"picnic" news and stories

Happy Eat Outside Day!

There's nothing like a refreshing picnic on a lazy summer night, with the joys of nibbling on freshly prepared seasonal dishes. But in case you've tired of the same old egg sandwiches, dill potato salads, macaroni mayonnaise salads and antiquated community potluck fare, look no further! We've come up with a list of lively and refreshing options to turn outdoor dining into a veritable movable feast...

• Cheese Straws
• Chili-Dressed Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad
• BLT Salad with Basil Mayo Dressing
• Pearl Couscous Salad with Olives and Tomatoes
• Asparagus Pasta Salad
• Yoghurt and Herb Two-Potato Salad
• 'Wichcraft's Roasted Turkey, Avocado, Bacon, Onion Relish, Aioli Sandwiches on Ciabatta
• Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Paninis
• Crispy Pancetta, Burrata and Tomato Sandwiches
• Grapefruit Yoghurt Cake
• Julienne's Chewy Graham Cracker Bars
• Blueberry Boy Bait

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Photo: Amazon.com

'Summer Cooking'
Elizabeth David
Foreword by Molly O'Neill
New York Review of Books -- 1995, reprinted in 2002
Buy it on Amazon

Sometimes you want a cookbook author to give it to you straight.

None of this "You can whip this up in 10 minutes!" when you are certain, as you possess merely mortal chopping skills, it will take you 20 with that pile of onions.

The well-traveled cookbook author Elizabeth David, who many think brought "real food" to the English in the 1950s, is of this no-nonsense school. She saw it among her duties to bring picnic food and something called "seasonal shopping" to her countrymen and women, as they were stuck in an out-of-season loop. On one page she gripes about the mortification of seeing ratatouille on a February menu comprised of tomatoes and (ugh) cabbage.

On another she writes of the English approach to the "dread" salad season that is summertime: "What makes a cook think that the beetroot spreading its hideous purple dye over a sardine and a spoonful of tinned baked beans constitutes an hors d'oeuvre?"

Tell us how you really feel, Elizabeth.

What we tested and whether the book's worth buying, after the jump.

The Minimalist gives us 101 20-minute picnic ideas. Cold peanut noodles! Savory lentil salad! Cheese balls with fresh herbs! Thanks, Minimalist!

Jamaican jerk: an underrated form of barbecue. I agree.

Cold red wine? Eric Asimov says it's OK. So it must be OK.

Newsflash: rooftop dining is nice. But sometimes your napkins blow off the roof. Uh oh!

A book review of 'Beyond the Great Wall,' about Chinese dishes little known in the U.S.

Poor Jeff Varasano, lately of Atlanta, tries to answer the eternal question of why New York pizza is never good outside of New York. Godspeed, dude.

Fruit crisps: why are they never crisp? With recipe.

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First there were screw tops, and now there are boxes. According to this article over at Mainstreet, high-quality boxed wines are becoming increasingly popular as wineries have begun packaging some of their finest products in this stereotypically cheap fashion. The story provides a list of the top six boxed wines available, but you can check out our boxed wine tasting, too!

I actually like the idea of toting a classy boxed wine to a picnic or serving some at a casual BBQ. What do you think? Would you drink a good wine from a box?

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You've called around and every brunch place within a 20 miles radius is booked up solid for Mother's Day. How can you salvage the holiday and make your mom feel special without a reservation?

• Take her to a local Farmers' Market on Sunday morning. You can buy her a cup of coffee or tea and the two of you can wander around, fondle the fresh produce and taste jams and honeys. If you get there early enough, you may be able to grab a dozen local, free range eggs (those babies sell out fast). Poached and served on top of a bed of tender baby greens and you won't (even for a minute) miss the hassle of the restaurant.
  
• Pack a picnic and head for a local park. Who says a celebratory meal has to be eaten in a restaurant? Gather up an assortment of sliced meats, a couple of good cheese, bread or some good crackers and quickly blanch a pound of asparagus. Strawberries or grapes can take care of dessert.
  
• If your mom is a chocolate lover, put together a chocolate tasting for her. Hit the candy aisle at your favorite natural or gourmet foods store (I've found that they have the best assortment of chocolate) and buy four or five good varieties. The two of you can munch on chocolate to your heart's content and when she figures out which one she likes the best, promise her that you'll get her a few more bars of it next time you go to the store.
  
• Even an outing to a local bakery or coffee shop can be a good way to celebrate your mom. Often, the thing she wants most is time alone with her children. This doesn't even have to happen on Mother's Day, if you can't sneak away, schedule a time to get together over coffee and a scone or muffin for some quality mother/child time.