Throw Yourself a Perfect Picnic
Plus, a celebratory sale.
Hey,
How’s your kitchen? And how are you? At the moment, I’m doing a little happy dance in mine—the “spring forward” type of daylight savings happened this past weekend and I’m thrilled about it. I know this may be a divisive take, but to me, the loss of an hour of sleep this past Sunday is well-worth the extra hour of daylight we’ll have in the evenings as the weather warms.
To celebrate this little harbinger of longer, warmer days, I have two things: first, a sale! Over the years, Abigail and I have bonded over a number of things: good food, good gossip, and good writing immediately come to mind. But there are few things we love more than a good, late sunset. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to relish the brighter afternoons and evenings.
To celebrate with us, you can use code DAYLIGHT to save 10% on Meal Prep Made Simple.
Second, I know I may be jumping the gun a bit here, but picnic season is upon us and I want to walk you through how I like to throw ‘em. But because I know it might still be a little chilly where you are (it’s 45 and raining here…) this is a friendly reminder that an indoor picnic is VERY fun and very chic. For picnic vibes sans picnic-appropriate weather, just lay a blanket out in your living room and pretend it’s a sunny spring day. Or enjoy a dinner eaten directly from a parchment-lined tabletop.
Okay, let’s get right into it:
The Blanket
We’re gonna need a place to sit. If you want something that screams picnic, you want this one. You can also save your coin and go for something really simple, but if you’re looking to splurge, my in laws recently gifted us this stunning tartan number. If you do a little digging, there are so many cute vintage options—I love how this one is incredibly on the nose. And finally, here’s one that works at the beach, in the bath, or as a sweet little spot to place your picnic for one or two.
The Basket (and such)
I think a picnic is best packed into whatever zip-topped tote or well-insulated cooler you already have lying around, but if you’re extremely aesthetically minded and love to go all out, you might want to take a peek at this over-the-top, fully-loaded wicker guy.
For the containers within your basket, leak-proof. We all love pasta salad, but not when it’s hanging out with our granola. These are my longtime favorite glass containers, mason and retired jam jars always work great, and I’ve used these lightweight ones at clients’ homes in the past.
Pack the appropriate dish and silverware of course, and please, don’t forget to pack a nice sharp pairing knife and a few napkins for spills and such.
The Menu
The Big Fancy Snacks format lends itself incredibly well to picnicking. To make sure my meal is well-rounded, I like to have at least one representative from each of the following comestible categories on my blanket: a protein, a cheese, a veggie, a crunchie-crusty item, a dip, a fruit or fruit-adjacent goodie, and a little sweet. Here are a couple (fully-store-bought!) ways that can come together:
Throw a portable tinned fish date night. Pack up one or two of your favorite tins, a nice gouda, some zesty pesto, sliced cucumbers plus some briny cornichons, a good crispbread style cracker, plump medjool dates, and some chocolate dipped pretzels.
Go fully vegetarian with hummus as your protein and your dip. Serve it alongside a sharp cheddar, carrots, some sliced apples and a fig spread. I’d probably opt for something classic like a ritz cracker, and round everything out with a nostalgic childhood dessert, like oreo cookies.
I really love a little Mediterranean moment and will often fill my basket with a spicy Italian sausage, some cubed feta, a tzatziki, bell peppers and some olives, pita chips or a crusty baguette, some grapes (sliced peaches in the summer!), and a bar of fancy dark chocolate.
If you want to go for a more homemade vibe, so many of the recipes in Meal Prep Made Simple are picnic-ready. For outdoor gatherings, I’m especially partial to our Orzo Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta, the Choose Your Own Adventure Slaw, and our super light and bright Green Goddess Grain Bowl. For dessert, our Trail Mix Inspired Cookies, or the One Bowl Almond Apricot Granola work great. You know what to do: code DAYLIGHT gets you that discount.
Okay, we’ve covered it! I hope you’re as excited for this seasonal shift as I am. And if you do happen to have a picnic (indoor or outdoor!) anytime soon, I’d love to hear about it. You can respond directly to these emails, leave a comment, or DM me over on Instagram.
As always, wishing you a well-fed week ahead.
xx
Erica
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