With the weather being so nice lately I've been thinking a lot about eating outdoors. Like at picnics and such. Of course the grills always going but what kind of homemade sides do you bring. And share your recipes too please!
Most picnics I've been too have had things like potato salad, macaroni salad, crab salad, crab dip... etc. Got any good recipes for any of those?
On picnic days we do everything simple..which means buying KFC or pre-made food from Wal*Mart! ;) Takes the stress out of the day, and then all your energy is spent on fun. My mom does have some amazing recipes for picnic food though, I'll have to get them from her!
I tend to go simple, as in fruit and veggie trays! LOL I do have a roasted red potato recipe that is awesome and simple. Just take some red potatoes and cut them in to cubes or wedges and put them in a foil pouch. Melt a stick of butter and I add basil, oregano and garlic. Add this to the pouch and seal it and toss on the grill for a good hour.
There is nothing quite as refreshing as FRESH potato salad.
And KFC sounds great! I remember church picnics where someone would always bring a bucket of chicken -and it would be the first thing that people took! (Always gone before I got to it.)
Save the fine dining for Emeralds (and it still is the best meal we EVER had!) -picnics is about simplicity!
I like sandwiches and fruit on picnics... maybe some chips or cookies!! Simple is better... Out of all of those funky salads, I don't like ANY of them... particularly cold!!
Quote from: CRStrom on May 02, 2007, 11:07:18 PM
I do have a roasted red potato recipe that is awesome and simple. Just take some red potatoes and cut them in to cubes or wedges and put them in a foil pouch. Melt a stick of butter and I add basil, oregano and garlic. Add this to the pouch and seal it and toss on the grill for a good hour.
This sounds like something I would like. I think I may try it sometime next week.
Our sping picnic was cancelled.
Quote from: Mel-Mel on May 04, 2007, 01:44:25 AM
Our sping picnic was cancelled.
Awww, I really miss those picnics! The church out here does something similiar at Easter..but it's not the same!
Of course its not the same...your not here with us and you dont have Sis. French's Banana Pudding.
All things being equal though, I HATE potlucks. I rarely like most of the things that people make and would much rather eat stuff prepared from a restaurant -part of the reason I always loved buckets of KFC at picnics!
Quote from: Mel-Mel on May 05, 2007, 12:34:36 AM
Of course its not the same...your not here with us and you dont have Sis. French's Banana Pudding.
lol Thanks..now I'm going to be craving that!!
We always have the traditional potato salads and macaroni salads.
We do something similar to what CR mentioned, but we add sliced onions to it also.
Quote from: RandyWayne on May 05, 2007, 12:57:05 AM
All things being equal though, I HATE potlucks. I rarely like most of the things that people make and would much rather eat stuff prepared from a restaurant -part of the reason I always loved buckets of KFC at picnics!
My dad was always really picky about that too. He won't eat anything that someone other than my mom has cooked! Like at a potluck or picnic. But he will eat restaurant food. lol
My aunty-in-law makes a fun veggie pizza. She makes the crust, adds cream cheese (and maybe dill spice) and then puts tiny chopped fresh veggies like carrots, cauliflower, broccolli, gr. pepper, black olives, and finely shredded cheddar cheese. I love it!
I make this spinach dip, I've posted it before but I really do LOVE it. It's really easy too. I like it hot-warm but the recipe calls for it cold.
(http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/x1p4duNwsPlMCycen0Gt2sDjIL-0CDtiBcnuC0jtkJmYQ2lgM6T1jPRsDO5XYQLU4KfS-fMXF00gw26vueBX4l2iRG7D1EXyO3vtEVb9T1zBq4EacWoFWMl_g)
cooked cut up chicken
and a tiny bit of cooked onion,
pkg of spinach, cream cheese,
lots of shreded swiss cheese, heavy cream,
a few sliced black olives, salt, nutmeg,
crushed fennel seed, pepper,
put it in the microwave until melted
and a little chopped red pepper on top (I like the red pepper so I put more in when I'm the one eating it, the crisp crunchy freshness of it goes well with the rest of the dip)
I also like this lemon blueberry pie for spring/summer fellowships:
shortbread pie crust
1/2 can of lemon pie filling
1/2 can of blueberry filling
pint of heavy cream
tub of cool whip
1 small lemon
small pkg of fresh blueberries
wisk or mix the heavy cream until like whipped cream,
add in lemon filling and beat thoroughly.
put a thick layer in pie shell
add a thin layer of blueberry filling
add another layer of lemon cream filling
add another layer of bluberry filling
apply layer of cool whip
arrange thin slices of lemon and fresh blueberries on top
refridgerate for 1+ hours
I am soooo going to try that dip MY. Sounds awesome!
I'm not big on potlucks either.
Quote from: Jennie-lynnie on May 05, 2007, 04:14:04 AM
Quote from: RandyWayne on May 05, 2007, 12:57:05 AM
All things being equal though, I HATE potlucks. I rarely like most of the things that people make and would much rather eat stuff prepared from a restaurant -part of the reason I always loved buckets of KFC at picnics!
My dad was always really picky about that too. He won't eat anything that someone other than my mom has cooked! Like at a potluck or picnic. But he will eat restaurant food. lol
I am the exact same way. I don't know who cooked what and I don't know how clean they or their cooking environment is... NO THANKS!
When we were contemplating our outdoor wedding reception (3 months after the wedding), the advice was coming fast and furious from our extended families: "Oh, have a potluck! EVERYONE loves potlucks!" (UGH!)or "Why don't you have the reception in our church basement and we can have a POTLUCK!" (Double UGH!).
Rule 1: There would be NO "Church basement reception" which leads to:
Rule 2: There would be NO potluck. It was all catered!
But concerning picnics, I still love homemade potato salad and KFC!
I have never made potato salad. But I looove homeade potato salad. Anyone have a good recipe they could share?
When the weather gets a bit cooler, a picnic sounds like fun. Kinda makes me think of the GP trip to OK.. except we mostly ate inside. It still FELT like a picnic.
:sigh:
I love picnics...