Power Up Your Picnic Skills
It's summer, the perfect season to enjoy picnics in Atwell's beautiful surroundings. Whether at home or a neighborhood park, an Atwell picnic is all about enjoying great food, great friends and a great outdoor setting. Here's your menu for a fun and memorable picnic.
Opt for easy.Summer is all about kicking back and relaxing. Keep your picnic plans easy by starting with a theme. Consider a color theme (everything red, white, and blue, for instance), or an Everything-on-a-Stick Picnic with fruit and cheese kabobs, Greek salad kabobs and charcuterie skewers. Add a loaf of focaccia or ciabatta bread to your picnic bag, along with some olive oil for dipping, and voila! Lunch is served!
Welcome the day.Who says a picnic has to be in the afternoon? Delight your friends with a picnic wake-up call filled with favorite brunch treats. Since the best part of picnicking is keeping things simple, plan a menu that can be assembled in advance. Hard-boil and peel eggs the night before, and chill in plastic wrap overnight. Prep yogurt parfaits in individual cups, alternating yogurt, berries and granola. Bake scrambled eggs to serve at room temperature. Round out the spread with a variety of breakfast breads and fruits that don’t need refrigeration (think bananas, apples and oranges). Whip up a batch of orange-apricot mimosas, and don’t forget the thermos of coffee!
Try a salad spread.The warmer summer months are a great time to savor menus filled with cool ingredients. Give your picnic some chill with a table filled with enticing salads that showcase the abundant fresh produce available near Atwell. You’ll want to include at least one fruit option, like a watermelon salad with feta and mint. Put a new spin on picnic favorite potato salad by adding fresh corn and basil. Round out your picnic with something green (consider this balsamic green bean salad) and a pasta concoction like macaroni Caesar salad.
Pack the essentials.No matter the menu, pack plenty of plates, bowls and utensils so your friends can taste-test and return for more. Stock a separate cooler with a variety of drinks – no glass, please – or reduce the waste by pre-mixing drinks in a large pitcher. Use sheets or plastic table covers to display your spread, making for easy cleanup when the fun is over.