Picnic Tips
Everything you carry wi th you to your picnic
has to be carried back, so pack judiciously.
• Serve foods that taste good at room
temperature (many foods taste just as
delicious at room temperature as they
do hot).
• Those plastic quart-containers from
the deli can tip over and leak. It's a good
idea to wrap the entire container in plas-
tic wrap to avoid spills and messes.
• Those same quart containers filled
yield about 6-8 side dishes and about 2-
4 entrees.
• Write down your entire menu (down
to the condiments) and check-off each
item as you pack it. It's not always easy
to run back for things like mustard and
salad dressing.
• Disposable dishes and silverware take
the burden off the clean-up crew and are
lightweight to boot
• A flannel-backed tablecloth is perfect
for laying on the ground or over a table.
They're inexpensive and you can use
them all summer.
or extra virgin)
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sugar
Put all dressing ingredients in a jar with
a tight-fitting lid and shake well to corn-
bine. Adjust seasonings to taste. The rea-
son the recipe begins with "start with" is
that vinegars and soy sauces differ in po-
tency. The sauce should be sweet and
tangy.
Salad:
Shred thin:
• Napa or Chinese cabbage (1 large head
will feed about 8 people as a large side
salad)
Crunchy Topping:
• 4 packages ramen noodles, (square
packages are about 25c each). Leave
uncooked and crush the noodles
(discard the flavor packet)
• 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Combine crushed noodles, almonds and
seeds. Toss with oil. Spread on a cookie
sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about
10 minutes or until browned.
Toss salad with dressing to your taste.
You can pack the salad at this time. Add
some crunchy topping just before serving
and toss well. Sprinkle more crunchies on
top and serve.
Variations: Add 1/2 to 2 cups of sliced
scallions, pea pods, red pepper slivers,
shredded carrots, water chestnuts, etc.
PEANUT BUTTER AND SESAME
SAUCE PASTA SALAD
• 2/3 pound pasta shape, cooked al dente
and rinsed with cold water
• 1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup scallions, sliced into 1/2" pieces
Combine ingredients and toss with
peanut-butter sauce to taste. Serve re-
maining sauce on the side or with the
grilled turkey kebabs.
• Pack your basket or bag of dishes and
serving utensils ahead of time and leave
only the food as a last-minute packing
detail.
• Delegate the preparation of meal el-
ements to others — it makes carrying
and cooking less of an ordeal.
• Luggage carriers (the kind with
wheels and elastic straps) make
it easy to transport ... everything.
• Some coolers now come with at-
tached wheels (a good invest-
ment).
• Bring hot and cold drinks in in-
sulated containers.
• Ice or gel packs keep foods cool
when transporting.
• Some foods (like breads, brown-
ies or cookies and juice boxes) can
be frozen ahead of time. They'll
keep other foods cool and be
thawed by the time you eat.
Complete preparation is a key to
planning a successful picnic.
Peanut Sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Tabasco or other red pepper
sauce
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a
food processor and process until smooth.
Add water if the mixture is too thick.
GRILLED TURKEY KEBABS
• 1 pound turkey tenders, cut into chunks
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
•
•
•
•
2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
4 skewers
Preheat grill and prepare marinade.
Combine juice, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and gin-
ger in a small bowl. Add turkey chunks
and toss well to cover. Let marinate for 15
minutes.
Combine 1/4 cup of soy sauce and hon-
ey in a small bowl.
Thread turkey on skewers. Brush the
grill lightly with olive oil. Grill kebabs for
about 7 - 10 minutes, brushing lightly with
soy/honey mixture. Serve at room tem-
perature. Makes four kebabs.