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

Gifts need not be expensive. Savory foods and sweet cakes are perfect for Valentine’s Day. The best venue for a romantic dinner date is often at home because of two main reasons: privacy and comfort. Not to mention the huge savings on food and wine. Spontaneity intensifies the excitement when special loved ones are pleasantly surprised.

Picnic Outings are as Romantic as Valentine Dinner Dates

Here are 3 romantic picnic ideas that will bring you and your sweetheart closer to each other.

1. A small barbecue dinner in the patio will give an atmosphere of eating in a side walk café. Decorate the small table with a small tall vase for one red rosebud and a candlestick.

2. An impromptu and very informal dinner on the bed will look more romantic when lighted candles surround the bedroom. Spread a picnic blanket on the middle of the bed and pretend that you’re on some grassy spot in the park.

3. Pack picnic foods and drinks in backpacks and take a morning hike. Join outdoor activities that have a cause like voluntary tree-planting or collection of recycleable materials in the neighborhood.

Bring the usual picnic foods and picnic desserts plus a bottle of very special wine, of course. Don’t forget to pack the picnic blanket, some dining plates and utensils, and a couple of fine wine glasses. Just keep the foods simple to prepare and easy to pack. Spicy chicken wings are quick to cook while tossing a cauliflower salad. A heart-shaped gelatin for picnic dessert can be prepared the night before. Clean drinking water is better than fruit juices or soda drinks.

Spicy Picnic Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

10 pieces chicken wings
¼ cup hot sauce
¼ cup sugar
½ cup tomato sauce
1 cup of beer
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

How to: Combine all ingredients. Marinate chicken wings overnight inside the refrigerator. Over low heat, simmer chicken wings in marinade mixture for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Pour half of marinade on a baking tray and arrange the chicken wings all over the surface; then pour the remaining mix on top. Broil for 3 minutes; then turn the chicken wings. Broil for 7 minutes. Cool completely before packing.

Cauliflower Salad Best for Picnic

Ingredients:

2 cups cauliflower, shredded to bite-sized flowerettes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheese, shredded
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 pc. medium-sized Sausage, chopped

How to: Boil 4 cups water in a deep pot. Add the cauliflower flowerettes and immediately remove from heat. Pour the vegetable in a strainer to drain. Sprinkle salt and ground pepper; then, cool and chill in the refrigerator before packing. Pack the mayonnaise and cheese separately. To serve, toss the vegetables with mayonnaise and cheese right before eating. Note: An alternative is to roast the cauliflower flowerettes instead of boiling.

Heart-Shaped Picnic Gelatine Dessert

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp red powdered gelatin, unflavored
4 Tbsp white fine sugar
1 cup water (add more for softer gelatine)
3 pieces medium strawberries, sliced thinly

How to: Heat water in a pot. Combine gelatine and sugar; then dissolve the mixture in small amount of water. Add the gelatine mix in the hot water. Stir continuously for 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly before pouring into a heart-shaped mold, where strawberry slices are arranged beautifully. Refrigerate until firm. Serve with whipped cream.

These simple picnic food recipes will turn your picnic outing as the most memorable Valentine date you’ve ever had by just choosing the best wine for the spicy chicken wings. White wine is usually perfect for chicken dishes but a bottle of fruity red wine can bring the palate alive. An even better suggestion is a bottle of Italian Chianti.

Picnic outings often give us big appetite so add sausage bits and grilled peppers to the cauliflower salad to make it more delicious and satisfying.

Never end a Valentine picnic date without some sweets. The heart-shaped strawberry-flavored gelatine should be just perfect as picnic dessert.

Last but not the least, don’t forget to play your favorite romantic music.

You are welcome to read :

Romantic picnic : Making Love Sandwiches

Romantic Picnic Ideas for your Romantic Date

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.

Chocolate Coated Strawberries

Imagine the taste of juicy strawberries locked inside a thin layer of rich chocolate. Heavenly! These chocolatey strawberries are perfect picnic desserts that both adults and kids will love. Healthy, delicious, and easy to make, fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate are even better tasting when prepared just a night before the picnic. Drizzle some milk chocolate over them or sprinkle some crushed nuts for a bit of decoration.

Ingredients:

24 pcs. medium-sized strawberries, well-washed and well-dried
2 cups chocolate (semi-sweet or dark), melted

How to: In a double-boiler or a thick saucepan, melt 2 cups of chocolate cubes over very low heat. Continue stirring until smooth. Make sure the strawberries are completely dried because the melted chocolate will not stick to the fruit properly. Arrange each chocolate coated strawberry on a slightly buttered baking sheet. Optional: drizzle with melted white chocolate or sprinkle with some crushed nuts like almonds or hazelnuts. Set aside in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until firm.

Low-Fat Picnic Sweet Meringue

Meringues are easy to make. Kids will find eating the crunchy mini-meringues enjoyable because they are sweet and cute to look at. Just follow these tips to make perfect meringues in a jiffy. Even a small speck of egg yolk could ruin the meringue so separate the egg yolks and whites one by one in individual cups to avoid discarding the whole batch. Use only stainless or ceramic mixing bowl. Bake meringue in low heat.

Ingredients:

8 pcs. medium-sized egg whites
2 cups sugar, very fine
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Food colorings: pink, blue, yellow, and more (optional)
Flavorings: chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, and more (optional)

How to: In a large stainless bowl (never use a plastic bowl), beat egg whites until stiff. Make sure not to over-beat to keep the egg whites still moist. While beating, add the sugar and vanilla in small amounts to keep the mixture firm. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F or lower. Use small pipe size to keep the meringue drops small. Arrange on lightly greased baking sheets; then bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Do not brown. Remove heat when meringues look dry. Leave inside the oven to cool. Store in glass containers with air-tight covers. To create meringues with different colors and flavorings, divide and prepare all ingredients in batches.

Picnic Dessert Gelatin

Gelatin is the quickest and the easiest dessert to prepare. Just boil some water, throw in some fruit bits or mix in desired flavoring, cool, and refrigerate until firm. Chilled gelatin is very refreshing, especially when combined with chunky fruits like strawberries, canned pineapples, and many more . Just make sure that fruits are well-drained before adding. Serve cold with cream or milk as delicious dessert. Keep in mind these useful tips to help you cook a perfect gelatin for picnic dessert.

Mix a ratio of 1:2 (1 Tbsp. powdered gelatin to 2 cups of water) in small amount of cold water first before adding to the hot water or milk or cream. To avoid clumping, mix the gelatin and sugar before dissolving in cold water. Do not boil the gelatin mixture. Too much sugar will make softer gelatin. Allow 2 or 3 three hours for the gelatin to firm and chill inside the refrigerator. When doubling a recipe, decrease the amount of water by one-fourth for each addition. Add water in small amounts to get the desired thickness and softness for gelatin.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. powdered gelatin (unsweetened and unflavored)
½ cup sugar
2 cups water (set aside ½ cup to dissolve gelatin and sugar)
½ cup sliced strawberries, well-drained (optional)
½ cup pineapple chunks, well-drained (optional)
½ milk or cream (optional)

How to: In a deep sauce pan, heat water over medium heat. Blend sugar and gelatin; then dissolve in water before adding in the pan. Continue stirring. Do not let the gelatin mixture boil. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and set aside to cool. For easy unmolding, wash the gelatin molder in cold water before pouring in the mixture. (Optional: Pour a small amount of mixture in the gelatin mold before adding fruits. Arrange fruits in a uniform pattern to look attractive.) Cover the mold when firming.