Summer times are perfect for picnic outings, barbecue parties, and any outdoor activities. Picnic foods taste more delicious when eaten with friends and fresh air. However, no meal is perfect without something sweet to savor.

Most people find preparing dessert somewhat daunting because ingredients are often expensive. The cooking procedure is elaborate and time-consuming—but with a bit of imagination and creativity, desserts are really easy to make and easy on the budget, too. Here are some picnic dessert recipes that are quick to cook.

Read the rest of this entry »

The sun is shining and the air is balmy. If you got this gorgeous weather on a weekend, dig up those picnic baskets in the storage and pack them up with lots of picnic foods and picnic snack goodies. The kids will love to go on a picnic even when it’s not summer yet. You don’t have to stay outdoors for long. Enjoy the morning sun for an hour or two playing noisy ball games or hiking. These physical activities will give everyone a zesty appetite so make sure that snacks are in abundance.

Preparing delicious snacks for a picnic need not be elaborate or expensive. With just a few simple and low-cost ingredients, a number of savory picnic snacks can be whipped out within just a short time. To serve the picnic snacks warm and inviting, pack them while hot inside insulated food containers. Bring along several thermos filled with hot and creamy mushroom soup or coffee. Ice-cold fruit juice drinks would also be a hit.

Chocolate  Oatmeal Cookies

Everybody is a chocolate lover, especially kids. These delicious cookies are oozing with chocolatey goodness. Each bite is packed with energy-boosting carbs and fibers from oatmeal. Chocolate oatmeal cookies can be baked beforehand and packed in containers with air-tight lids to preserve.

Ingredients:

2 sticks (or 1 cup) softened butter
1 and ½ cups sugar, granulated
1 cup sugar, light brown
2 pcs. medium eggs
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
½ cup chocolate powder (use dark chocolate if preferred)
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt, fine grained
3 cups rolled oats (or quick cooking oatmeal)
½ cup almond nuts or peanuts, coarsely chopped

How to: In a large-sized mixing bowl, blend butter and all sugar with an electric beater. Add eggs and vanilla, continue beating. Stir in flour, chocolate powder, salt, and baking soda. Using a big spoon, fold in the oats and nuts. The batter should be firm and not watery. Arrange cookie drops on baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven at temperature of 350 degree F. Do not overcook. Set the timer to 10 to 12 minutes only, depending on the thickness of the cookie drop. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool for 1 minute before transferring onto the wire rack.

Easiest Chicken Salad Pita Sandwich

There are about a thousand ways of preparing the most famous meal in the whole world—the sandwich. A sandwich can be made with one, two, or more slices of bread. An open sandwich is just a slice of bread with delicious toppings on top like pizza. A tastier and healthier sandwich can also be made from a simple chicken veggie salad and very thin bread like pita. These pita pocket sandwiches are perfect to bring as picnic food snacks.

Ingredients:

2 pcs. whole chicken skinless breast, boiled and shredded
1 cup plain yoghurt
1 cup mayonnaise, light
1 small can crushed pineapple, well-drained
½ cup roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 small head lettuce, well-drained and shredded
2 pcs. large ripe tomato, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp. fine sugar ( or honey)
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 pack pita bread, warmed and halved

How to: Combine shredded chicken meat, crushed pineapple, yogurt, mayonnaise, and chopped walnuts. Mix well and set aside inside the refrigerator. Warm the pita pocket breads over direct heat of the stove. Arrange lettuce and tomato slices on both sides of the pita pocket. Fill with chicken mixture generously. Wrap it individually in foil or wax sheets, then arrange inside a plastic food container with cover.

Caramelized Whole Apple-on-Stick

Apples are popular picnic fruit snacks. The tanginess and the crunchiness of apples is refreshing especially when being eaten during picnic hikes. There are lots of ways to prepare apples to be a delicious snack. Chop them to combine with other fresh fruits as salad or to bake as pie, tart, or cake. Or coat the apples with caramel to make them taste like candies kids would surely love.

Ingredients:

10 small apples, well-washed and well-dried
1 pack caramels, melted
1 cup nuts, finely chopped (optional)
1 cup marshmallow, small bits (optional)
1 cup chocolate bits (optional)
10 popsicle sticks

How to: In a small semi-deep sauce pot, melt the caramel over low heat. Replace the stems from the apples with the popsicle sticks. Dip each apple into the pot to cover with melted caramel. When the whole apple is coated, place it on a lightly buttered tray. Put some space in between the apples to avoid sticking while drying. Optional: While caramel coating is still wet, roll the apple on any choice of toppings. The caramelized apple should be firm and ready after about 30 minutes inside the refrigerator.

Budget-Friendly Picnic Food Recipes for Kids

Kids are the easiest to please because they like picnic foods that are bite-sized, delicious—and sweet. Packing the picnic basket with goodies for kids is such a breeze and not so expensive. Just make sure that the kiddie foods are colorful and appetizing to look at.

Picnic food dishes for kids need not be expensive and elaborate to prepare. Just throw in lots of munchies in the picnic basket and cold drinks in the ice chest, the tykes should be chirpy and happy. Children love to play picnic games so don’t forget to bring along the frisbee or volleyball for the picnic.

Barbecues are all-time favorite picnic foods. Barbecued steaks and chicken legs are popular as picnic foods for adults; and hotdogs with roasted marshmallows for kids. Bring them raw and marinated so everyone will have fun cooking the food. It is more exciting to eat fresh-from-the-grill meat or hotdogs. You don’t have to buy a new grill for the picnic to save space for those big jugs of ice-cold drinks. Just don’t forget to bring a bagful of dry charcoal and matches along with the good ole iron grill. Light your charcoals at the center of several pieces of like-sized rocks to create a makeshift grill stove.

Hotdogs on the Grill (Credits given to TheBusyBrain from flickr.com)

Picnic Hotdogs On-The-Go

Ingredients:

1 bag/kilogram jumbo-sized hotdogs, sweet and cheesy variety
Bamboo barbecue sticks

Ingredients for Basting Sauce:

1 medium red onion, peeled
1 cup ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ tsp Iodized Salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

How to: Skew one hotdog per stick. Make sure at least 3 inches length of stick is visible for easy handling. Using a sharp knife, make light diagonal lines on both sides of the hotdog. Set aside. (Optional: Hotdogs can be cut into bite-sized cubes before skewing.) In a blender or osterizer, combine all ingredients for basting sauce and blend for 3 minutes. Pour in a container and cover tightly. This baste mixture can also be used to meat barbecue recipes.

Pork Barbecue (Credits given to Ced from flickr.com)

Simple Pork Barbecue

Pork is easier and quicker to cook over hot coals. Unlike beef, pork is juicier even when over-cooked—just don’t forget to baste the meat with sauce while grilling. Marinate pork cubes (or steaks or pork chops) in soy sauce, lemon, and seasonings overnight to make the meat more savory. To make kebabs, skew the pork cubes with your choice of vegetables or fruits in between (i.e., cherry tomatoes, pineapple chunks, onions, and peppers). For kiddie picnic barbecue, make it all-meat with shorter stick.

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean pork meat, cubed to 1/2-inch thick
1 cup soy sauce
1 piece lemon
5 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped finely
½ tsp each of salt and ground pepper

How to: Thoroughly mix all ingredients, except the pork meat. Arrange the cubes in the marinade mixture and set aside in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or overnight. When placed in the freezer, the marinated meat can remain fresh up to 3 days.

Honey-Dipped Chicken Nuggets (Credits given to my_amii from flickr.com)

Tasty-and-Delicious Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets are so easy to make even kids can help prepare them. Or you can just buy ready-to-cook nuggets from the supermarket. But, hey,  homemade picnic foods are tastier and cheaper so get your aprons and head to the kitchen. Fried or baked, these nuggets are tender to eat.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, sifted (alternative: cornflakes, roughly crushed)
½ tsp salt, fine
¼ tsp ground pepper, fine
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 cup grated cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 pounds chicken breasts, washed and well-drained and cut into desired-size rectangles

How to: Combine all dry ingredients and blend thoroughly to make breading mix. Dip each piece of nugget in beaten egg and roll in the breading. For frying, heat 2 cups of oil in an iron skillet until smoke appears on the oil’s surface. Lower the nuggets one by one into the hot oil. For baking, arrange the breaded nuggets on a greased baking pan and bake in the pre-heated oven until cooked. Serve with ketchup or mayonnaise or any kind of salad dressing, or even honey.

Fruit Juices: Watermelon, Lemonade, and Strawberry (Credits given to charmednblum from flickr.com)

Icy Lemonade Drink

Picnic drinks are usually canned or bottled soft drinks and water. Why pump your kids with artificial sweeteners or tasteless liquid? Fruit juices are rich in Vitamin C, like the lemonade made from lemon juice. Place them in jugs full of ice or pour them into containers and keep cool in the picnic ice chest—to keep the kids asking for more of the revitalizing fruit juices.

Ingredients:

5 cups lemon juice, freshly squeezed
5 cups white sugar

How to: Blend all ingredients well and mix with water, according to taste. To preserve the tangy and fruity taste of lemonade, add only ice.

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

Picnics are special bonding moments where the family enjoys eating while savoring fresh air in the outdoors. Among hundreds of picnic food ideas, chicken is one of the most popular and versatile dish to cook. Fried chicken is always a favorite with kids but oven-baked chicken with the usual breading can be healthier because of less oil content. Chicken can also be cooked over hot coals easily and quickly. Just marinade the chicken meat overnight in barbecue marinating mix so that it will be tastier and juicier.

Chicken casserole with rich sauce or stir-fried chicken strips with crisp vegetables are great as picnic foods for eaters who like to wipe their plates with bread or have their rice moist and tasty. Of course, whole roast chicken will be perfect to bring along with other picnic goodies such as salads, cheeses, and a bottle of sparkling white wine. Picnic chicken foods need not be fussy and complicated to prepare. There are lots of easy ways to cook chicken recipes here; and some helpful tips on proper ways of packing cooked chicken foods, too.

Fried Chicken

Fried chicken can be prepared and cooked in many ways but the simplest recipe may just include fresh chicken legs and seasoned coating/breading. A deep fryer is not required to fry chicken. To get the chicken legs crispy on the outside and juicy from the inside even when pan-fried, make sure that the pieces being fried are half-submerged in pre-heated oil and not over-crowded in the pan. Three to four pieces per batch is fine. Otherwise, the fried chicken will be soggy and greasy. Oven-baked chicken may not be as crispier but will surely be more preferable by the health-conscious. To keep the fried chicken crisp and hot: cook it a few hours before departure, cool, and arrange in a container lined with several table tissues to absorb excess oil.

Ingredients:

12 chicken legs, washed and drained
1 piece egg, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
4 cups cooking oil
Breading (ratio: 2 cups flour per ¼ tsp each of ground pepper and fine iodized salt)

How to: Heat oil in a cast iron frying pan. Dip each chicken leg in the egg mixture and coat with breading thoroughly. When smoke starts to appear on the surface, put one chicken piece into the oil with skin-side down. Avoid over-crowding. Use a pair of tongs to prevent the hot oil from splattering. Remove the chicken when the color turned golden brown and arrange on the cooling rack to let the oil drip.

Crispy Fried Chicken (Credits given to kathyylchan from flickr.com)

Simple Chicken Casserole

This easy-to-prepare and no-fuss dish can be cooked in a slow cooker. Just throw in all the ingredients and let simmer for about an hour. The recipe is simple yet very satisfying. No need to pack. Just bring the whole pot.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice, uncooked and washed
2 cups water
6 pieces chicken skinless breasts, deboned and cut into chunky cubes then blanched in hot water
2 cans cream of chicken
1 small can sliced mushroom, well-drained
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 small can salsa
6 cups cheese, shredded

How to: Divide all ingredients into two parts. Layer the bottom of the pot with the first part of the following: rice, water, chicken cubes, cream of chicken, mushroom, onion, salsa, and cheese. Repeat procedure for the second layer. Optional: Arrange shredded spinach leaves before cheese. Boil and simmer over low heat for about an hour, or until rice is tender and fluffy.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole (Credits given to Corey_Ann from flickr.com)

Crunchy Veggie Toppings

Chopped assorted veggies stir-fried in a little olive oil is a tasty alternative to the usual vegetable salad you eat with roasted chicken. Top it on a bowl of steaming rice to make a fulfilling meal. To pack, transfer the stir-fried vegetables in a ceramic pot. Do not cover while steaming to avoid over-cooking veggies due to excess heat.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 whole chicken breast, parboiled and shredded to strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large green bellpepper, seeded and cut to strips
1 large red bellpepper, seeded and cut to strips
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into strips
1 small cabbage, chopped roughly
Pinch of salt and ground pepper

How to: Heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken strips and onions until slightly browned. Put the heat to high and throw in all the vegetables along with the salt and ground pepper. Continue stirring to avoid burning. Remove from heat when all vegetables look coated with oil. In a different pot, boil rice in water until cooked. Fluff the rice and transfer to a ceramic bowl with cover.