors. Happy eating!

I hope this recipe comes to your taste. For more interesting recipes and  extraordinary recipe collections see The Flavor Fusion Project.

Grilled vegetables are very popular as picnic food. There is quite a variety of salad recipes you can do with grilled veggies. In the article you will be introduced with one basic recipe and proposed with possible variations of such. Thus you will be able to experiment best to your taste. The story will be about the grilled eggplants (aubergines) and bell peppers (sweet peppers) – both are popular in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. This food is also interesting as a seasonal veggie picnic idea. So, enjoy!

Grilled Eggplant and Bell Pepper Salad.

When in the market buy eggplants that are not very bulbous but take the purple long ones. Eggplants of this sort of have more tender seeds and thus taste better. As for the bell peppers normally we take yellow or green ones but you may include one red bell pepper as well.

Note: red peppers have bigger nutritional value rather than yellow or green ones.

By all means we should mention the health properties of these vegetables. Aubergines are very rich in Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, etc. Eggplants reduce cholesterol rates in the blood. Being rich in Potassium they perfectly feed the heart muscles. Bell peppers are also very rich in Vitamin C, A, Folic Acid, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, etc. Thus, grilling as a short thermal treatment preserves most wholesome properties of these veggies. Also the fact that we spare the vegetables from extra contact with air (we don’t cut them when grilling) is also important!

Grilled Eggplants and Bell Peppers Salad
You can prepare this meal while outdoors in the picnic or have it cooked in advance at home. It tastes exquisitely delicious when cold. Apart from using a standard grill you can prepare the veggies over the gas hobs, or bake them in the oven. Yields 2 servings.

Ingredients:
2-3 long purple eggplants
1-2 bell peppers
0.5 medium bulb onion or 4-5 green onions
seasoning: salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable or olive oil, or butter
herbs (optional)

Instructions:
Wash the vegetables, remove solid leaves off the eggplant stems. Grill each side of the eggplants for some 4-5 minutes on low heat if you are using the hob. Bell peppers will be done sooner. Keep turning round when one side becomes cooked. Peel of the peppers will turn dark brown, even black at sides. When peppers and aubergines are grilled through they become juicy and soft.

Lay the baked veggies on the cutting board, tray, or kitchen table. Peel the veggies, also remove the seeds of the bell peppers. It is easier to peel eggplants starting from the stem part towards the end. Cut the eggplants and peppers lengthwise and put in a medium bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste. While the vegetables are warm you can add either a piece of butter to the bowl or sprinkle some vegetable (or olive) oil. Thinly chop the onion and also add to the bowl. Stir with a spoon to evenly mix the ingredients. Serve the salad as it is or add herbs to your taste. You may use a shoot of coriander, dill, or parsley. You can either have the salad on the plate and eat it with a fork or stuff it into pitta.

Tip: Another option you can prepare a salad with the baked bell peppers is to add to it tomato cut in big wedges, chopped coriander, dill, parsley, and grated Parmesan.

Preparation of Grilled Vegetables.

Recipe number 2
Yields 4-5 servings.

Ingredients:
2.5lb aubergines
2 sweet peppers
3-5 chilies (mildly hot)
2 tbsp lemon/lime juice
1 garlic clove
2-4 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
2 tbsp chopped parsley, cilantro (or mint)
salt

Instructions:
Wash all vegetables if needed. Grill aubergines, bell peppers, and chilies till they become soft through. Eggplants take longer than chilies and peppers. To make the process of peeling easier you may set the baked veggies aside for 10-15 minutes in a bowl and cover it with a lid. Later you will see juices in the bowl you may either pour it off or keep for the salad. (If you like the juices then better to peel and cut the veggies once they are grilled so that the liquid will at once pour in the salad bowl)

Peel the vegetables, remove the pepper seeds. Cut the veggies in medium pieces, stir all well. Puree the garlic clove and add to the bowl. Season with salt, drizzle the lemon/lime juice, oil; add chopped herbs. Toss to combine. Set to rest for 20-30 minutes. Serve cold.

Note: If you are not a chili lover then you can use 2 grilled tomatoes and several green onions.

You are welcome to read:

Picnic Food Ideas as Starters

Autumn picnic ideas: grouse, celeriac, and mushrooms

Beef Pate on the Toast.

Beef Liver Pate
This is a quick recipe, prepared in some 10 minutes, cooked in 20.

Ingredients:
1 lb (or about 0.5 kg) beef liver
1 medium onion
1 small clove of garlic
2 tbsp brandy, cognac, or Scotch whisky
unsalted butter (plus extra to cover)
seasoning: salt, black pepper

Note: chop the onion, peel and mash the garlic clove. Use freshly ground black pepper.

Instructions:
Cut the liver into medium sized pieces. Add some butter into the heavy bottom skillet, add onion, sauté for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and liver pieces and allow to sauté till liver is browned and tender.

When done, cover with the lid, set aside for several minutes to cool. Process the sautéed products in the food processor till smooth paste forms. Add brandy, oil (or butter) and season with black pepper and salt to taste. You can keep the picnic food (pate) in the fridge for a week or frozen about two month. To keep in the fridge add melted butter as a cover over the pate in the container. Keep the product covered while in the fridge.

Cheese Spread.

Potted Beef Spread
Preparation time less than half an hour, cooking – over 3 hours. Yields: about 5.

Ingredients:
3.5 oz (100g) unsalted butter
0.5 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 cloves of garlic
10.5 oz (300g) braising steak
seasoning: salt, and black pepper, cayenne pepper
peppercorn topping: 1oz (25g) butter, 4 tsp green peppercorns in brine

Note: use freshly grated nutmeg, peel the garlic cloves, remove fat and sinew off the steak, and drain the peppercorns. Use freshly ground black pepper.

Instructions:
Spread
Have the oven preheated to 300F (150C, Gas Mark 2). Drop the butter into a saucepan (a small one), add salt, ginger, grated nutmeg, garlic cloves (whole), and cayenne. Drizzle black pepper plentifully and put the saucepan over mow heat. Stir the ingredients occasionally till butter melts.

Make 4-5 more or less equal chunks, lay them in a medium oven-proof container. Add the spiced mixture with the melted butter to completely cover the beef. It is recommended to have it covered with the lid.

Cook in the oven center for 2.5-3 hours. Beef should be very soft. Once in the middle turn the beef pieces over. When done, set aside to cool for some 30 mins, then flake the beef apart. Mash the ingredients with a fork or processor fill in a bowl.

Topping
Add the butter in a small saucepan. Place over low heat to allow butter melt slowly. Remove any foams that will form in the butter. Use only the clear butter as there may also be flakes in the bottom. Spread the clarified butter over the beef in the bowl. Then randomly sprinkle with peppercorn. Cover with the lid and you may keep the picnic food in the fridge upto three days.

Serve the picnic food with hot toasts, crusty bread and a spring salad. Bon Appetite!

Tip: We have offered two meat picnic food as starters, however you can have cheese or vegetable spreads as well. For cheese you can mash or melt cheese and mix it with butter and any your favorite spices. As for the vegetable spread, you can use carrot, onion, vegetable marrow, pumpkin, potato, or any other (or a combination of your favorite vegetables). Have the vegetables simmered, add butter or melted cheese, combine well. Season with salt, pepper, and any other spices. Add fresh herbs when spreading over the toast. Also you can use fish fillet in combination with butter. Chicken breasts (or other parts) are also good for pate.

We hope you have found many useful picnic food ideas in the article. Remember that using your imagination and preferences you can always make any cooking even more enjoyable and the meals more delicious! Also it may be great to cook for the picnic in a good company of your friends or a family. Enjoy your al fresco get-togethers!

You are also welcome to read:
Easter Picnic Food Ideas

More Picnic Ideas with Peas

If you decide to have a “peas” day, this combination of the recipes may be used as first and second course, and a snack.

Thick Pea Soup with Pork.

Thick Pea Soup with Pork
This picnic soup is good for all seasons as can be served either hot or cold. Although preparation time takes about half an hour, be ready to have 4 hours as cooking time. As the picnic food yields up to 8 portions you can use it for bigger get-togethers.

Ingredients
2lb 4oz. (1kg) dried green and/or split peas (or both)
2lb 4oz. (1kg) pork shank/leg (with the bone)
4 pig ears (4 ears, optional)
7oz (200g) of smoked bacon
2 or 3 leeks
5 or 7 carrots
1 celeriac
1 head of celery
3 bay leaves
1 bunch of parsley (flat-leaf)
1 smoked sausage
1 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley (flat-leaf)
Seasoning: salt and black pepper

Note: cut the bacon into equal cubes; slice the leeks, carrots, and sausage; peel and cut the celeriac; randomly chop the celery; and tie the parsley bunch with a string. It is also highly preferable to use freshly ground black pepper when cooking.

Instructions:
First of all let the peas soak in the warm water according to the packet directions. Meanwhile, place the pork and the pig ears (optional) in a heavy bottom large pan. Add the rest of the ingredients such as the bacon (smoked), carrots, celeriac, leeks, celery, parsley, bay leaves, and salt. Add water almost to the rim of the pan (1 inch/2cm below it). Make medium heat to bring water to the boil then decrease heat to minimal and let the picnic food simmer for a couple of hours. Some time later if needed add some more boiling water.

Add sausage slices and peas (already soaked) into the pan. When boils leave for the next couple of hours or more till peas become very tender. You may also have half of the peas cooked in a different pan, then purred and added to the soup.

When done, take out the pork, ears, and parsley out of the pan; set aside to cool. Remove pork meat from the bone and return to the soup in small pieces. Season with salt, pepper, and freshly chopped parsley.

Tip: Best to serve with cheese, dark rye bread, and fine slices streaky bacon (fried).

Peas with Salmon and Vegetables.

Peas with Grilled Salmon
If you feel more for seafood picnic idea, try this recipe. Preparation up to half an hour, cooking some 10 minutes: yields 1-2. You may have the ingredients doubled for more picnic meal portion.

Ingredients
Grilled Salmon
3.5oz (100g) salmon fillet with skin
olive oil
Seasoning: salt and black pepper

Peas
1oz (30g) unsalted butter
3.5oz (100g) peas
1 tbsp of white wine vinegar
olive oil (extra virgin)
Seasoning: salt and black pepper

Garnish
1 lemon wedges

Instructions:
Salmon
Brush the salmon fillet with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Have a frying pan with olive oil hot on the heat. Lay the fillet with the skin side down on the pan. Panfry for a couple of minutes on each side.

Peas
Let butter melt in a medium saucepan. When done, add vinegar, some hot water, and peas. Simmer for up to 5 minutes till peas are tender. Season with black pepper and salt, and drizzle olive oil (extra virgin). If mashed, serve the picnic peas on a plate topped with salmon fillet and garnished with lemon pieces. If not, serve with cherry tomatoes and boiled new potatoes.

Pea Dip with Bacon.

Pea Dip with Ham
This picnic food can go perfectly as a snack. Preparation and cooking will take about an hour (depends on the peas).

Ingredients
3 garlic cloves
1 3/4oz (100g) peas
5-6 sage leaves
1 tbsp of unsalted butter
1 tbsp of olive oil
Seasoning: salt and black pepper

Note: peel the garlic cloves, use freshly ground black pepper.

Instructions:
Fill a medium size pan half with water; add salt and bring to the boil. Drop garlic cloves (do not cut) into the boiling water and simmer for up to 10 minutes till soft. Add the sage and peas to cook for a couple of minutes. Peas should be tender. Drain them. To make the picnic food pureed either mash it or have it food processed.

Tip: Best to serve the pea dip with cold ham slices. Bacon, prosciutto or cooked ham are also good.

You are welcome to read :

No Cook Picnic Food Ideas for Easter

Easy And Tasty Picnic Food Recipes

Wild Mushrooms.

Stewed Wild Mushrooms with Croutons
This recipe may be regarded as a quick one. Preparation and cooking may take some 40 minutes whereas the picnic meal yields for 4 persons. Enjoy this picnic food!

Ingredients:
Croutons
0.5 French baguette (small)
1 halved garlic clove

Mushrooms
14 oz. (or 400 g) of different wild mushrooms (for example the pied de mouton, girolles, etc. )
1.5 oz. (or 30 g) of unsalted butter
0.25 onion or 0.5 shallot banana
1 garlic clove
3.5 fl oz. (or 100 ml) of dry white wine
4 pinches of sea salt
4 pinches of black pepper
0.5 oz. (or 10 g) of flat-leaf parsley leaves (fresh)
1 spring of tarragon, (leaves only)
2 sprigs of fresh chervil
1 tbsp of lemon juice
7 oz. (or 200 g)  of tomatoes

Note: Peel and chop the onion (or banana). Peel and smash the garlic clove; roughly chop parsley leaves; thinly chop the tarragon leaves and chervil; quarter the tomatoes, deseed and chop finely the pieces.

Wild Mushrooms and Crouton.

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 320 F (or 160 C, Gas 2). Make 3mm baguette slices and lay the slices evenly on a backing sheet. Toast the croutons in the oven for a couple of minutes till golden-brown. Rub the juicy side of the garlic clove half over the crispy crouton sides; set aside.

In fresh water quickly wash and slightly rub the mushrooms to remove any remaining soil. Lay the mushrooms on a clean dry tea-towel and smoothly pat dry. Remove the stalk bases and lay aside. Melt the butter over a medium heat in a pan. Add garlic and shallots; fry half a minute. Increase the heat to high, place the pied de mouton mushrooms in the pan and simmer for 1 minute. Pour the dry white wine, leave on the heat for another minute. When juice has reduced, add the girolles mushrooms; stir well. Drizzle with water if the juice boils away; season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste. When serving place equal amount of mushrooms on each plate, top with crouton crumbles. You may as well lay the mushrooms over the croutons. Bon appétit!

Roasted Bird With Berries.

Pot-Roast Bird With Juicy Blackberries and Celeriac
Preparation plus cooking time will take half an hour (maximum 50 minutes); yields for 2 persons.

Ingredients:
Celeriac
1 celeriac (large)
3 egg whites (medium)
1 lb 8 oz. (or 700 g) of table salt
5 springs of rosemary (fresh)
4 fl (or 110 ml) of olive oil
seasoning: sea salt and black pepper

Note: Slice off the celeriac base, leave the top on; finely chop the rosemary.

Bird (grouse or other game)
4 smoked bacon (rashers)
2 fresh grouse
1 tbsp of olive oil
4 shallots
1 garlic clove
5 fresh thyme springs (leaves)
5 oz. (or 150 g) of blackberries (fresh)
5 fl (or 150 ml) of chicken stock
2 oz. (or 50 g) of butter

Note: Peel and finely slice the shallots.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F (or 190 C, Gas 5). Put the celeriac in the non-stick roasting pan. Whip the egg whites with salt and rosemary until a paste. Salt-bake the celeriac coated with the ¾ inch (or 2 cm thick) paste layer for 50 minutes.

Put 2 smocked bacon rashers on the fattest part of each grouse’s breast; tie. Pour oil into a heavy-based pan, heat over the medium heat. Fry the grouse in the hot oil; turn round regularly until golden-brown. When done, put aside.

In the same pan, fry shallots, thyme, and garlic for a couple of minutes. Place the blackberries and chicken stock topped with the grouse in the pan. Cover with the lid and let simmer for the next 12 minutes. When done, put the pan aside for about 10 minutes. Take out the game from the pan keep warm aside. Ingredients, remaining in the pan, boil around 5 minutes till liquid is half reduced. Add the butter, whist until glossy, keep warm.

When the celeriac is cooked, remove salt coating and put the celeriac in a bowl. Sprinkle with oil, season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste; mix until well combined. When serving the picnic meal, remove the grouse string (if any), cut breasts off the carcasses and remove breast sinew.  Portion the celeriac between two plates topped with the game breast. Drizzle the sauce all over. Bon appétit!

We hope that at least one of the autumn picnic ideas presented above will become your seasonal picnic special.

You Are Welcome To Read :

Yummy Recipes for Picnic Special
Picnic Vegetable Salad Recipes

Kids and adults alike are always excited for the celebration of Easter Sunday. There are picnic parties everywhere. Kids hunt for colorful eggs and play in noisy games; while adults enjoy the company of friends and family. Delicious picnic foods are brought in packed lunch boxes and picnic baskets. Picnic tables overflowed with plates filled with tasty goodies and delectable sweets.

Moms are not supposed to slave over the hot stoves anymore. With a bit of planning beforehand, picnic foods will still be abundant come picnic time. The freezer and the refrigerator will both play important roles to make picnic food preparation time easy and fun. There is no more need to wake up early and cook the picnic foods right before departure.

Most no-cook picnic food ideas can be bought at the supermarket or the small grocer store nearby. The list is endless but taking some effort of listing down the likes and preferences of everybody will save both time and money. No food wasted because everything you brought to your picnic outings will be eaten with gusto.

Picnic Ice Cream Cake

Predictably, the children often enjoy something cold and everything sweet. Yes, your guesses are right. Ice cream, softdrinks, cakes, gelatin, frozen fruits, and more. All you need for packing these sweet treats is a giant cooler with lots of ice packs.
Ice cream cakes are not quick to melt because the ice cream is inside the cake and icing. Buy the ice cream cake days before the picnic and store inside the freezer. To pack, place the ice cream cake inside a plastic container with air-tight cover. Make sure that it will remain horizontal during the travel to the picnic destination.

Picnic Fresh Fruit Basket

For the health conscious individuals, a large basket of assorted fruits will be a small piece of heaven. A slice of refreshing watermelon or pineapple will boost the energy level after an hour of hiking through the woods or the beach. Nothing will be more delicious than a juicy bite of peach or apple while soaking your lungs with fresh air. Bring several small paring knives for peeling and cutting fruits to bit sizes. A plastic bowl and forks will also come handy when serving the picnic fruit snack.

Cheese and Wine for Picnics

For sweethearts, a bottle of champagne and white or summer red wines will be perfect partners with different types of cheese. Couples will enjoy small talk with each other while sipping from wine glasses and sinking their teeth into luscious bits of assorted cheese.

Dads and Moms Love Easter Picnics

Dads can still bring their favorite picnic grilled meat foods even without bringing the picnic grill stand. While moms are shopping for the no-cook picnic foods ingredients, dads can buy a dozen of cooked meat kebabs sold in grilled meat food stalls that lined the aisles of most supermarkets these days. Pack the hot foods inside an insulated box to keep the food hot.

Sandwiches are the perfect picnic foods because they can be assembled anywhere. As guaranteed belly-fillers, mix canned tuna flakes with a small of salad dressing and spread the mixture on a slab of wheat bread. Stick in a slice of salad tomato and lettuce to make it crunchier and more refreshing to taste. Cold cut meats like ham, or even smoked salmon flakes, often taste better with cheese and mayo and some veggies. To make no-fuss sandwich meals, just squeeze all ingredients in between two breads.

Picnic drinks are as important as picnic foods. Along with the relaxing wines, stock up your picnic icepacks with cans of beer and softdrinks, bottles of iced tea and lemonade, and gallons of water. Nothing can beat water as the best thirst quenchers!

Easter picnics are bonding time for parents and children. Everyone should enjoy every moment they spent with one another. No one should be slaving over the grill to feed everybody. No-cook picnic foods are the best, especially when the climate is too hot for cooking. Easter Sunday is for hunting Easter eggs.

You are welcome to read :

Easy To Cook Picnic Chicken Recipes

Picnic Food Ideas For Potatoes

Healthy Picnic Food Ideas: Allergen-Free Suggestions

Planning a picnic is, 99% of the time, an awesome activity because it lets you be creative and plan a terrific outing for your family. Having to plan an allergen-free picnic due to food allergies, though, can be challenging. It doesn’t have to be, though – of all picnic food ideas, allergen-free suggestions are as easy to find as any.

This article will go through picnic food ideas and allergen-free food suggestions, and will talk about why this is a very important topic. After all, a picnic should be a place of fun – not a place of potential danger.

Why Picnic Food Ideas and Allergen-Free Suggestions are Important

If you have a food allergy, then there isn’t anything I could tell you that you do not already know. But, if you do not, but have a friend or family member who you know has an allergy to a food – such as peanuts, dairy products, soy, etc. – then you need to be aware of the need to make sure your foods are good to go.

Allergies are caused by your body reacting to pathogens – basically harmful substances – in food. These pathogens, for whatever reason, agitate your body. They can cause annoyance and discomfort – but can also cause more dangerous, potentially life-threatening conditions. That is why anyone with food allergies must be very careful what they eat.

Picnic Food Ideas, Allergen-Free Suggestions: Potential Substitutes

There are several general types of foods that usually cause allergies (although any food can be allergic, generally speaking). One type is dairy foods. Dairy foods – such as milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, etc. – can cause allergies, especially in people who are lactose intolerant. A good percentage of people who are allergic are allergic to dairy foods.

You can find dairy substitutes at your local supermarket that taste virtually the same as the real thing, plus won’t trigger any allergies. So, when you bring sandwiches to the picnic, they can have delicious allergen-free cheese on them.

Wheat, rye, and barley foods contain gluten, which is another food substance that can cause allergens. Since a lot of picnic dishes involve bread of some kind, finding gluten-free bread is important. Again, you should be able to find these substitutes at your local supermarket.

Picnic Food Ideas, Allergen-Free Suggestions: Cooking Materials

What you actually eat is not all you have to worry about. You also have to take into account what you cook your food in – such as food oil.

For example, peanut oil is a very popular oil that is used for cooking a variety of delicious dishes. One of these reasons is because peanut oil is very healthy – but not for people who are allergic to peanuts. One potential substitute is canola oil, which has a similar smoke point and is actually a bit healthier.

Also, if you are frying or baking anything that requires flour, make sure you use gluten-free flour – even if you are just using the flour as a non-stick substance. You can’t be too careful with food allergies.

You are welcome to read :

Picnic Vegetable Salad Recipes

Vegetarian Picnic Side Items

Creating a Fun and Festive Picnic:

Decorations and Arrangements

Picnics are wonderful opportunities to enjoy the pleasant company of friends and family outside in beautiful, sunny weather. They can also be opportunities to celebrate. Whether the occasion is a birthday, a graduation, an anniversary, or a holiday like Independence Day or Memorial Day, picnics can serve as appropriate and memorable activities for you and your guests.

A big part of picnics is creating the perfect menu. This is not all, though. The best picnic celebrations are fun, festive, colorful, and themed, with plenty of eye-catching decorations and arrangements. Creating a festive affair with a picnic is actually easier than creating a menu, believe it or not. It’s fun, too. This article will give you some tips on how you can create fun and festive picnic decorations and arrangements for any occasion.

Picnic Decorations and Arrangements: The Theme

The purpose of a theme in a picnic celebration is to combine all the elements into one overall design that represents an occasion or an event. For example, an Independence Day party could be themed in decorations that invoke the feeling of celebrating the Fourth of July, such as red, white, and blue tablecloths, star-spangled napkins, and a festive centerpiece reminiscent of fireworks. Choosing the theme should be the first step in the process, so you know what you are working towards in terms of picnic decorations and arrangements.

Picnic Decorations and Arrangements: Fruit Centerpieces

One great item to have for just about any picnic celebration is a fruit centerpiece. These are typically comprised of fruit that has been either arranged or carved into various shapes and designs, to create a cool-looking decoration that is also edible. These do not only look good; they also can go with just about any type of picnic that you can imagine, as fruit is virtually a universal picnic ingredient.

What kinds of fruit should you use? Most people tend to gravitate towards citrus fruits, but, the best fruit centerpieces use a variety of ingredients. One of the most popular types of fruit is watermelon, since it can be easily carved and shaped. You can actually create a fruit basket by hollowing out one half of a watermelon and placing fruit inside! Be creative and don’t be afraid to carve up fruit into shapes and put them together using toothpicks to create figures – such as a fruit graduate for a graduation party, or a spooky ghost for a fall Halloween-themed picnic.

Picnic Decorations and Arrangements: Fruit Garnishes

Yet another way to spruce up a picnic is to use fruit garnishes. You create regular garnishes out of standard materials, such as paper, mint leaves, parsley, and foliage, but fruit garnishes for plates and drinks add a unique flair to the picnic. For example, if you have fruity beverages, such as punch or smoothies, you can cut a banana into coin-sized pieces and place them on the rim of the glasses or cups. You can also cut oranges into wedges and arrange them on a plate in a star shape to create an attractive – and edible – decoration.

Great site, which i love very much, all about Food Garnishes