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Food Packing a Picnic

Discussion in 'Tilted Food' started by snowy, Jul 21, 2015.

  1. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    There is a community event on Saturday, and I am in charge of packing a picnic for friends. I'm not complaining--I volunteered to do so, of course :) My menu is already largely planned:

    Recipe: Bánh Mì with Lemongrass Tofu — Lunch Recipes from The Kitchn | The Kitchn (with from scratch baguette because I'm an overachiever)

    Cold Sesame Noodle Salad Recipe | Martha Stewart

    and a chopped vegetable salad with soy-ginger dressing

    Friends will fill in what I don't bring.

    What do you like to serve or see for a picnic?
     
    snowy, Jul 21, 2015
    #1
  2. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    You need some cold fried chicken in there (or is this all vegetarian?).

    For dessert? Get a kitchen torch (I assume you or a friend has one - if not they aren't expensive) and make s'mores... (Use wooden skewers to hold the marshmallows).

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2015
    Charlatan, Jul 21, 2015
    #2
  3. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    All vegetarian, and I'm not responsible for dessert. Someone else is :D Plus it's at a local festival, during fire season, so no torches. Cool idea for the future, though!
     
    snowy, Jul 22, 2015
    #3
  4. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    I would go for some homemade dips:
    Bean and corn
    Salsa
    Guacamole
    Hummus

    Mini fritattas (make them in muffin tins) -- if eggs are allowed
    Samosas/Empenadas (veggie versions)
    Sushi rolls (no fish)

    (shameabout the fried chicken... :) )
     
    Charlatan, Jul 22, 2015
    #4
  5. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    We recently planned a family picnic for my sister and BIL's anniversary. The state park we chose had its picnic area flooded, and the day was forecasted to be in the upper 90's with high humidity, so we called an audible and had the meal inside. However, we kept the picnic theme. I should've taken pics of the spread, it was awesome.

    We had:
    Massive meat and cheese tray with 8-10 different sliced meats (rolled up in bite sized pieces) and 8-10 cubed cheeses, all labeled with little flag sticks so you knew what you had to choose from.
    Bacon, tomato, and onion keish.
    Pasta salad with smoked salmon.
    Fruit salad.
    Fresh bread.
    Naked cake.
    Tossed spinach salad.

    A couple of light punch type drinks.
     
    Borla, Jul 22, 2015
    #5
  6. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I think I'll have to see what snacks my friends are planning on bringing--I'm mains and sides, but I do love corn-black bean salsa.
     
    snowy, Jul 22, 2015
    #6
  7. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    Too bad it's veg. I am a big believer in deli at picnics.

    Since it is veg, I recommend an assortment of cheeses, along with fresh fruit and crudites, cornichons, olives, and some kind of hearty-textured fresh-baked whole grain bread.

    Kohlrüt (sweet and sour red cabbage) is good cold, and I often like it as a cold salad, especially in summer.

    In summer I also like a simple carrot-raisin salad, though I often use a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries or dried tart cherries refreshed a little in mead or white wine instead of plain black raisins, and I don't just add orange juice, I actually puree the flesh of a couple of navel oranges and clementines and put that in, along with the zest of one of the oranges. And I usually also add in fresh pomegranate seeds. But still, that's not even seven ingredients, and it's delicious on a warm day.

    Tuscan melon and plumcots that have been macerated together in Prosecco is a nice dish for summer picnics.

    A lot of Ethiopian food is good cold. I sometimes make a variation on Misr Wat (red lentil stew) or Kik Alicha (yellow lentil or yellow split pea stew) and serve it cold. Injra is hard to find unless you know how to make it or have a readily accessible Ethiopian community near you, but lentils are just as good with pita or laffa or even naan.
     
    Levite, Jul 22, 2015
    #7
  8. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    I'm going to crash to all of these picnics... I'll post up our favorites later.
     
    Japchae, Jul 22, 2015
    #8
  9. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Two out of the six people coming are vegetarian, and I'm cooking, so it's veg by default. If you're going to eat my food, it's probably going to be vegetarian, because I paid for it, and meat is expensive.

    By the way, in the OP, I didn't ask what I should bring; if you read carefully, I mention that my menu is already planned, and friends will bring what I'm not bringing.

    Normally I'd go with more of a Mediterranean snacky theme, but I wanted to make something to show off my bread skillz, so banh mi it is. We live not far from where the picnic will take place, and as it turns out with timing, it's going to be more of a dinner picnic than a lunch picnic.
     
    snowy, Jul 22, 2015
    #9
  10. PlaysWithPixels

    PlaysWithPixels Getting Tilted

    Potato Salad
    I like the Salsa and Chips idea

    I'm from the Midwest... I don't think we really do picnics without BBQ...
     
    PlaysWithPixels, Jul 25, 2015
    #10
    • Like Like x 2
  11. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    Because of this thread I can't stop thinking of fried chicken.

    And this week, Serious Eats Food Lab featured fried chicken. Someone is sending me a message.
     
    Charlatan, Jul 25, 2015
    #11
    • Like Like x 1
  12. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    Gotta say, left to my own druthers, I like classic deli for picnics. I was never a big corned beef fan, though. I like pastrami, tongue, roast beef, and hard salami (in general, not necessarily all in the same sandwich). Bring along some pickles, some knishes, maybe some sweet and sour meatballs or kasha varnishkes. Some fresh carrot and celery sticks, and crisp apples. Some good root beer or black cherry soda.

    All good at ball games, too.
     
    Levite, Jul 25, 2015
    #12
  13. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Yeah, his name is Kenji.
     
    snowy, Jul 25, 2015
    #13
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    Paleo Takeout has a fried chicken recipe. This might have to happen.
     
    Japchae, Jul 25, 2015
    #14
  15. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Everything was a huge success! The lemongrass tofu banh mi were epic. My husband scarfed down one and would have scarfed down another, but I made him stop because our friends needed to eat too :D
     
    snowy, Jul 26, 2015
    #15
    • Like Like x 1