Best Picnic Foods
June 5, 2018 8:46 PM Subscribe
Now that the McGee family are (almost) all geographically co-located, we're having a monthly gathering, and I'm the next host. I'd like to host a picnic! What should I make for it? We're looking at 5 adults and 5 children (ranging from 9 months to 9 years).
Literally my ideas so far consist of "chicken drumsticks, served cold" and "mini sandwiches" (PB&J, ham & cheese), so I'm not very far into this! I'm persuadable! We'll probably all drive to the park so I can take a cooler. We'll have four parents, 1 bachelor uncle, and 5 children (9 months, 22 months, 3, 7, and 9). So assembling things on-site is a little tricky! But prep is no problem!
It'll be near the end of June, so probably hot-ish.
Literally my ideas so far consist of "chicken drumsticks, served cold" and "mini sandwiches" (PB&J, ham & cheese), so I'm not very far into this! I'm persuadable! We'll probably all drive to the park so I can take a cooler. We'll have four parents, 1 bachelor uncle, and 5 children (9 months, 22 months, 3, 7, and 9). So assembling things on-site is a little tricky! But prep is no problem!
It'll be near the end of June, so probably hot-ish.
I like frittatas because you can eat them as finger food. Bake up a bunch of spinach + eggs + feta, potatoes optional but delicious. You can bake it in a disposable aluminum pan and throw the pan out at the park so nothing to wash or carry home. Can be cut w disposable knife. Good at any temperature.
Brownies/blondies/bar cookies of all kinds - ditto on baking in disposable pan
Potato salads / pasta salads / orzo salads - classic picnic. I like potato salads with lots of vinegar. Also the ones with sour cream + dill.
pitas + hummus + chopped salads
a cold watermelon sliced into half inch slices, with the rind on to use as a handle.
banh mi
glass noodle salad with beef and thai flavors
cookies.
cherry tomato caprese salad
lemonade to drink!
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:06 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Brownies/blondies/bar cookies of all kinds - ditto on baking in disposable pan
Potato salads / pasta salads / orzo salads - classic picnic. I like potato salads with lots of vinegar. Also the ones with sour cream + dill.
pitas + hummus + chopped salads
a cold watermelon sliced into half inch slices, with the rind on to use as a handle.
banh mi
glass noodle salad with beef and thai flavors
cookies.
cherry tomato caprese salad
lemonade to drink!
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:06 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Can the fam handle lemon water, with zest and no sugar? Because that is hydrating AF. You can also have tea and simple syrup to sweeten as needed.
Is baking an option? Shredded spicy sweet potato balls and maybe some chutney as dipping sauce.
Fruit is always good. If cleanup is easy, slurpy sticky fruits like peaches and nectarines are great. Frozen grapes? (Don't let dogs eat them!) (Maybe halve before freezing for small fry.)
posted by Lesser Shrew at 9:08 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Is baking an option? Shredded spicy sweet potato balls and maybe some chutney as dipping sauce.
Fruit is always good. If cleanup is easy, slurpy sticky fruits like peaches and nectarines are great. Frozen grapes? (Don't let dogs eat them!) (Maybe halve before freezing for small fry.)
posted by Lesser Shrew at 9:08 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mini quiches/frittatas/egg and bacon cups/anything scaled down to muffin pan size - heaps of ideas here or if you google "muffin pan savoury recipes.
posted by cholly at 9:10 PM on June 5, 2018
posted by cholly at 9:10 PM on June 5, 2018
German Potato salad is a crowd pleaser, even among those who've never heard of it. I usually add onion sauteed in the bacon grease to mine. The best part is that it's good warm, room temp, or even cold. And there's no mayo, so no spoilage issues.
I also like making a curried cous cous salad for similar reasons as the German Potato Salad - it's good at any temp, and no spoilage. I use a recipe similar to this.
For easy chicken, check with your local supermarket. You can get a ton of fried chicken usually pretty cheap. And it's delicious!
posted by hydra77 at 9:10 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I also like making a curried cous cous salad for similar reasons as the German Potato Salad - it's good at any temp, and no spoilage. I use a recipe similar to this.
For easy chicken, check with your local supermarket. You can get a ton of fried chicken usually pretty cheap. And it's delicious!
posted by hydra77 at 9:10 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Kids tend to want single-format foods but will graze heavily, so: small chicken pieces, meatballs, tiny boiled/roasted potatoes, cherry tomatoes, fruit pieces/balls, small breads like gougeres or pan de quiejo or bakery potato/slider rolls, cold undressed pasta with dressing for the adults, rolled cold cuts, crudites, maybe long dippers like blanched green beans or carrot/zucchini/cucumber spears.
Broccoli salad or ramen slaw.
If you have a source to pick up something like lumpia or bao or spring/fresh/summer rolls, they're generally pretty popular.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:14 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Broccoli salad or ramen slaw.
If you have a source to pick up something like lumpia or bao or spring/fresh/summer rolls, they're generally pretty popular.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:14 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Balela! Cupcakes or a fruit galette or bar cookies. Hummus with crudités. Greek salad? Antipasto skewers or crostini with bruschetta topping.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 9:58 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 9:58 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Farro salad is a nice alternative if you want something with a bit more character (and nutrition) than plain pasta salad.
Jello is old-fashioned but a classic for a reason.
posted by praemunire at 10:00 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jello is old-fashioned but a classic for a reason.
posted by praemunire at 10:00 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
These suggestions look fun and delicious but be aware of 9 month old and maybe 2 year old (depending on kid's development) having free access to paper plates on the ground with things like melon balls, cherry tomatoes, and other choking hazards.
posted by nantucket at 10:04 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by nantucket at 10:04 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Assemble your own strawberry shortcakes are fun and easy. You can often buy the little spongecakes but they're easy to make from scratch or you can use pretty much any kind of cake or sweet biscuit recipe you like, cut into squares or circles. Have a bunch of sliced strawberries, and for the whipped cream you can go with canister whipped cream but if you make your own that is stiffly whipped it stays quite well in the cooler and you can put much less sugar in it. Everyone assembles their own in a little bowl so everybody gets the proportions they want (and very small people can just have strawberries). You can have extras like different berries, chocolate sprinkles, and maybe some chopped strawberries that you mix with sugar and lemon zest and have let sit all afternoon so they become macerated and syrupy.
I think that generally going with sandwiches as your basic theme is smart, crowd-pleasing, and robust in that it expands to fit a ton of variety. Mostly you want to stay away from really moist ingredients like tomatoes and pickles, since that's how bread gets soggy, but you can pack those separate and add them on site if you like. Some example sandwiches: Smoked turkey and apple with mustard; Genoa salami and mozzarella with pesto and arugula; sliced hard boiled eggs with cucumber and sprouts (egg salad makes for a soggy sandwich but sliced eggs with a thin layer of mayo to protect the bread stays good); roast beef and cheddar with horseradish and lettuce; hummus and sliced pitted olives with bell pepper and mint.
posted by Mizu at 11:59 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I think that generally going with sandwiches as your basic theme is smart, crowd-pleasing, and robust in that it expands to fit a ton of variety. Mostly you want to stay away from really moist ingredients like tomatoes and pickles, since that's how bread gets soggy, but you can pack those separate and add them on site if you like. Some example sandwiches: Smoked turkey and apple with mustard; Genoa salami and mozzarella with pesto and arugula; sliced hard boiled eggs with cucumber and sprouts (egg salad makes for a soggy sandwich but sliced eggs with a thin layer of mayo to protect the bread stays good); roast beef and cheddar with horseradish and lettuce; hummus and sliced pitted olives with bell pepper and mint.
posted by Mizu at 11:59 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm embarrassed to admit that tonight was the first time I had Persian cuisine, but that must be the case because tonight I was simply knocked out by how fantastic it was!
Salad Olovieh is the Iranian version of Russian Salad - potatoes, egg, mayo, chicken, pickles, and green olives.
SERVE THIS.
(that recipe is fine, but my version did not have carrots or peas.)
posted by jbenben at 1:40 AM on June 6, 2018
Salad Olovieh is the Iranian version of Russian Salad - potatoes, egg, mayo, chicken, pickles, and green olives.
SERVE THIS.
(that recipe is fine, but my version did not have carrots or peas.)
posted by jbenben at 1:40 AM on June 6, 2018
Persian is indeed one of the most underrated cuisines on the planet. The above mentioned salad is excellent.
Kuku is another family of great Persian dishes- they're basically herby and/or spiced frittatas. My favourite is Kukuye Sabzi, which is roughly the following:
8 eggs
1 cup each finely chopped parsley, mint, coriander, dill
1 teaspoon cardamom
A decent pinch of saffron threads, steeped in 1/4 cup boiling water for 30 minutes
1 tablespoon self raising flour
Olive oil
Whisk the eggs in a big bowl then combine all other ingredients except the oil. Heat a medium-large oven safe frying pan under a grill/broiler then add oil to coat the pan.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and place under the grill. When the top is golden brown cover with foil and transfer to a low oven for about 20 minutes until the eggs are set.
Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:22 AM on June 6, 2018
Kuku is another family of great Persian dishes- they're basically herby and/or spiced frittatas. My favourite is Kukuye Sabzi, which is roughly the following:
8 eggs
1 cup each finely chopped parsley, mint, coriander, dill
1 teaspoon cardamom
A decent pinch of saffron threads, steeped in 1/4 cup boiling water for 30 minutes
1 tablespoon self raising flour
Olive oil
Whisk the eggs in a big bowl then combine all other ingredients except the oil. Heat a medium-large oven safe frying pan under a grill/broiler then add oil to coat the pan.
Pour the egg mixture into the pan and place under the grill. When the top is golden brown cover with foil and transfer to a low oven for about 20 minutes until the eggs are set.
Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:22 AM on June 6, 2018
Coconut macaroons are a pretty great picnic dessert. You can bring them in a Tupperware box to prevent them from getting crushed but bring a few ziplock bags because if you make them from scratch folks might fight to bring any leftovers home. I scoop mine with a small size cookie scoop to speed baking time.
I really like cheese and crackers at a picnic. You can pre-slice hard cheeses and either bring plastic knives for soft cheeses or not bring soft cheeses, whichever is easier for you. You can also make cheese and salami toothpicks with the Columbus sliced salami that I find at Trader Joe’s. They’re nice uniform round slices, small enough for one bite.
Or caprese skewer - mozzarella, basil, cherry tomato all on a toothpick. Make some without basil for kids (and adults) who might be suspicious of leaves?
You could also bring flavored simple syrups, gallons of cold water, and a sodastream if that’s a thing the kids are used to and wouldn’t fool around with out of curiosity.
You didn’t ask, but activities for the kids. A game of I spy, a game of small things to collect/scavenger hunt. Maybe a few jump ropes or other physical activity toys. Sometimes sitting around for a picnic can get boring for kids. Oh, if your older kids like reading to younger kids bring a few books that are appropriate for that.
And bring more wet wipes and fabric towels than you think you need. Some kid may end up needing an impromptu bath.
posted by bilabial at 3:36 AM on June 6, 2018
I really like cheese and crackers at a picnic. You can pre-slice hard cheeses and either bring plastic knives for soft cheeses or not bring soft cheeses, whichever is easier for you. You can also make cheese and salami toothpicks with the Columbus sliced salami that I find at Trader Joe’s. They’re nice uniform round slices, small enough for one bite.
Or caprese skewer - mozzarella, basil, cherry tomato all on a toothpick. Make some without basil for kids (and adults) who might be suspicious of leaves?
You could also bring flavored simple syrups, gallons of cold water, and a sodastream if that’s a thing the kids are used to and wouldn’t fool around with out of curiosity.
You didn’t ask, but activities for the kids. A game of I spy, a game of small things to collect/scavenger hunt. Maybe a few jump ropes or other physical activity toys. Sometimes sitting around for a picnic can get boring for kids. Oh, if your older kids like reading to younger kids bring a few books that are appropriate for that.
And bring more wet wipes and fabric towels than you think you need. Some kid may end up needing an impromptu bath.
posted by bilabial at 3:36 AM on June 6, 2018
A mainstay at Squirrel family picnics is some version of cowboy caviar with tortilla chips.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 4:05 AM on June 6, 2018
posted by SuperSquirrel at 4:05 AM on June 6, 2018
Late June theme: Independence Day -- red, white and blue, sparkly things but no fireworks.
Frisbee and lawn games but nothing hazardous for the small fry.
Set up a drawing station with paper, crayons, homemade slime or Play Dough, bubbles. Bring a plastic drop cloth, old shirts to cover or replace nice clothing, prizes for best artwork and a special treat for the kids who clean up the area when done (before completely tuckered out). No glitter or small items that get lost in the grass.
Umbrellas and water sprayers may be helpful. Sunscreen and bug spray are a must. Bring the first aid kit.
A couple of small Coleman ice chests with bagged ice and cold items -- deviled eggs, tuna salad, veggie salad fixings (separated for the one person who suddenly will not eat tomatoes), fruit, condiments, ranch or nacho dip.
A small Coleman ice chest with the hot stuff -- fried or rotisserie chicken, sliced ham or sliced roast beef for sandwiches. Transfer meat to the iced Colemans after food cools down for safety reasons.
Also baskets for bread, cupcakes, chips.
Ice cream maker and fixings (a bit ambitious and tiring, may be more work than reward) or send somebody to the local burger joint or supermarket when the main meal is over. Bring lots of topping options. Cool Whip, pudding and banana slices are an ice cream alternative when at the lake.
An assortment of sodas, bottled fruit drinks and water (easy to transport back home) plus cups and lidded mugs. Watch out for wasps and open soda cans or cups.
A tote for the essentials -- paper/plastic or reusable items like plates and bowls, napkins, forks and spoons. A box of big trash bags for clean up. Ziploc bags in one or two gallon sizes for leftovers or wet clothes.
Don't forget the lawn chairs.
posted by TrishaU at 4:13 AM on June 6, 2018
Frisbee and lawn games but nothing hazardous for the small fry.
Set up a drawing station with paper, crayons, homemade slime or Play Dough, bubbles. Bring a plastic drop cloth, old shirts to cover or replace nice clothing, prizes for best artwork and a special treat for the kids who clean up the area when done (before completely tuckered out). No glitter or small items that get lost in the grass.
Umbrellas and water sprayers may be helpful. Sunscreen and bug spray are a must. Bring the first aid kit.
A couple of small Coleman ice chests with bagged ice and cold items -- deviled eggs, tuna salad, veggie salad fixings (separated for the one person who suddenly will not eat tomatoes), fruit, condiments, ranch or nacho dip.
A small Coleman ice chest with the hot stuff -- fried or rotisserie chicken, sliced ham or sliced roast beef for sandwiches. Transfer meat to the iced Colemans after food cools down for safety reasons.
Also baskets for bread, cupcakes, chips.
Ice cream maker and fixings (a bit ambitious and tiring, may be more work than reward) or send somebody to the local burger joint or supermarket when the main meal is over. Bring lots of topping options. Cool Whip, pudding and banana slices are an ice cream alternative when at the lake.
An assortment of sodas, bottled fruit drinks and water (easy to transport back home) plus cups and lidded mugs. Watch out for wasps and open soda cans or cups.
A tote for the essentials -- paper/plastic or reusable items like plates and bowls, napkins, forks and spoons. A box of big trash bags for clean up. Ziploc bags in one or two gallon sizes for leftovers or wet clothes.
Don't forget the lawn chairs.
posted by TrishaU at 4:13 AM on June 6, 2018
My previous Ask on vegan entrees that are good at room temperature might give you some ideas. I specified that I wanted thing that would be appealing to omnivores.
posted by FencingGal at 7:16 AM on June 6, 2018
posted by FencingGal at 7:16 AM on June 6, 2018
This corn chowder salad is going to be my new favorite thing to bring for picnics and potlucks. Filling, good warm, cold, or in between, and no mayo to worry about sitting out all afternoon.
posted by misskaz at 7:35 AM on June 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by misskaz at 7:35 AM on June 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Tabbouleh, dolmades (Trader Joes has canned ones that are good)
Rollups with cream cheese, capers, roast beef, arugula
Veggie rollups with mixed greens, poppy seed dressing, cheese
Gazpacho - canned diced tomatoes, peeled, grated cucumber, long green peppers - spicy and/or mild, red onion, long green chilis, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper. recipes vary wildly. I make it very chunky. Variations abound.
Fill some water bottles. Freeze. They'll keep the cooler cool, and then you have cool water.
posted by theora55 at 8:20 AM on June 6, 2018
Rollups with cream cheese, capers, roast beef, arugula
Veggie rollups with mixed greens, poppy seed dressing, cheese
Gazpacho - canned diced tomatoes, peeled, grated cucumber, long green peppers - spicy and/or mild, red onion, long green chilis, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper. recipes vary wildly. I make it very chunky. Variations abound.
Fill some water bottles. Freeze. They'll keep the cooler cool, and then you have cool water.
posted by theora55 at 8:20 AM on June 6, 2018
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posted by vunder at 9:05 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]