From Hello Giggles
“Picnics: One of the supreme pleasures of an outdoor life.” James Beard
Fall is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors, especially if you live where the summers are hot and humid. When I recently saw the quote about picnics from James Beard, I spent some time on Pinterest looking for inspiration and how to put a twist on the traditional picnic.
Vintage Thermos and Aladdin
On a tour through my local antique mall I saw this thermal trio. Two are Thermos and one is Aladdin brand. It made me get all nostalgic thinking how I used to take hot cocoa to high school football games. I plan to just use these for fall decoration on the mantel, but I do think any good picnic needs a thermal carafe for hot cocoa or pumpkin spiced coffee.
Which leads me to the next picnic must, a good sandwich. It’s all in the presentation. So many restaurants make really good sandwiches, why reinvent the wheel? Just pick up several, then take them home and re-wrap them yourself. Here’s a step-by-step from Nad’s Bakery for wrapping them in parchment paper. Butcher paper would be cute, too. I would add the extra touch of bakery twine with a sprig of rosemary.
How to wrap your sandwich in parchment
Instead of a sandwich how about a spin on Frito pie and do a “walking taco.”
Pack small, personal sized bags of Doritos and Fritos and a variety of toppings like taco meat, cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, salsa, jalapeno slices, and sour cream. Package each topping in a plastic container and keep it cold with ice packs.
Strawberry, mint lemonade
And last, every good picnic needs lemonade. This is a fun idea from Little Miss Party NYC. Just purchase store bought lemonade (you cannot beat SimplyLemonade or Limeade in my opinion) and infuse it with sliced lemons, strawberries and mint. Fill mason or milk jars and pack on ice to keep it cold.
Here’s some more fun tips from Country Living magazine on how to create the ultimate picnic experience — like using frozen grapes for ice cubes and attaching your blanket to a shower curtain to put a barrier between your blanket and the grass. Brilliant!
Have a great fall Ya’ll!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
