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Come Party With Me: Spring Picnic - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:28:31 -0700

Let the beauty of the natural outdoors be the highlight of your Spring picnic's look. Spread out a picnic blanket in an area that is close to a pretty view or fresh beds of blooming flowers. Pack the non-perishable food in a picnic basket and the dishes that need to remain cold in a cooler. Bring folding lawn chairs to sit on. Fill plastic pitchers with the drinks and place upright in the cooler.

At the park, serve the food on plastic white plates with pink silverware and yellow linen napkins. Pour the drinks into clear plastic cups. Don't forget to bring a fun park activity that everyone can partake in after the picnic. A couple of Frisbees or kites are highly amusing.

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Come Party With Me: Spring Picnic - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:31:51 -0700

Since the menu and dessert for my Spring picnic are super traditional, I've decided to carry the theme over to the drinks too. What screams picnic more than lemonade and iced tea? While the iced tea will be classic and simple, the lemonade is a jazzed up adult version with vodka and mint.

Both concoctions taste better after sitting for several hours, so make the drinks in advance. Pour into pitchers with lids or a thermos for easy transportation to the park. Don't forget to fill a cooler with other beverages - water, beer, sodas, sparkling juices, Orangina, etc. - for those who prefer not to drink lemonade or iced tea. For the drink recipes, read more.

Minted Vodka Lemonade
From Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients

1 cup packed mint leaves, chopped
2/3-cup sugar
1-cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups vodka
Crushed ice for serving
Fresh mint springs, optional for garnish

Directions

Combine chopped mint and sugar in a large bowl or pitcher.
Stir in lemon juice and vodka.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Strain mixture into serving pitcher.
Fill six 6-8 ounce festive glasses with crushed ice. Pour mixture over. Garnish with mint springs.

Serves 6.

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Iced Tea
Modified from Tassimo

Ingredients

4-5 bags your favorite tea
Lemon juice (optional)
Sugar (optional)
Ice cubes

Directions

Prepare tea by brewing the bags in boiling water. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste; cool completely. Or, refrigerate until ready to serve.
Pour over ice cubes in two tall glasses. Sit back and relax on a hot day.

Makes half a pitcher.

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Come Party With Me: Spring Picnic - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:10:09 -0700

For my Spring picnic, I knew apple pie had to be on the menu because it's the quintessential American dessert. The only problem is pie isn't the most picnic friendly of meals. Unlike cookies or brownies, pie just does not transport easily.

However, this recipe for apple pie bars looks picnic perfect. The crust is a crisp shortbread, the filling a mixture of apples and cinnamon sugar, and the topping an oat-walnut streusel. All the familiar flavors of apple pie are present, but no fork or plate is necessary! To see how it's made, read more.

Apple Pie Bars
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

Crust
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
12 Granny Smith apples (about 6 pounds)-peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup water, as necessary
Topping
3/4 cup walnuts
3 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

Directions

Make the crust: preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 15-x-17-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
In a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan and 1/2 inch up the side in an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and set. Let cool on a rack.
Meanwhile, make the filling: in each of 2 large skillets, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter with 1/4 cup of the light brown sugar.
Add the apples to the skillets and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir half of the cinnamon and nutmeg into each skillet. Cook until the apples are caramelized and very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes longer; scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillets and add up to 1/2 cup of water to each pan to prevent scorching. Let cool.
Make the topping: spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast until golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop the walnuts.
In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the walnuts and press the mixture into clumps.
Spread the apple filling over the crust. Scatter the crumbs on top, pressing them lightly into an even layer.
Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour, until the topping is golden; rotate the pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting into 2-inch bars.

Serves 4.

Make ahead: the bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or frozen for up to a month.

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Come Party With Me: Spring Picnic - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:28:11 -0700

The past couple of days have been gloriously sunny here in San Francisco, inspiring me to plan a Spring picnic. The menu will consist of classic picnic foods best enjoyed under the bright blue sky. Homemade fried chicken will be placed in a big basket with delicious dipping sauces on the side. The recipe includes a spicy ancho honey, but if you prefer to serve fried chicken with blue cheese or ranch dip, offer those instead.

Coleslaw cups are a wonderful accompaniment to the fried chicken. Egg salad sandwiches on hearty wheat bread round out the homemade picnic spread. Supplement the menu with your favorite store bought picnic foods: potato chips, celery sticks, or hummus dip are excellent ideas.

To take a look at these recipes please, read more.

Fried Chicken with Ancho Honey
From Bobby Flay

Ingredients

1 quart buttermilk, plus 2 cups
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili de arbol powder, or 2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 chickens (3 to 4 pounds each), cut up into 8 pieces each
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
Peanut oil, for deep-frying
Ancho honey, recipe follows

Directions

Whisk together 1 quart of the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt, and the chili de arbol in a large bowl or large baking dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl.
Stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika and cayenne in a large bowl and divide among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper.
Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it dry. Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess.
Put the chicken pieces on a baking rack set over a baking sheet while the oil heats.
Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
Working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot, drizzled with the ancho honey.

Serves 4-6.

Ancho Honey:

1 cup honey
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
Salt

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt, to taste.

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Coleslaw Cups
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
1 head napa cabbage, 20 leaves left whole and the rest shredded (about 5 cups)
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded (about 5 cups)
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons celery seeds

Directions

In a jar with a lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Shake vigorously and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the shredded Napa, red and green cabbages with the parsley and celery seeds. Shake the dressing again and pour over the cabbage; toss to coat.
Trim the ends of the reserved cabbage leaves and place a large spoonful of marinated slaw in the center of each leaf; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 10.

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Egg-Salad Sandwiches
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

8 large eggs
3 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups watercress, thick stems removed
8 thin slices (1 ounce each) whole-grain bread

Directions

Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
Cover eggs with 1 inch of cold water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover, and let stand 11 to 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to ice-water bath; let stand 2 minutes.
Peel eggs; cut in half, and remove yolks. Crumble 2 yolks, and set aside; discard remaining yolks.
Finely chop egg whites, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add crumbled egg yolks.
Whisk together ricotta, yogurt, mustard, chives, and salt in a small bowl; season with pepper.
Add to egg mixture, and gently stir to combine.
Arrange egg salad, then watercress, over 4 slices of bread, dividing evenly. Top with remaining slices of bread.

Serves 4.

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Come Party With Me: Spring Picnic - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:13:11 -0700

Spring has sprung! To celebrate, I'm gathering up some friends, heading to Crissy Field, and having a picnic. Spring is a great time to have a picnic because the weather is warm without being too hot. However, the success of the picnic depends on good weather, so be sure to check out the local forecast when you start to plan. Once the weatherman has given you the go ahead, send the invitations. To see how I made these grassy green invites, read more.

To make an invite similar to the one seen here you will need the following supplies:

green paper or cardstock
scissors
gluestick
colored paper scraps
single hole punch
computer and printer

To assemble the invite:

Start by creating a new document in Microsoft Word. Write out the details of the picnic. For my invite I used the font Bradley Hand ITC TT-Bold in size 14 Bold to write this message:

Spring Has Sprung!

To celebrate the arrival of the sun,
please join me for
frisbee, frolicking, and fabulous food.

Sunday, March 30, 2008
1:30 in the afternoon
Crissy Field, San Francisco

Regrets only 415.555.5555

Center to the left of the page and print out on regular paper. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Once satisfied with the text, print out on the green paper.

Fold in half, lengthwise. Cut the bottom and top off the folded invite, leaving a 2 inch border at the top.
Cut small 1/4 inch slits down the top of the invite. Cut the tip off of each slit on a slant in order to form grass blades. Set aside.

With the single hole punch, punch out a bunch of colored holes. Don't discard the holes.

Glue the holes to the front of the invite to make small flowers.
Slide in to an envelope and send!

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Off To Market: Picnic Basket

partysugar — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:48:32 -0700

At the end of April, I am heading down to Bakersfield for the Cattani family's annual Spring picnic. My girlfriend Laura and her family are people after my own heart, they know how to throw one fabulous party. Every April they invite all of their friends out to their ranch for some frolicking in the sun and every August they invite the same people to a reggae party at their beach house on the strip in Hermosa. Last August I spent the weekend at their house and had the most amazing time. So much so that I do not want to show up empty handed to their picnic. I want to get them a wonderful gift to thank them for inviting me to the parties and was thinking what could be more fitting than a picnic basket? I need you to help me find the most perfect picnic basket. Please save your finds in the Yum Market with the keyword tag Picnic Basket. I look forwarding to checking out what you find.

Read geeksugar's explanation to understand the Yum Market.

10 Picks to Pack on a Picnic

YumSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:50:24 -0700

Poolside parties. Backyard luaus. Outdoor concerts. Like peanut butter fits with jelly, certain soirées seem to go hand-in-hand with Summer. But I'd argue that there's no better way to pass the long, balmy days than to gather friends for an impromptu picnic. In true spur-of-the-moment fashion, any fare goes - but there are some old favorites that come to mind. Here, 10 prototypical picnic foods that fit the bill for a reason.

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Spring Picnic Invite: Step by Step

partysugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:07:27 -0700

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Noteworthy Nibbles - May 26-June 2, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:30:35 -0700

If you didn't get your fill of celebrations and libations over Memorial Day weekend, there's plenty more going on, from craft beer tastings to Champagne parties. What will you be attending this week? Feel free to share any other events you're looking forward to below!

The Woodlands, TX: Wine & Food Week - May 26-31
Houston, TX: Tour de Champagne - May 28
Augusta, NJ: Crawfish Fest - May 29-31
Vashon Island, WA: Slow Food Seattle Spring With Seabreeze Farm - May 30
Washington DC: Savor Craft Beer - May 30
Miami, FL: Slow Food Miami Picnic & Pie Contest - May 30
Toms River, NJ: New Jersey State Chili & Salsa Cookoff - May 30
Franklin, AL: Franklin Food & Spirits Festival - May 30-31

To see the rest, read more.

Richmond, VA: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival - May 30
York, PA: Taste of Pennsylvania - May 30-31
San Francisco, CA: Top Chef Dinner at Scala's Bistro - May 31
Santa Barbara, CA: Taste of Santa Barbara - May 31
Temecula, CA: Field to the Fork - May 31
Cape Cod, MA: Cape Cod Life Food & Wine Festival - May 31-June 6
Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Restaurant Week - May 31-June 9
New Orleans, LA: The Global Cocktail Bar Phenomenon - June 1
New York, NY: Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top of the List - June 2

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What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 09:30:06 -0700

Celebrate Spring with a rustic shrimp, asparagus, and basil linguine toss.
Party's planning a picnic that pairs perfectly with a day of volunteerism.
Tom Colicchio dishes on the next big sandwich trend.
Learn how to chiffonade herbs and vegetables.
How much do you know about the White House garden?
When making cocktails at home, save the ice until last.
Use shaved celery to create a distinctively flavored salad.