By Christine Steendahl For more picnic food ideas visit Christine's www.kidapprovedmeals.com
A picnic meal doesn’t have to be a complicated event. Offering cold food items makes the menu simpler to control. There will be less equipment to carry and fewer cleanups afterwards. Sandwiches are a preferred picnic item. In the past a sandwich consisted of two slices of bread and lunch meat. Sandwiches have been given an overhaul in the last several years. To add spice to plain sandwiches, choose from different breads. Sandwiches can made from pitas, flatbreads, and tortilla wraps. Cut the bread the night before and store in an airtight container. Buy meats from the deli counter at the grocery store. Fresh turkey breast, ham, chicken breast, and salamis are available. Store the sliced deli meats in the freezer. The morning of the picnic, take them out so they can slowly thaw and stay cold until they are ready to be consumed. Condiments can spell trouble for picnic-goers Refrigerate mayonnaise based foods and sauces until ready to head out for the picnic. To eliminate having condiments bottles sitting out without refrigeration, use condiment packets like the ones available at fast food restaurants. Salads of all varieties are great cold picnic options. Macaroni or potato salad is best when served cold. If your gathering is large, investing in single serving plastic cups with lids will avoid bringing too much to the picnic. When mayonnaise based salads come to room temperature they begin to get soupy and could spoil. Instead of a fruit salad, opt for bringing whole fruits. Fruit doesn’t have to be refrigerated. It can be washed off before you leave the house and kept from the light in a storage container. Choose a selection: apples, peaches, oranges, plums, and etc. Fruit makes a health-conscious dessert alternative than ice cream or candy. Plus it has natural sweetness. Individual bags of chips and other snacks prevent lots of hands from dipping in the same bag, dirty and clean. There will be no opened bags of chips to transport home. This gives picnickers more variety without having to spend a fortune on snacks. It also allows everyone to choose the snacks or chips they like so everyone gets what they like most. Nuts make an easy snack for a picnic. They do not need refrigeration and can be easily transported. For easy handling by others, separate nuts into individual snack bags. Any bags that are not eaten can be poured back into the can for later consumption. Cold food items equal an easy and simple picnic menu. There is no need to use a barbecue. The majority of foods can be packaged individually for less mess and convenience of serving even with large family picnics. Author Resource - For more great tips for the kitchen and recipes from Christine Steendahl, "The Menu Mom", log onto |