Blueberry-Peanut Cake Recipe

Great pastry chefs often spend a lot of time on shops making delicious cakes and pastries. Well, you don’t have to be one just to make a delightful cupcake that will be perfect for your picnic desert. You might be purchasing cupcakes in pastry shops for years, but this one will definitely re-invent yourself. With this recipe, you can make a healthy picnic dessert for your family.

Bundt Pans
There are many types of baking pans used in different kinds of baking recipes. If you are not careful enough, you may end up having the wrong kind of baking pan for your cake recipe. Read the recipe instructions carefully so that you can get the right pan for the recipe. In the blueberry-peanut cake recipe, you need to have the Bundt pan – a baking pan used specifically for baking cupcakes. This baking pan is usually 10 – 12 inches in diameter. For years, the Bundt pan evolved into many shapes and designs but it is always made of cast aluminum.

Bundt pans have a rich history. Over the years, 50 million Bundt pans has been sold all around the world. At first, it was a challenge to use until the release of Bundt pans made of aluminum – cakes do not stick anymore.

Blueberry-Peanut Cake

Blueberry-Peanut Cake Recipe

To check if the blueberries are fresh, take a look at its skin – a powder-like finish says that it’s fresh. Indigo colored ones are also great to pick. In case you have to store it in a refrigerator, always remember that it can only last for 3 – 5 days. Here is a great recipe with a touch of blueberries and peanuts.

Ingredients

■■ For the filling:
■ 1 can of crushed peanut filling
■ 3 cup(s) of fresh blueberries
■ 3 tablespoon(s) all-purpose-flour

■■ Cake Batter:
■ 3 cup(s) of all-purpose flour
■ 1 teaspoon of baking soda
■ 2 teaspoon(s) of baking powder
■ ¼ teaspoon fine salt
■ 1 ½ cup(s) of sugar
■ 1 cup of butter
■ 3 eggs
■ 1 cup of sour cream
■ 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
■ Confectioner’s sugar

Procedure
■ Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
■ Coat the Bundt pan with cooking spray.
■ In a large bowl, mix the crushed peanuts, flour, blueberries.
■ For the cake batter, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
■ In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter until it’s creamy. While mixing, add the eggs one at a time. Then you can add the flour mixture along with the sour cream.
■ Now you can put a spoon of the butter on the pan and top it with the blueberry mixture. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the mixtures.
■ Bake in 40 – 45 minutes.
■ Do not unmold the cupcakes until the rack has cooled down. Once you have removed the cakes, dust it with Confectioner’s sugar.
■ Now you can serve your homemade blueberry cupcakes with blueberry sauce, whipped cream, or anything you prefer.

Storing Cakes

It’s really great to have cakes served for dessert in picnics. However, what do you do if you there are lots of leftover blueberry-peanut cakes? Most people try to recycle it but they tend to compromise its delightful taste. The best thing to do with the leftovers is to save it for tomorrow or the next day while keeping it fresh, tasty, and presentable.

How do you do it?

The good news is, it’s pretty simple! If you have a baking pan, you just have to layer the cakes and seal it with a plastic wrap. You can also store it by multi-layering the cakes under an inverted bowl. If you have made a fluffy cake, sealing it might build up some moisture inside – that would compromise the cake’s features. You can try to make a small hole on the plastic wrap or insert a teaspoon under the edge of the inverted bowl to allow air to flow. After carefully wrapping the cakes, you can store it in the refrigerator for days. Some frosted cakes can last up to 4 months.

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Easy-to-Cook Picnic Chicken Recipes

Picnic Food Ideas – Picnic Food Recipes for Meat: Two Great Steaks

Picking Chicken
Chicken is highly recommended because of its advantages. For your daily recipes and holiday meals, chicken is a versatile ingredient that you can use in many kitchen recipes. It’s a great choice for picnic meals since it’s readily available and easy to prepare. The numerous selections of chicken meat products – from boneless, thigh, to skinless, you’ll be able to find the best chicken meat product for your own recipe.

Since there are many issues about meat products these days, you can never be too careless in picking up chicken meat in local and supermarkets. Focusing your attention on expiry dates is quite good, but you definitely have to make some standard in choosing the best and freshest chicken in the market. Here are some of the things that you should do in picking up chicken meat products.

■  First, you should check the meat product’s packaging. If you buy it from supermarkets, it should inform you that it has been inspected by the government. Look for something that isn’t leaking – the packaging is not broken.

■  You should inspect the chicken’s quality. The skin color must be creamy white or yellowish. For the meat – it must be pasty or gray. If it emits an unpleasant odor after unpacking it, there must be something wrong with it. Leave it open for a couple of minutes – if the odor is still there, it must not be used.

Storage
If you’re not going to use it for days, proper storage must be applied to avoid spoilage. Freezing it in your refrigerator will make it last for a month or two. However, you should consider wrapping it a freezer paper or plastic wrap. If you don’t need a whole chicken, you should cut in into pieces before freezing it. Smaller pieces tend to freeze quickly and you can unfreeze it faster too.

Tortillas
If you’re going to make a healthy chicken wrap recipe, you will need tortillas in your ingredients. You can buy tortillas in local and supermarkets as well but you should know that these products expires for a week or too. Make sure you check its packaging before purchasing it. On the other hand, you can also make your own fresh tortillas using simple ingredients and tools in your kitchen. If you want the freshest tortillas for your chicken wrap, making it for yourself is the best. Here are the ingredients and steps that you can do to make fresh tortillas.

Ingredients
◉ 1 cup of lard or vegetable shortening
◉ 8 cup(s) of flour
◉ 2 teaspoon(s) of baking powder
◉ 2 teaspoon(s) of sat
◉ 2 cup(s) of water or warm milk

Procedure
◉ Mix the baking powder, salt, and flour in a large bowl
◉ Mix the vegetable shortening until there are no more lumps
◉ Make a small hole in the middle of the mixed ingredients
◉ Add some water or warm milk (1/2 cup at a time). Mix everything until it looks smooth.
◉ Cover for 10 minutes and make small dough balls.
◉ Roll out the balls (this will make a flattened shape of tortillas).
◉ Cook the tortilla for a couple of minutes.

Chicken Wrap with Alfalfa and Spinach Recipe

Chicken Wrap with Alfalfa and Spinach

Once you have the fresh chicken and homemade tortilla, you can proceed on making your healthy chicken wrap recipe. It’s pretty versatile so you can add more vegetables and other healthy ingredients as you like. Here is an easy chicken and vegetable wrap recipe that you and your family will surely enjoy on a weekend picnic trip.

Ingredients
◉ 8 Alfalfa Sprouts (A great source of vitamins and minerals, dietary fibers – good for those who are on a diet, and chlorophyll. This is also a great appetizer for bigger meals.)
◉ 2 cup(s) of fresh chopped spinach
◉ 6 ounce(s) of skinless breast (cooked)
◉ 1 ounce of cream cheese
◉ Tortillas (The one you made or bought in the supermarket.)

Procedure
◉ Place the tortilla on a clean and smooth surfaced table
◉ Put the cream cheese on the tortilla – about ½ inches in layer
◉ Spread the alfalfa, spinach, and cooked chicken on top of the tortilla
◉ Fold the tortilla in half, tuck the bottom in, and roll it over.
◉ Serve on a clean plate (plain or garnished)

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Baked Chicken Recipe

With lots of issues on meat products, you can never be too careless in looking for meat to serve in your family. Here are simple things that you can do to find the best and quality chicken meat products in supermarkets.

♦ After the chicken is processed, it gets dumped after a week or two – it depends on the place it was stored. As always, take a look at its expiration date. If the chicken is near to its expiration date, take something that is newly processed.
♦ Sometimes, expiration dates doesn’t tell the whole truth. So you will need to look at the chicken’s features. Take something that has a dry and good coloring. Press it a little and it should spring back again.
♦ Take a look at the liquid of the packaging. It might contain some liquid, but too much isn’t good.
♦ If you want to store it, make sure that it’s frozen so that bacteria won’t get through it.

Baked Chicken Recipe

Baked Chicken Recipe

You won’t make something great out of chicken if you only know some simple breading. Instant marinades won’t do a lot too. Here is a great way to make a great chicken dish on your picnic table.

Ingredients
♦ 5 crushed garlic cloves
♦ 50 grams of brown sugar
♦ 3 tablespoon(s) of mild mustard
♦ 3 tablespoon(s) of balsamic vinegar
♦ 4 tablespoon(s) of Worcestershire sauce
♦ 3 tablespoon(s) of sweet paprika
♦ 1 teaspoon of chili powder

Procedure
♦ Place the ingredients for the marinade in to a plastic bowl.
♦ Add the chicken
♦ From time to time, mix the chicken and the marinade to make a strong flavor
♦ After hours of marinating the chicken, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
♦ Get the baking tray and layer some greaseproof paper.
♦ Put the chicken inside the tray but don’t let the chicken overlap.
♦ Cook the chicken for 30 – 35 minutes. Then, turn sides and cook it for another 30 – 35 minutes. Some parts may take some more time like the drumsticks.
♦ Serve hot, or warm – whatever your kids prefer. (Since they’re going to eat it with their fingers!)

Making it Presentable

Baked or fried chicken served on a plain platter is okay, but it doesn’t impress guest in your picnic. How do you make it presentable? Of course, knowledge about garnishing is an advantage. If it’s your first time, garnishing is a simple way to make your dish more appealing to the eyes. Chefs consider it as an art – so you can be very creative while trying to make your backed chicken more presentable on the table.

This art of presenting food needs proper tools. If you don’t know something about it, you can try to research about the most used tools in garnishing. You may finds hundreds of different garnishing tools in the market, so it’s best to stick with the basic ones. Trying to improvise might do the trick, but always remember that a spoon can never function as a knife. Here are some of the garnishing tools that are mostly used in the kitchen.

♦ Apple cutter
♦ Citrus stripper
♦ Grapefruit Knife
♦ Small cookie cutters
♦ Knives
♦ Toothpicks
♦ Butter curler and molds
♦ Melon baller

To spice up your baked chicken recipe, you can pair it up with cucumber garnishing. Aside from being healthy, its solid structure can make a great garnishing on the serving place. From flowers to cucumber twists, you can make it as long as you do it with proper materials. You can also pair it up with green leafy vegetables since the backed chicken offers a lot of fat. Carrots and radish celery are great to form fans and matchsticks that can be topped on the backed chicken dish.

Most vegetables fade when used as a garnish in serving plates – you don’t want this to happen! The best thing you can do is to plunge the vegetable in hot water first and place it in a bowl filled with ice or cold water. With this, the color of the vegetable will not fade even if it is exposed to air.

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Vegetarian Picnic Food Ideas

You may pick other ingredients in this recipe, but here’s a great combination of vegetable, meat, and cheese!

Ingredients
♦ Six eight-inch whole-wheat flour or plain tortilla wraps
♦ Sliced cheese (dairy, low-sodium, or reduced-fat)
♦ Sliced turkey or chicken breast (honey roasted or fried)
♦ Coleslaw mix
♦ Thousand Island dressing (fat-free or regular)
♦ Baby spinach

You can have some research about the most popular sandwich wrap recipes in the internet. Take your time to understand how the ingredients affect each other to form a unique flavor. After that, you can be very creative with your recipe – until you come up with your very own sandwich wrap recipe. Here is how you make a simple sandwich wrap recipe.

Procedure
♦ Place the tortilla wrap on a clean surface.
♦ Spread the dressing on the tortilla wrap.
♦ Add spinach (preferably ¼ cup), the turkey or chicken, coleslaw, and cheese.
♦ After you have placed your preferred ingredients, you should roll it up tightly.
♦ Once you’re finished with all of the wraps, wrap each in a plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 20 minutes.
♦ If the wraps are firm enough, cut diagonally in halves or thirds, whichever pleases you.
♦ Now you have a healthy wrap to serve on the picnic table!

If you want to make it look more presentable, you can try to make some garnishing out of vegetables. You can design it on your own or you can get some tips over the internet. It’s really best if you have tools to do it since it’s pretty hard to make garnishing using a utility knife only.  Once your done with the garnish, you can put it on the service plates and impress your family and friends!

Tortilla Wraps
Tortilla wraps can be purchased in supermarkets in its freshest state. If you’re in doubt, you should check its expiration date. If you’re going to store it for a week, you can still get a delightful taste from it. Longer than that is not really good. Preserved tortillas inside refrigerators only last for about a week. If you’re planning to buy one and use it in your picnic next month, it’s not very practical. You should buy maybe days before your picnic. If you can’t drop by at stores, then you probably should make one. Here’s how you do it.

Ingredients:
♦ 4 cup(s) of all-purpose flour
♦ 2 teaspoon(s) of baking powder
♦ 3 teaspoon(s) of vegetable oil
♦ 1 teaspoon(s) of salt
♦ 1 cup of lukewarm milk

Procedure
♦ Mix and stir the flour and baking powder in a large huge mouthed bowl.
♦ Add the vegetable oil and salt into the lukewarm milk and mix.
♦ Then, add the milk, oil, and salt mixture to the flour and baking powder mixture. This should get a sticky dough-like result.
♦ On flour surfaced plate or clean table, turn and knead it for a couple of minutes.
♦ Return it to the bowl and cover it with damp cloth.
♦ Divide the dough into eight balls in equal sizes and cover it again for about 25 minutes.
♦ With a rolling pin, roll out the tortillas and transfer it to a hot and dry skillet. Cook both sides for about 20 – 30 seconds and place it on a plate or napkin-lined basket.
♦ Now you have the fresh homemade tortilla wraps!

Storing Tortilla Wraps
Making tortilla wraps is fun – that’s why there are leftovers whenever you make a sandwich wrap. However, you don’t have to worry a lot since you can store it and use it for another picnic day. Sealing it in a plastic wrap and keeping it in the freezer will keep it fresh for at least seven days. If you want to use it, you can put it inside the microwave to get it ready for your sandwich wrap recipe.

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Of course, you want this bonding activity to be special for your family and friends – who expect a special menu from you. If you can’t make every food in the menu extra special, having one special dish is good enough. Quiches are also popular in picnic because it tastes really good and it’s not very hard to prepare. Although you might spend some time working on it, you won’t have to spend lots of money for this delightful treat!

A Dairy Delight

Quiche is an oven-baked dish, a classic French dish. It is mostly composed of dairy products like eggs and milk that is baked with several ingredients (including meat, fish and vegetables). Before you rush on the market to buy eggs, there are some things you need to know. Although eggs have different features because of the place it came from, nutritional factors are almost the same. Looking for healthier eggs doesn’t make sense. You should give importance to freshness and quality. These things will help you buy eggs in its fresh condition.

■   In some farms, people don’t wash the eggs because they think it will lessen the quality of the eggs. However, unwashed eggs may cause diseases such as salmonella. Make sure the eggs you’re going to buy are clean.
■   If you buy eggs in supermarkets, you’ll find eggs that are stored in a cooler place. That’s good! In case the eggs aren’t refrigerated, you should buy eggs that are placed in direct sunlight.
■    Don’t buy cracked eggs or something with an odd shape and shell coating.
■    The eggs should be in clean cartons. If the information in the carton such as dates and labels are erased or blocked with re-labeling stickers, ask how fresh the eggs are.
■   The eggs freshness may last for 10 – 15 days. If you’re not very sure about it, put the eggs in lukewarm water. Fresh eggs sink, not so fresh eggs stand on one tip, and no good eggs float.

The Tart

Before you make the quiche, you should consider making a tart first. It’s really good if you have a tart prepared already after finishing the quiche mixture. Making the tart is easy and you can store it for hours until the main ingredient of the quiche is done.

Ingredients
■  2 teaspoon(s) salt
■  1 1/2 cup of ice water
■  5 cups of all-purpose flour
■  2 cups of unsalted butter

Procedure
o    Make a salt and water mixture in a small bowl. Keep the mixture cold until it’s ready to use.
o    Get the flour and butter and put it in a food processor. While mixing the ingredients, add the salt water until a dough is formed.
o    Evenly divide the flour on a floured surface and form it in circles. Wrap it up with plastic and chill.

Bite-size Quiches

The Quiche Recipe

Once you’re finished with your tarts. You’re now ready to complete the quiche recipe. The preparation time might take most of your time, but the reward is definitely priceless!

Ingredients

The tart

■  6 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
■  2 tablespoon(s) fine chopped thyme
■  2 teaspoon(s) salt
■  1 teaspoon pepper
■  10 eggs
■  2 cup(s) whole milk
■  2 cup(s) creme fraiche

Procedure

o    Get the stored dough and fit it in a tart pan. Trim the edges evenly and chill it again to achieve firmness. After that, you can heat the oven for about 375 degrees.
o    Line the dough with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights and put it in the oven. Once the dough reached a light brown complexion, remove the weights and continue until it turns golden brown. Transfer the tarts on the wire rack.
o    Mix the egg and flour in a bow with an electric mixer. Place the creme fraiche in a medium bowl, whisk until smooth. Add the milk until it’s well mixed and put it to the mixer along with pepper, salt and thyme.
o    Strain the mixture and pour it in the tart shells. Bake it for 40 minutes at 325 degrees until the mixture is firm.
o    Cool it on a wire rack. Now it’s time to serve the quiche!

How to Pick Corns in the Market

As you visit supermarkets, you’ll be welcomed by products that are promised to have great quality. However, you already know that this doesn’t happen most of the time. There are still some unseen products that acquire low quality because of its abundance and quality inspectors can’t handle everything out. It’s the same case when you look for corns to grill in your family picnic.

★ If you’re concerned about color, you’ll find most corns to be whitish yellow although some are really yellow. This color variation may be based on the place where it is planted and harvested. You should pick one that’s refrigerated because warmer storage let the corn’s sugar turn into starch.

★  In some markets, you may find some corns unrefrigerated. If that’s the case, make sure that the corns are stored in a much cooler storage and out of direct sunlight.

★  As you pick corns, you should take a look at the corn’s husks. Make sure it’s fresh, moist, flowering.

★  You don’t want to buy something that’s not ripe. By pulling the husk of the corn, you’ll know if it’s ripe – the kernels are plump and tightly arranged in rows.

★  Press on a kernel with your fingernails. You’ll also know if the corn is white if it squirts a white milky substance – this means that the corn is ready for eating.

★  Some vegetable products are inorganically grown. For corn, you can always ask the store keeper or market crew if it’s grown organically. Corns that are grown in a natural environment often taste sweeter than mass produced one’s.

Corn recipes are often chosen in picnics since it’s cheaper and easier to prepare. From grilled to salad recipes, corn has been invading family picnics for years. If you’re sick and tired of the usual grilled corn with butter you prepare for your family and friends, this recipe is perfect for a unique taste of corn cobs you love to prepare.

Mexican Style Corn flavored with Lime, Ancho and Cheese

Mexican Style Corn Cob on Chipotle

Spice your life a bit with this Mexican-style corn recipe. This will definitely set up an exciting mood that will be enjoyed in your family picnic. If the spices overwhelm you, it’s perfect to pair with refreshing drinks in the summer.

Ingredients:

♡ 8 fresh and ripe corns (preferably in their husks)
♡ 8 tablespoon(s) of unsalted butter
♡ 2 tablespoon(s) of chopped cilantro leaves and garnish
♡ 2 teaspoon(s) of lime juice
♡ Ground pepper
♡ Chitpole powder
♡ Ancho powder
♡ 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
♡ Shredded cheese (preferably mild feta cheese, queso freco, or cheddar cheese)

Preparation

♡ Soak the fresh and ripe corns in cold water for an hour.
♡ If you have a gas grill or ridged grill, preheat it and set it to medium. For the usual charcoal grills, let the coals burn until it’s covered with ash.
♡ Grill the corn for 25 to 30 minutes – turn the corns frequently.
♡ While grilling the corn, put the cilantro, butter, and lime juice in a small bowl or wide mouthed container.  Stir the mixture and flavor it with salt and pepper.
♡ Spread the mixture on serving plates.
♡ Once the grilling is done, remove the corn from the grill and peel back the husks without destroying the kernels.  If you don’t want to serve it with silk on it, you can also remove it.
♡ After pulling everything up, wrap the strands on top of the grilled corn and knot them.
♡ Once you’re finished with all of the corns, put it on the platter of butter mixture. Roll the corns until covered with the mixture.
♡ Sprinkle some cheese, chipotle, ancho powder, and cilantro.
♡ Serve with delight!

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Everybody has experienced picnic even once in his or her life, right? You may have brought a large blanket with you, complete set of your favorite picnic wares, foods from cheese to ham sandwiches, to all kinds of potato salad and teas. With all these things in mind every time you go on your picnic, do you ever remember where you put to carry those things? Picnic basket is a classic way of carrying your things to your picnic venue. Nowadays, modern designs were made to suit those picnickers according to their style.

Picnic baskets and picnic totes have the same functions. They both keep your utensils organized and clean, they keep your food clean and safe and they both make transporting a complete meal easier. However, there would still be a slight difference between the two.

■  Picnic baskets have two styles. (a) There is the classic picnic basket, which is usually made of either bamboo or rattan. This classic style is very lightweight and yet so durable. However, it can be very uncomfortable to bring if you will be walking to your picnic venue. (b) Now, there is the modern picnic basket, which is usually made of polyester materials. These styles of picnic baskets are fully insulated so that they can keep your beverages and food cold. These baskets are fully zipped, which makes it better for it can keep food and utensils clean and germ-free.

■  Picnic totes are different from baskets they much resemble to an ordinary tote used by students in carrying their books. The position of the straps makes it much easier to carry. In addition, totes usually can carry enough dinnerware up to four persons. However, just like a picnic basket, many totes already includes sliver wares and glasses so that you never have to bring your own dinnerware out in the picnic venue.

■  Some picnic totes are made only for wines or a combination of wine and cheese. These totes keep you wine chilled so that you can enjoy your romantic picnic. However, cheese and wine totes are not the only totes that can keep your food cold. There are available totes that you can purchase online that can keep the whole meal, same as your drinks, at its perfect temperature.

Picnic Baskets that Keeps your Right Supplies Handy in a Picnic

No matter how carefully you planned your picnic, some things might accidentally be forgotten especially if it was planned spontaneously. Participating in spontaneous events sometimes makes us more excited about it. Sometimes, your family is bored in a Saturday afternoon doing nothing inside the house. Suddenly, you remembered that there would be a kite festival in the park. That would keep the kids busy and they will probably enjoy watching those beautiful kites while having snacks on the grass. If you have these fully stocked picnic backpacks, all you have to do now is to gather snack foods, which are ready-to-eat, inside your pantry and refrigerator and everybody is ready to go. Luckily for those who owned those picnic backpacks, which makes the sudden spur of the moment picnic always possible.

If you have not yet heard of the picnic backpacks, it is pretty much the same as picnic baskets. Picnic backpacks also keeps your picnic necessities like cups, silverware and foods safe and organized. The majority of backpacks are insulated so that it can keep your drinks and foods cold. They also have two straps, just like your regular backpacks, so that carrying a heavy load will not be a problem even if you will be walking a long distance. Picnic backpacks have this feature of having many compartments so that you can easily organize all the things you want to carry with you in your picnic adventure.

A PICKNICKER’S BEST FRIEND – QUICHE

Smoked Salmon and Potato Quiche

Smoked Salmon and Potato Quiche

Ingredients:

225g / 8oz ready-made short-crust pastry
1 free-range egg; beaten

For the Filling:

6oz smoked salmon; chopped
3 ½ oz smoky bacon lardons; cooked
3 ½ potatoes; cooked and cubed
2 eggs
1 T fresh dill; finely chopped
7 fl oz crème fraîche
1 t nutmeg; grated
Salt and black pepper
Green salad leaves; ready-to-serve

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 350oF
• Roll the short crust pastry to a 25cm cake tin
• Prick the pastry with fork, line with greaseproof paper and pour the rice or drained beans
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes
• Remove the paper with rice or beans and brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake for another 5 minutes
• For the filling, arrange the lardons, salmon and potatoes at the bottom of the pastry case
• In a mixing bowl, beat egg, crème fraîche, dill and nutmeg. Season and pour in the pastry case
• Put the quiche in the oven for 40 minutes or until egg mixture has set
• Let it cool before putting in a container for transporting to your picnic venue
•  Put salad leaves as side dish



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Nowadays, more people are fund of transforming their deck, garden or veranda into an extra room for that alfresco dining they fancy, enjoying the comfort of having a picnic every day!

Definitely true, that picnic ware has improved into something fancy over the past few years!

No more rusty tin sandwich boxes, paper plates and smelly old flasks, they turned into a beautiful and colorful picnic containers and accessories with different shapes and sizes that children would truly love.

A portable blender might be perfect for you if you love frozen daiquiris and smoothies in your picnic. According to those blender reviews on the internet, many models that you can choose from might stand out and fit your needs.

Traditionally, picnic means sitting on a blanket that is spread out on the grass. However, in some cases like beach picnics, a picnic table is a much better option. There are those portable and foldable picnic tables available now in furniture stores. The table can be pleasing for a picnic setting if covered by a colorful picnic tablecloth and with the same colors of table napkins (can be a fabric or disposable table napkins).

Picnic foods must be those that are easy to prepare and eat. Finger foods are excellent choice for it does not require cutleries anymore. However, there are picnic forks, knives and spoons available in different colors. Paper plates are now convenient to use for they are now disposables and no washing is needed but they tend to fold when put on the knees. Nevertheless, there are melamine plates that are much better and colorful to look at.

One of the most important inventions in regards to picnic is those food containers that can keep you hot food hot and cold food cold. There are also containers that are airtight so that foods will retain its crispiness and prevent liquids from spilling. It is better to choose those clear containers so that you can easily identify which food to take from the cooler or picnic baskets.

Picnic With Hammock

Wrapping materials like cling wrap or film are also necessary for covering and protecting from bugs the foods that are in plates. It is very versatile that even a small amount of salt and pepper can be twisted in small quantity for an instant need for seasoning. You can also wrap those sensitive fruits like peaches in a kitchen tissue paper for an extra protection before packing it.

Containers and flasks are now spill-proof, which are best for storing any kinds of liquids whether hot or cold.

You may also add some excitement for kids by assigning an individual lunch boxes for their favorite finger foods. Kids love surprises and will enjoy their food more.

Picnics nowadays are becoming a traditional way of reunions and get-together that is why there are many varieties of transportation methods available for convenience. The wicker picnic baskets are very convenient and easy to carry with a suitcase-like shape. They are also available in variety of colors and designs.

You will also need an insulated container like coolers to keep your drinks and some foods fresh and cold. It is available in boxes, bags, chests and buckets depending on the size of attendees and your time travel. It is available in backpacks for those picnic venues wherein it is just a walk away. Whether you will use small backpack or a hamper, keep it organize to save space and will make your transportation comfortable.

CRUNCHY POTATO CHEESE BALLS

Your kids will truly love this easy and delicious finger food. It is very convenient to prepare for you can do it ahead of time. Can be served hot or warm and perfect side dish to any main dish you have in your picnic menu.

CRUNCHY POTATO CHEESE BALLS

Ingredients:

•    8 pcs    large potatoes, peeled and cooked
•    1 t    salt
•    1 cup    milk
•    ½ t    onion salt
•    ¼ cup    butter; melted
•    8 oz    American cheese or cheddar cheese
•    1 cup    cornflakes; crushed
•    ¼ cup    butter; melted

Directions:
1. Mash the potatoes with milk, salt, onion salt and ¼ cup butter
2. Chill the mixture until it is firm
3. Cut the cheese into 1-inch cubes
4. Shape the chilled mashed potatoes around the cubed cheese into 2 1/2” balls
5. Roll the balls in the cornflakes
6. Brush with the remaining butter and place on a greased baking sheet
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown at 350oF
8. Wrap separately with a colored cling wrap for added design

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Spring Romantic Picnic Food Ideas: Chinese Touch

Delicious Picnic Lamb

HERBED LOBSTER ROLL

GUIDELINES IN SEAFOOD HANDLING

Buying and Storing Tips:

•    If you bought the seafood in a store, check for the refrigeration facilities, licenses and proper sanitation inside the store. How they package their sea products do really matter.

•    You can determine fresh fish through their mild sea breeze smell. If it has a strong smell, it only indicates that it is not fresh anymore and may not be good for consumption especially if you will transport it to your picnic venue.

•    Inspect the eyes of the fish if they it is still shiny and bright red in color. They also have pink gills if still fresh and their scales clings closer to the body.

•    Shells like crabs, mussels and lobsters must be still alive when you bought it in store. You can also ask the vendors or check the tag that is attached in the shell produce for its origin.

•    Still with the shell produces, smell is the easiest way to know its freshness. Oysters, mussels and scallops smells like mild breeze. Otherwise, they are not fresh anymore if their odor is strong.

•    Always check the packaging of those frozen fish or any shell products. Shellfish must be kept in moisture-proof containers, fishes must be very well frozen but no ice crystals, and freezer burns.

•    All seafood is sensitive to sudden temperature change. If the temperature soars, fishes rot fast. It is very much advisable to keep the seafood in the refrigerator after purchase.  However, if you bought fresh fish, it must be kept in refrigerator where the temperature is low.

•    If a frozen fish was never consumed completely, never put it back to the refrigerator again. Shell produce may be stored in a container, which is not airtight and must be covered with damp cloth.

•    Once you have opened seafood from its packaging, cook it immediately.

•    During picnics, always keep your raw seafood in your cooler and never take it out until ready for cooking.

HERBED LOBSTER ROLL

HERBED LOBSTER ROLL

Alternatives for lobster: Bay Shrimp or Crabmeat

A multi-purpose sandwich idea that is so delicious but so simple, either with lobster, shrimp or crabmeats. You can also use tarragon, basil, chives or chervil in lieu of parsley.
Ingredients:

■    1 lb    lobster meat
■   8 oz    cream cheese
■   ½ cup    mayonnaise; low-fat
■   1 cup    parsley leaves or any herbs you prefer; finely chopped
■    1 t    Worcestershire sauce
■    2 t    lemon juice
■    Salt and Pepper to taste
■    4 pcs    hard rolls; 5 inches each

Cooking Procedure:

■    Remove the lobster meat by picking the membranes and shells, put it in a mixing bowl
■    Combine cream cheese, parsley, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper and salt in a food processor. Puree and season according to taste
■    Add the cream cheese mixture in the lobster meat and combine by stirring
■    Cut the hard roll into two halves lengthwise, make sure to leave the other side attached with each other
■   Spoon the lobster filling on one side of the roll
■    Securely wrap it in a clean plastic wrap followed with an aluminum foil
■    Can be eaten warm or cold

This is a ready to serve sandwich so never store it with your other raw seafood. Bacteria in raw foods can transfer fast to other foods and may cause food poisoning and infection. Proper guidelines must be observed at all times. Sandwiches packed for picnics must stay dry and very well sealed. The aluminum foil is necessary so that the fillings will not spill.

You may add more vegetables to this sandwich such as lettuce, carrots or sweet onions before eating. Make sure that vegetables were still fresh from the cooler.

You are also welcome to read:

Picnic Vegetable Salad Recipes

Valentine’s Day Special Picnic Ideas

Independence Day Theme Picnic

Step One – Plan the Occasion

Planning can assure you and your family a perfect July 4th Theme picnic. In planning stage, you can choose the best food that can be related in Independence Day like foods that have red, blue and yellow colors or star-shaped foods. Think of foods that are easy to carry and manage so that even the venue is far, the quality of foods will not be affected.

Step Two – Keep it simple as possible

As much as you want to be creative in your new recipes, just make sure it is simple but fun to look at. An Independence Day theme must be composed of colors white, red and blue food ideas. Cakes and cookies can be easily decorated with these colors. Blueberries and strawberries on your white cheesecakes is a good idea of trifle that has all the colors. Trifle is an excellent picnic dessert for it can be kept in your cooler and can be prepared ahead of time.

Step Three – Use Local Products

One way of showing your patriotism is using your locally produced products. This way, you are already supporting the American farmers and your economy. Just make sure that all ingredients used are grown and produced in United States.

Step Four – Simple foods can be done creatively

Some people say that using hard-boiled eggs, cold cuts and pasta salads are the usual and simple meal you can bring in your picnics. However, using these ingredients may not be boring, just use your creativity with it. There are many recipes made up of these ingredients but can give a delicious and appetizing results.

A pasta salad, for example, can be made interesting by making different varieties for it. The best part of it all, these salads can be made in bulk and any leftover can still be eaten even days after the picnic. Just make sure to refrigerate the pasta salad the whole night before the picnic and when transporting, keep it in a tight canister placed in the cooler.

Another example is Cajun chicken wraps. It can be prepared ahead of time then kept chilled in your cooler. Make sure to pack all your foods properly so that exposure to bacteria can be prevented.

Step Five – Always Keep your Food Safe

One mistake that people commit when having an Independence Day Theme picnic is that they do not store their food properly. This may cause food poisoning. Follow the proper guidelines in storing and transporting foods for picnic.

It is important to remember that if you have any food that contains mayonnaise like your pasta salad, make sure to keep it in a single serving containers so that those that is not yet ready to be eaten can stay cool in your cooler.

Now that you are ready for you Independence Day Theme Picnic, try this recipe, which your children and friends will surely enjoy.

RED, BLUE and HOT WINGS

A sure fire to spice up your celebration with this all-time favorite finger food. The red currant jelly and the red curry paste will lend a combination of sweet heat to this all-American classic meal, plus the traditional dip of blue cheese.

Red, Blue and Hot Wings

Ingredients

¼ cup
½ cup
½ cup
3 cloves
3T
1t
soy sauce
cider vinegar
sugar
garlic; minced
ketchup or barbecue sauce
salt
½ cup
2T
1t
3 lbs
1 cup
red currant jelly
lemon juices
red curry paste
chicken wings; halved
blue cheese dip; can be homemade or
store-bought

Procedure:

■  Pre-heat the oven to 450oF. With your aluminum foil, line the foil in your baking sheet that was coated with cooking spray.

■  In a saucepan that is heated on a medium-high heat, mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, salt barbecue sauce and red currant jelly.

■  Bring it to a boil with occasional stirring until all sugar has been dissolved.

■  Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the juices of the lemon together with the curry paste.

■  In a separate bowl, set aside at least ¼ cup of the glaze mixture

■  By using tongs, dip the chicken wings making sure that the whole chicken has been coated with the glaze

■  Place it on the baking sheet

■  Bake the glazed chicken for 30 to 40 minutes or until it is cooked through

■  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush the chicken once again with the reserved glaze.

■   This can be served hot or cold with a beer.

■  It is best to use blue cheese dressing as dip.

You are also welcome to read:

Spring Romantic Picnic Food Ideas: Chinese Touch

Picnic Food Ideas – Summer Salads