Organizing the Perfect Picnic

What could be more romantic than a picnic with the sweetie? Besides this, I'll try to dig up my Bread Basket for Picnics. Yes, it's a basket made of bread you can eat. In the meantime...

Planning the Perfect Picnic
When you think of a picnic, do you conjure up idyllic visions of wicker baskets, red-checked tablecloths, and a baguette, cheese board and bottle of wine arranged artfully beside you while you lounge peacefully by the side of a lake? In reality, your last picnic may have involved bug bites, squashed peanut butter sandwiches, and collapsing paper plates. Take heart, though -- you really can have a storybook-perfect picnic! All it takes is a little planning.

* The Picturesque Picnic. A picnic just isn't a picnic without a charming cloth to spread out on the ground. A colorful, inexpensive tablecloth, sheet or blanket will make your picnic a delight to the senses, not to mention more comfortable, as you enjoy your cloth's wonderful ability to keep dirt and bugs off of you and out of the food. Instead of dragging along that boring old paper ware on your picnic, pick up a set of nice-looking, reusable plastic plates and cups. If you don't have a wicker picnic basket, let the kids decorate a large, sturdy box with contact paper and markers. Keep your tablecloth and special plates in your basket so you'll be ready to picnic whenever the sunshine and green grass call to you. Better yet, get one or two of those plastic storage boxes. One can be a “dry” box for the food and utensils, the other can hold ice and the drinks.
* Be Picnic-Equipped. One of the most indispensable gadgets to bring along on a picnic is a deluxe pocketknife. In addition to a knife blade, it should have scissors, a corkscrew and a can opener. When armed with one of these, you can handle any food or drink that needs slicing, peeling, trimming or prying open. If you do somehow find yourself stranded in the great outdoors with a lovely chunk of Cheddar and no knife to cut it with, just whip out your wallet: any plastic card can double as an impromptu cheese knife! For convenient cleanup of hands and faces, bring baby wipes or dampen several paper towels and put them in a resealable plastic bag. You'll also be glad you remembered a couple of extra plastic bags for garbage and dirty dishes (just don't get them mixed up! Use the clear trash bags.). Save money by saving all those little packets of ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, and sweeteners in a resealable plastic bag. Clever food storage companies have also lately come out with disposable plastic storage containers that stack neatly. No more lugging home the Tupperware and spending an hour at the sink washing it all. It may seem silly and not very elegant, but a milk jug with a bit of water in the bottom frozen in the freezer will keep beverages chilled, lessen the chance of spills, and the small closeable opening keeps insects at bay.
· Perfect Picnic Food. Choose foods that don't require many utensils for serving or eating once you're settled onto your picnic blanket. Ideally, you should be able to eat most picnic foods with your hands, although we do advocate grabbing a few plastic forks to enjoy your favorite salad. There is certainly something very charming about a blanket holding a cheese knife and a tiny cutting board arranged with wedges of brie and gorgonzola. For all the other food, though, try to do most of the necessary slicing at home -- it's much easier to do in your kitchen (or to have the deli do it) than to attempt slicing meat, cheese, bread and watermelon for 6 people using a pocketknife. Desserts are best when already in individual portions, like cookies, brownies and cupcakes. Just remember that all sweet foods including fruits attract stinging insects.
· Emergency Kit. Choose and pack in the same stackable storage containers a few simple first aid supplies, like bandaids, insect sting ointments, sunburn sprays, sunscreen, and the like. If anyone is allergic to common outdoor items like bee stings, make sure you carry the appropriate remedy like benedryl or epi-pens.
· Getting Fancy about it. Believe it or not, you really can afford to get elegant with your picnic. The so-called dining pavilions available in Kmart or other similar stores are a worthwhile investment, with some minor changes you can make at home. Get the cheap ones without all that mosquito netting. Use old white sheets you can pick up in thrift stores and a box of safety pins or even clothespins to create your own side “walls”. A few spare clothespins to tie back the walls you want to open to catch a breeze are more than adequate. Should one of those summer showers threaten, you can still be cozy and dry while you finish your picnic. Take it from me, these really do work and are worth the trouble.