People go to picnic at anytime of the day and year. Whether the season is warm or cold, picnic time is always enjoyed by the whole family, by a group of friends, or even by just a couple who wants to savor fresh air and delicious picnic foods. Grilled meat may sound exciting but meat cooked in thick sauce or simmered in broth can also be good picnic food ideas. Toss in some steamed rice or boiled noodles and pasta, these picnic meals with beef meat will be quite filling and satisfying for ravenous picnic goers. Playing picnic games are sure to create big appetites.

Almost all kinds of beef dishes are loved by everyone. Beef meat may require longer cooking time to get the desired tenderness; but beef recipes usually need sparse attention and low heat. Nobody can go wrong when cooking beef because the procedure is often simple and easy. With a little patience, anyone can prepare great-tasting picnic foods with beef cubes or minced beef as main ingredients. Just do not forget to keep stove or oven heat at low temperature. These make-ahead recipes for beef meat are perfect for picnics.

Picnic Beef Goulash

Commonly known as Hungary’s delicious national food, the beef goulash is cooked and served in different ways. But even when simmered over a stove or baked inside the oven, beef goulash will always be unforgettably tasty. Those tender beef chunks will be delectable to eat, especially after hiking for several miles. To keep out the guilt complex from health-conscious hikers, add more vegetables to picnic goulash dishes. Throw in some spices as well for a little adventure.

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef, cut into large cubes
2 cups onions, sliced thinly
½ cup green and red bell pepper, seeded and cubed
½ cup potato, peeled and cubed (optional)
½ cup carrot, peeled and cubed (optional)
3 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp hot sauce
1 cup beef broth

How To: Heat 3 cups of water. Do not bring to a boil. Stir in beef cubes. When meat changed color, from red to pale brown, drain hot water. Wash meat cubes twice and place in a strainer to drain. In a deep pot, boil 2 cups water. Add blanched beef cubes and cook over low heat. Cover and let simmer for 1 to 2 hours, or until tender. Set aside beef broth.

In a deep pan, sauté onions in olive oil until transparent. Stir-fry beef cubes. Add salt, ground pepper, hot sauce, and soy sauce. Pour tomato sauce. Stir to coat all meat cubes. Lower heat and cover the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes, to give time for flavors to blend. Pour 1 cup of beef broth. Add potato and carrot. Cover pan and let boil over medium heat.

Add more beef broth or water, if thinner sauce is desired. For thicker sauce, mix cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of broth or water before adding. While stirring carefully, arrange green and red bell pepper on top. Cover and remove from heat. Serve over hot rice, cooked macaroni pasta, or cooked wide egg noodles. Serve cold with green vegetable salad and a glass of red wine.

Picnic Beef Casserole

This is the easiest picnic beef recipe from this collection. Just throw everything into a pot or slow cooker and leave alone for almost 2 hours. When delicious smell starts wafting out with the smoke, the beef casserole is ready for a picnic.

A casserole dish is always considered as pot luck because you’ll never guess what’s in it that makes every bite yummy and satisfying. Sometimes a cross between a stew and a soup, picnic beef casserole is best served with large chunks of bread that you can dip into the hot tasty brew. A picnic campfire is the perfect setting for this lovely beef dish.

Ingredients:

2 lbs round beef, cut into thick strips
2 large pieces red onions, coarsely chopped
1 cup red wine
1 cup fresh tomato, cubed
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
½ cup baby potato, peeled
½ cup carrot, peeled and sliced
½ cup white beans
½ cup green peas
½ cup whole corn kernels
½ cup green bell pepper, cut into thick strips
5 fresh bay leaves, shredded
Soy sauce, to color
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

How To: Place beef cubes in a pot with 3 to 4 cups of water, or until all meat is just a bit submerged. Do not cover. Keep the heat low to keep the water from boiling. Remove and discard the dark-colored foam that will appear on top. Add all ingredients. Stir to blend everything. Put back cover and cook over very low heat.

Picnic Minced Beef Meat Hash

Here’s another make-ahead beef recipe for mover-type of picnic goers. Bake the dish on a tray, then cut to serving sizes and pack in individual sandwich bags. Everybody can munch on this crunchy treat while hiking. Wash down with cold water or iced tea to feel more energized. This could be the quickest one to prepare so it is a perfect picnic food for busy people.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 pack hash browns, shredded
1 beef bouillon cube
1 cup light cream
1 pack frozen assorted vegetable, thawed and drained well (optional)
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

How To: Grease a baking dish (size: 9” x 13”). Spread the hash browns evenly and put inside the oven (while preheating to 450 degrees).

Heat oil and stir-fry gound beef until brown. Discard excess oil. Add bouillon cube, light cream, and vegetable. Season with salt and ground pepper. Pour the mixture over the crisped hash browns. Cover dish with foil and return inside the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

You are welcome to read : Create Your Own Mouthwatering Picnic Sandwiches

Fruits are healthy, especially when eaten fresh. For picnic snacks and healthy picnic food ideas, chilled fruit bits and chunks are best packed in single containers for easy serving.  Mix with honey, cream, condensed milk, or yogurt—these crunchy fruit cuts will turn to delicious and refreshing picnic fruit desserts. Some picnic dessert recipes use mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, or spicy peanut and shrimp sauce.

Picnic fruit salad recipes are quick to prepare. These delightful and colorful bowls of goodies can be served as a picnic desserts or appetizers. Offer these picnic fruit cocktail appetizers before serving the spicy picnic foods to turn your picnic meal more enjoyable to eat and make other picnic dishes taste taste yummier.

Watermelon Picnic Fruit Salad Basket

Here’s something that kids would enjoy seeing on the picnic table—a creative fruit salad basket instead of the usual salad bowl. The basket is very easy to make. Just cut a quarter off the watermelon fruit and, using a small knife or metal baller, start carving out the fruit flesh from the rind. Watermelon balls in the picnic fruit salad will surely catch the kiddies’ interest and satisfy their playful appetites.

Ingredients:

1 medium whole watermelon, cut into cubes or shaped into balls (shape the fruit rind into a basket)
1 small whole cantaloupe, peeled and cut into cubes or shaped into balls
3 pieces kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into thin round slices
1 cup blueberries, washed and drained well (keep stems intact)
1 cup honey, as salad dressing

How to: In a large bowl, drizzle honey over fruit cuts and toss carefully to avoid bruising. Arrange inside the watermelon basket. Using a food plastic wrap, cover the whole fruit to prevent from wilting while inside the refrigerator. Chill for several hours or overnight. Bring extra honey and cream to put on top before serving.

Weight Watchers’ Picnic Yogurt Fruit Salad

Most people often think of picnics as happy occasions that always overflow with delicious picnic foods, irresistible sweet desserts, ice-cold softdrinks, and lots of laughter. Everybody enjoys going to picnics with family and friends. Eating under the trees and with fresh air turns every picnic food delectable and sumptuous. Diets are temporarily forgotten because everything that comes out of the giant picnic baskets is just mouth-watering and appetizing. For picnickers who don’t want to add inches to their waists while enjoying picnic goodies with the whole clan, a simple fruit salad with yogurt is the perfect dessert for diet watchers.

Ingredients:

1 cup young coconut meat, shredded into long strips
1 cup fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
1 cup whole green grapes, washed and drained well
1 cup whole blueberries, washed and drained well
1 whole peach, peeled and cut into cubes
3 thin slices of fresh lemon for garnishing (optional)
4 cups yogurt, unflavored and with live organisms

How to: Mix all fruits and toss in 3 cups of yogurt. Set aside 1 cup of yogurt for toppings on salad per serving. Chill inside the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before packing inside the cooler filled with ice cubes.

Creamy Picnic Pineapple and Cherry Salad

Just looking at the pineapple chunks and cherry halves lusciously coated with sweet cream can make any mouth water with anticipation. This salad recipe can be readied in a jiffy. No skills needed but a working knowledge of operating a can opener.

Ingredients:

1 large can fruit cocktail in light syrup, drained well
1 small can cream
1 small can condensed milk
1 small jar halved cherries, drained well
½ cup shredded cheese, as garnishing (optional)

How to: In a large bowl, combine together all ingredients. Mix well. Cover. Chill overnight. Serve with shredded cheese on top.

No Dressing Citrus Fruit Salad for Picnic

Health-conscious individuals who like to stay immune from airborne cold virus can bring along picnic fruit salad naturally rich in vitamin C. No dressing added because the juice from the citrus fruits is enough. Just pack in plastic containers with cover and chill inside the picnic ice coolers. For people with sweet tooth, drizzle honey over citrus bits and enjoy the tangy goodness while lounging under the sun.

Ingredients:

2 whole grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1 cup gojiberry
½ dry coconut shreds
½ cup honey

How to: Mix grapefruit and gojiberry. Scoop into small plastic container with cover. Arrange inside cold coolers to chill. To serve: drizzle 1 tsp honey and sprinkle 1 tsp coconut shreds on top.

Summer will soon be gone again. Enjoy the warmth of the sun and the great picnic foods with family and friends. Choose to buy the fruits that are in season so that picnic fruit salad desserts will not be too expensive to prepare.

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Vegetarian Picnic Ideas

Romantic Picnic Dessert Recipes

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.