Posts Tagged ‘picnic experience’

Picnic Food – Recipes and Suggestions

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Hey, picnic lovers! I’m sure, like me, you’re looking forward to warmer weather – picnics, swimming, and outdoor fun are all around the corner. One thing I’m really excited about is trying some out some new picnic recipes. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been making a lot of the same picnic recipes for years, and I think it’s about time to change it up. I’m also going to be trying some new BBQ recipes, which will give my husband a chance to use those new barbeque tools I got him.

My collection of picnic recipes has grown over the years to include lots of kid friendly options, vegetarian dishes, and items for every occasion. We love to BBQ, so most of my picnic recipes are for side dishes. One of my favorite side dishes is a 3-bean salad with quinoa. I tried it out for dinner last week, and it was a hit, so I can’t wait to debut it for picnic season. Here’s the recipe:

3-Bean Salad with Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces, cooked and rinsed in cold water
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen 365 Everyday Value Shelled Edamame, thawed
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
  • 1 (15-ounce) can 365 Everyday Value Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup 365 Everyday Value Organic Italian Dressing
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Method

Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain. Bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Stir quinoa and a pinch of salt into water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Put cooled quinoa, green beans, edamame, peppers, kidney beans, dressing, tarragon, salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

We’ll also be doing a lot of BBQ, so I’m going to mix things up a little this year – I’ve got some fun BBQ sauces that I’m looking forward to incorporating into picnic recipes, like Peach Barbeque Sauce. Here’s the recipe:

Peach Barbeque Sauce

Ingredients

  • 32 ounces canned peaches
  • 1 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 1 cup cooking oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Method

Puree peaches in a blender. Dissolve cornstarch in a little water. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Allow to cool.

I know my husband is looking forward to using his barbeque tools. Along with his Barbeque Apron with Chef’s Hat, I got him an 18-Piece BBQ Set, with all the barbeque tools he’ll ever need.

Are you trying out some new picnic recipes this year, or new BBQ recipes?

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Taking a Day Trip: Picnic in the Mountains

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Even though it can be a little slower to hike with kids, we love to go for day trips to the mountains and bring a picnic along to enjoy. As a kid I always looked forward to these outings, and today picnics in the mountains are one of our kids favorite activities. We hike in a mile or two, settle down on some picnic blankets, and enjoy the view.

Picnic backpacks are a much easier choice for these kinds of trips than picnic baskets. With picnic backpacks, you just pack them, sling them over your shoulders, and off you go! And now that both my girls are old enough to hike on their own, we can carry more food instead of carrying the kiddos.

We load up our picnic backpacks with trail mix, crackers, sandwiches, cookies, and water, and hit the trail. The Cambria Deluxe Insulated Picnic Backpack for 4 is the perfect size for a family picnic, and keeps our food nice and cool while we hike. And it’s wonderfully simple to bring along a picnic blanket, because they’re compactable and light.

When we go camping, we always bring BBQ tools to grill up our dinner on the camp grill. We have several BBQ sets that are just the right size to bring on a camping trip, and fresh grilled burgers are one of our favorite camping meals. We also love to bring coffee, tea, and water totes to brew up some hot drinks in the morning.

When my husband and I head up for a romantic picnic for two in the mountains, we often bring our Caddy Insulated Wine Tote. This picnic backpack for two has plenty of room for some chilled wine and cheese, along with a picnic blanket for two. Nothing is more romantic that a romantic picnic in the mountains with white wine, grapes, and some crackers and brie!

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Company Picnic

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

A friend of mine told me a story about a great company picnic she was part of, and I’d like to share it with you. She works for a moderately large corporation, and she and her co-workers are inside an office most of the time. Due to the loads of work and pressure everyone is under, they really don’t know each other very well. But since the wonderful company picnic, things are changing for her a little, and in a great way!

My friend – let’s call her “Lisa”, since that’s actually her name – was a bit hesitant about even going to the company picnic, since she didn’t know who she was going to talk to or sit with. But she had such a great time! They scheduled in during a work day, and it wasn’t required for anyone to even go. But about 80-100 fellow workers showed up. It was at the park, and it was a beautiful sunny day.

Her employers were there, dressed casually – not in their typical suits and ties. That was certainly a refreshing look for them. Instead of the dreaded “company speech”, they hired a comedian to entertain them while they ate. They also gave everyone a personalized picnic tote that they has customized by Picnic Supply World.  Did I mention the food? The food was catered from three different restaurants in the area, so they had diverse menus to choose from. And of course, there was beer and wine.

All of those things combined made for a lovely day, Lisa said, and she actually got to know a few really neat people from the office.

I think what employers can learn from Lisa’s experience is to try and give the employees what they want when throwing a company picnic. Work is work, of course. But there are times to let loose a little and enjoy each other’s company. It can only make the office more tolerable and even enjoyable!

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