You have just entered the picnic party zone.This is written for all of you outdoor lovers, by a person who seriously loves event planning and catering parties, who is an optimistic realist, that hates everyone who thinks they're better than anyone else.
Making you look good is the name of the Cater-Hater game.
You're special, like I am. Hell, I think we're all special, quite honestly. But, if you're doing what everyone else is doing, you're boring. And don't you hate boring?
I mean, being boring by blending in - by doing what everyone else is doing = no fun.
Do something different. When you host your next party, make it a picnic party. And, plan it like an event planner/caterer, like me.
My philosophy: go big party (without breaking the bank) and have a lot of fun.
A picnic is like summer on a plate. There's nothing like the informal fun of having a picnic. You can eat outside, you can eat with your fingers, you can blanket hop from blanket-to-blanket with your picnic guests. Picnics are a great. Making your party a picnic is a fun way to host a small party, doing it up big. How do you do that? By inviting a bunch of your friends to join you for a picnic breakfast, picnic brunch, or lunch, or dinner at the nearest park.
For starters, picnic baskets aren't all that practical. They look great and if you own one similar to the one in the picture, it's perfect for a small picnic for two. But, you'd do better to pack the food in individual containers that you put on ice in a cooler if you're having a picnic party for more than a couple of people. And, if you're going all out picnic-style with blankets and the whole nine, pack the blankets in a canvas tote or duffel bag.
Avoid sodas and juice boxes. Did you just say, Avoid sodas and juice boxes? For real? Yes, and here's why... Because packing water instead will save you money and will help avoid excess calories. Be sure to pack a few frozen bottles of water. Freezing bottles of water is the best way keep water cold longer on a hot summer day.
Pack food for snacking that works well for picnics, such as fruits and vegetables. Avoid using meats and dairy-based ingredients that might spoil. A better alternative is to serve bagels with peanut butter and wraps made with hummus, sliced cucumbers, tomato slices and carrots.
A nice menu could consist of French radishes served with a small tub of butter and Kosher or sea salt. Serve food that is easy to serve, like crusty baguettes with pinconning, cheddar, or fontina cheeses. Potato salad is a picnic classic, but we both know that packing a salad made with mayonnaise can turn out to be an problem waiting to happen. So, do this instead - make a special picnic potato salad that is tossed with a vinaigrette. Serve it while the potatoes are still a bit warm, tossed with fresh parsley and chopped scallions. It's always a big hit. Don't forget to also pack your portable salt and pepper shakers.
Another delicious picnic party addition is to pack a few other salads made from grains or beans. Serve Israeli couscous with feta cheese and fresh broccoli or asparagus tips, or a panzanella salad made with tomato wedges and big chunks of toasted bread coated in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. If you feel like adding something a little more extravagant to go with it, serve lemon grilled chicken breasts or herb-roasted whole chickens cooked on a barbecue grill (see recipes below).
Put your energy into the preparation of the food. Serve bottled and canned drinks. Ice-cold cans of coke, diet coke, sprite, and plenty of beer, with bottles of a nice white wine, like a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Gris, should suffice.
Lemon Grilled Chicken Breasts
Serves 8
(Printable Recipe)
2 lemons
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley plus extra sprigs for garnish
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 6 oz. each)
1.) Use a peeler to remove strips of zest from half of the lemon, then trim into fine strips with a small knife. Reserve and set aside. Grate the other side of the lemon to make 2 tablespoon zest. Finally, squeeze the juice from the lemon into a bowl.
2.) In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, oil, garlic, parsley, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and spoon the marinade over the chicken until well coated. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes, or overnight if you have time.
3.) Preheat the grill, griddle, or broiler to medium heat. Put the chicken breasts on the grill, reserving marinade. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes on each side. Brush with reserved marinade 2 to 3 times during cooking. Sprinkle with reserved lemon strips and serve immediately garnished with parsley sprigs.
Cater-Hater Tips: The easiest way to prevent lemon zest from sticking to a grater is to brush it off with a pastry brush. You can also use the brush to baste the chicken with the marinade in Step 3. Serve with grilled portobello mushrooms and a pasta salad mixed with zucchini and sweet red, yellow, and green bell peppers.
Herb-Roasted Chicken
Serves 12
(Printable Recipe)
4 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoon dried sage
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 whole chickens (each 3 to 3.5 lbs.)
2 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 onion, peeled
4 cups chicken broth
12 oz. new potatoes, parboiled
6 bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into quarters
4 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
2 red onion, sliced
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
flat-leaf parsley sprigs, to use for garnish
1.) Preheat grill to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter, sage, garlic and pepper. Carefully loosen the skin from the chicken breast, being careful not to tear it.
2.) Spread half of the herb mixture under the skin; rub the rest on top. Sprinkle with rosemary. Place onion in chicken cavity and tie legs together with kitchen string.
3.) Place the chickens on racks in roasting pans and pour broth into pans. Cover pans with foil and roast chickens for 1 hour.
4.) Uncover chickens and roast until juices run clear when meat is pierced, about 40 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer to serving platters. Let stand 15 minutes before serving so the chicken won't dry out.
5.) Meanwhile, place the parboiled potatoes, peppers, zucchini and onion slices on a separate baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and then roast for 35 to 40 minutes until cooked and crisp around the edges. Arrange around the chicken, along with the parsley, to serve.
Cater-Hater Tips: Put 2 tablespoons of ready-made pesto under chicken skin in Step 2. Slice and serve cold on a bed of lettuce for a fresh and summery salad. Serve with fresh crusty bread and you've made a terrific meal. Afterward, serve individual bowls of fresh fruit salad with whipped cream on the side for a healthy, low-calorie ending.
Keep dessert pared down and basic. Place bowls of fresh fruit on the party blankets along with zip-locked bags of oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies and home-made brownies. Freeze cups of yogurt before your picnic party for a healthy, sweet treat. And like with the frozen bottles of water, frozen cups of yogurt will help keep other picnic food items cool - just remember to eat them while they are still cold.
Picnic food ideas, Easy picnic recipes, Picnic recipes, Picnic ideas, Salad, Cook, Home, Pinot Gris, Wine, Fruits and Vegetables, Vegetable, Mayonnaise: Technorati Tags
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Make your party a picnic
A picnic is like summer on a plate. There's nothing like the informal fun of having a picnic. You can eat outside, you can eat with your fingers, you can blanket hop from blanket-to-blanket with your picnic guests. Picnics are a great. Making your party a picnic is a fun way to host a small party, doing it up big. How do you do that? By inviting a bunch of your friends to join you for a picnic breakfast, picnic brunch, or lunch, or dinner at the nearest park.
Picnic party packing is really easy
For starters, picnic baskets aren't all that practical. They look great and if you own one similar to the one in the picture, it's perfect for a small picnic for two. But, you'd do better to pack the food in individual containers that you put on ice in a cooler if you're having a picnic party for more than a couple of people. And, if you're going all out picnic-style with blankets and the whole nine, pack the blankets in a canvas tote or duffel bag.
Start out right
Avoid sodas and juice boxes. Did you just say, Avoid sodas and juice boxes? For real? Yes, and here's why... Because packing water instead will save you money and will help avoid excess calories. Be sure to pack a few frozen bottles of water. Freezing bottles of water is the best way keep water cold longer on a hot summer day.
Pack food for snacking that works well for picnics, such as fruits and vegetables. Avoid using meats and dairy-based ingredients that might spoil. A better alternative is to serve bagels with peanut butter and wraps made with hummus, sliced cucumbers, tomato slices and carrots.
A nice menu could consist of French radishes served with a small tub of butter and Kosher or sea salt. Serve food that is easy to serve, like crusty baguettes with pinconning, cheddar, or fontina cheeses. Potato salad is a picnic classic, but we both know that packing a salad made with mayonnaise can turn out to be an problem waiting to happen. So, do this instead - make a special picnic potato salad that is tossed with a vinaigrette. Serve it while the potatoes are still a bit warm, tossed with fresh parsley and chopped scallions. It's always a big hit. Don't forget to also pack your portable salt and pepper shakers.
Another delicious picnic party addition is to pack a few other salads made from grains or beans. Serve Israeli couscous with feta cheese and fresh broccoli or asparagus tips, or a panzanella salad made with tomato wedges and big chunks of toasted bread coated in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. If you feel like adding something a little more extravagant to go with it, serve lemon grilled chicken breasts or herb-roasted whole chickens cooked on a barbecue grill (see recipes below).
Put your energy into the preparation of the food. Serve bottled and canned drinks. Ice-cold cans of coke, diet coke, sprite, and plenty of beer, with bottles of a nice white wine, like a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Gris, should suffice.
Lemon Grilled Chicken Breasts
Serves 8
(Printable Recipe)
2 lemons
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley plus extra sprigs for garnish
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 6 oz. each)
1.) Use a peeler to remove strips of zest from half of the lemon, then trim into fine strips with a small knife. Reserve and set aside. Grate the other side of the lemon to make 2 tablespoon zest. Finally, squeeze the juice from the lemon into a bowl.
2.) In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, oil, garlic, parsley, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and spoon the marinade over the chicken until well coated. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes, or overnight if you have time.
3.) Preheat the grill, griddle, or broiler to medium heat. Put the chicken breasts on the grill, reserving marinade. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes on each side. Brush with reserved marinade 2 to 3 times during cooking. Sprinkle with reserved lemon strips and serve immediately garnished with parsley sprigs.
Cater-Hater Tips: The easiest way to prevent lemon zest from sticking to a grater is to brush it off with a pastry brush. You can also use the brush to baste the chicken with the marinade in Step 3. Serve with grilled portobello mushrooms and a pasta salad mixed with zucchini and sweet red, yellow, and green bell peppers.
Herb-Roasted Chicken
Serves 12
(Printable Recipe)
4 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoon dried sage
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 whole chickens (each 3 to 3.5 lbs.)
2 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 onion, peeled
4 cups chicken broth
12 oz. new potatoes, parboiled
6 bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into quarters
4 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
2 red onion, sliced
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
flat-leaf parsley sprigs, to use for garnish
1.) Preheat grill to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine butter, sage, garlic and pepper. Carefully loosen the skin from the chicken breast, being careful not to tear it.
2.) Spread half of the herb mixture under the skin; rub the rest on top. Sprinkle with rosemary. Place onion in chicken cavity and tie legs together with kitchen string.
3.) Place the chickens on racks in roasting pans and pour broth into pans. Cover pans with foil and roast chickens for 1 hour.
4.) Uncover chickens and roast until juices run clear when meat is pierced, about 40 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer to serving platters. Let stand 15 minutes before serving so the chicken won't dry out.
5.) Meanwhile, place the parboiled potatoes, peppers, zucchini and onion slices on a separate baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and then roast for 35 to 40 minutes until cooked and crisp around the edges. Arrange around the chicken, along with the parsley, to serve.
Cater-Hater Tips: Put 2 tablespoons of ready-made pesto under chicken skin in Step 2. Slice and serve cold on a bed of lettuce for a fresh and summery salad. Serve with fresh crusty bread and you've made a terrific meal. Afterward, serve individual bowls of fresh fruit salad with whipped cream on the side for a healthy, low-calorie ending.
End things perfectly
Keep dessert pared down and basic. Place bowls of fresh fruit on the party blankets along with zip-locked bags of oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies and home-made brownies. Freeze cups of yogurt before your picnic party for a healthy, sweet treat. And like with the frozen bottles of water, frozen cups of yogurt will help keep other picnic food items cool - just remember to eat them while they are still cold.
Picnic food ideas, Easy picnic recipes, Picnic recipes, Picnic ideas, Salad, Cook, Home, Pinot Gris, Wine, Fruits and Vegetables, Vegetable, Mayonnaise: Technorati Tags
Related Articles:
Safely Grill Party Food to Perfection
The "Recession Picnic": Nouveau Haute Hobo
Don't Let a Gridlocked Traffic Jam Destroy Your Party
Saffron 101
Summertime Sangria Punch
How to Get a Good Tan Before Your Wedding Day (Without Ruining ...
How to Get Your House Ready for a Party
How to Enjoy Football (at a Super Bowl Party)
How to Host an Outdoor Dinner Party
How to Enjoy Yourself at Any Party
How to Master a Hangover After a Party
Make Your Party Amazing!
Make Your Party Amazing!, Part III
Autumn Fall Harvest Sangria Dinner Party
Cooking with Ginger
Salad Dressing Recipes
Cooking with Curry
Bacon-Infused Bloody Mary Recipe
Making Sangria with a Twist: Watermelon Sangria
