Fruity Salads for Summer Picnics

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.

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Grilled foods are always perfect for picnic outings. Kids and adults alike love hot grilled foods grilled foods for picnic lunches or dinners. Barbecued meat or fish (or any kind of seafood like shrimp and squid) tastes better when cooked with grilled vegetables as side dish. Fresh air is the best seasoning for these picnic food recipes to grill. No meal is more enjoyable when shared with family and friends. Make sure to choose the right wine and vegetable side dish for grilled foods you bring to the picnic.

Two Grilling Methods

Two types of grilling when using charcoal or barbecue briquettes: direct and indirect grilling  methods. Thick cuts of meat usually require cooking over indirect heat; while easy-to-cook picnic foods can be grilled directly over charcoal embers. For indirect grilling method, create an empty space in the middle by scraping the hot charcoals to opposite sides of the grill.

BBQ Tips and Techniques

Here are some grilling tips and techniques to make your picnic food grilled dishes yummy and tasty. Do not burn or overcook because charred meat is not healthy for the body. To avoid overcooking, picnic grilled foods are microwaved or boiled in marinade. To avoid charring, apply sauce or marinade on barbecued meat when cooking time is almost over. To avoid losing the delicious juices while grilling the picnic foods, do not press the meat (like steak or hamburger patties) while cooking. Rub cooking oil on the clean and dry surface grill grate to keep food from sticking. Round-shaped grill has equal distribution of heat.

How to Prepare the Charcoal Grill

Clean the grate grill with steel brush, rinse well, and let dry; then brush on some vegetable oil. Remove ashes in the grill. Arrange the charcoal or briquettes like a mountain with a small cave opening at the bottom. Roll and twist a piece of paper to form a long and thin shape. Light one end and carefully insert into the “cave”. Smoke should be free to escape through the pile of charcoal so that oxygen can get inside to keep the fire alive. Use a metal utensil or thick stick to spread the hot coals.

Picnic Grilled Shrimps

Shrimps are quick-cooking and best grilled over direct heat.

Ingredients:

20 pieces large shrimp (without head), peeled and deveined but keep the tails intact
1 piece small lemon
2 Tbsp honey

Marinade Ingredients:

2 cups barbecue sauce
½ tsp ground pepper, fine
¼ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp garlic powder

How to: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for marinade. In a large bowl, squeeze lemon over shrimps. Set aside for 2 minutes; then, wash quickly and drain well. Marinate shrimps for 1 hour. Drain well before grilling to avoid burning. Stick 5 shrimps to each barbecue bamboo sticks, horizontally or vertically. Arrange on pre-oiled grill grate and cook over a single layer of red-hot charcoal or white bbq briquettes. Shrimps cook for 6 to 10 minutes; or 3 to 5  minutes for each side. Brush marinade on shrimps only once and when almost half-done. Drizzle or brush honey on grilled shrimps and serve hot on top of sliced ripe tomatoes and shreds of green lettuce.

Picnic Barbequed Chicken Drumsticks

Dark-colored chicken barbecues are caused by the sweetness in the marinade. If light color is desired, pre-cook the chicken drumsticks with the marinade to shorten the grilling time.

Ingredients:

6 pieces medium chicken drumsticks or legs, thawed and well-drained
¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ ground pepper
¼ fine salt

How to: Combine all ingredients and set aside for 1 to 2 hours. Using a fork, prick chicken legs on different parts so that meat will absorb the marinade. Cook chicken over indirect heat. Braise the marinade over the chicken while grilling. Serve with green salad and dressing dip.

Picnic Pork Ribs on Hot Grill

Pork is tastier when cooked slowly. Braise with some barbeque sauce while cooking over indirect heat to make it smell delicious. Pork ribs are the best choice for picnic grilled meat recipes because pork meat is more tender than beef.

Ingredients:

2 pounds pork ribs, washed and drained
2 cups barbeque sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup chili sauce (optional)
½ cup brown sugar (optional)

How to: Arrange the hot charcoal on the grill to create a vacant space on the middle. Grilling over indirect heat requires longer cooking time and frequent turning to avoid burning or charring. To keep the meat moist, brush with barbeque sauce and vegetable oil on each turning.

Summer Picnic Idea

Summer picnics are more fun when picnic foods are grilled right before eating. Remember: quick-cooking recipes are better cooked over direct heat; while large slabs of meat need to be slow-cooked using indirect heat to keep the meat tasty, juicy, and tender.

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Quick Cooking Picnic Dessert Ideas

Italian Style Romantic Picnic Recipes

It’s Valentine’s Day again! Love and romance is everywhere. Everyone has lots of love to share and also lots of gifts to give to their loved ones. Flowers, chocolates, and dates are in order for couples who want to celebrate this special occasion with their sweethearts—and even with the whole family.

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.

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Romantic picnic : Making Love Sandwiches

Romantic Picnic Ideas for your Romantic Date

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.

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.

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.

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Vegetarian Picnic Side Items

Budget-Friendly Picnic Food Recipes for Kids