What are good picnic foods that you can take for the perfect outdoor dining trip
With summer here, more and more people are wanting to take advantage of the nicer temperatures while chowing down on some of their favorite foods al fresco. Picnics are the reason for the season and of course, there are a couple of items that any good picnicker will have in their basket.
Most of these foods are traditional, but there are a couple that some people may not think about when stuffing those baskets. Others might find that there are some foods that are must haves that are missing off this list.
That’s the great thing about a good outing. When answering the question, “what are good picnic foods?” there are a ton of different and valid answers.
Apple Pie
Far be it from us to pretend as if the only foods you should take along on these getaways are healthy foods. Part of the fun of having this kind of get together is to eat and eat and eat without having to worry about calorie count, or whether or not you are fulfilling your dietary needs.
Apple Pie is always going to be one of the foods you need to have in your basket. Not only will this top off the meal with a great, sugary taste treat, but you will be showing everyone else at the event that you know what makes people happy. Just what kind of apple pie you go with is completely up to you. Caramel apple pie, or Dutch apple pie is always a taste treat.
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Watermelon
You need to have a good piece of fruit when you are taking into account what are good picnic foods. While an apple or a banana will work too, there is just something about a warm summer and late spring afternoon and the need for watermelon. This just seems to be a fruit that has to be eaten outdoors alongside the rest of the dishes in your basket.
Cold Fried Chicken
Unless you are unpacking your basket and eating right away, more often than not the dishes you eat are going to be of the cold variety. Cold pizza is good, but it doesn’t exactly scream “picnic.” Cold fried chicken, on the other hand is something that has long gone hand in hand with the event. Cook the chicken the morning before you go out so it’s nice and fresh, but otherwise you can enjoy it throughout the day at your leisure.
Lemonade
While not specifically a food, lemonade is something that you can’t have a picnic without. Guzzling down a cold crisp glass of this lemony liquid is almost as if you are drinking down summer itself. The taste of this concoction can be matched up with almost everyone.
Cheese and Crackers
I said that there was going to be a food that some people might not think of. Sometimes you don’t want to have a heavy meal when you are out in the bright sunshine. Getting the best cheese you can find, along with a nice cracker assortment is a great way to snack at your leisure and not feel logy afterward. Of course, cheese doesn’t agree with the sun all that often, so you should get a cooler, or an ice pack in order to make sure the cheese is still fresh.
The best part about these additions is that if you include a nice bottle of wine, you can feel like a gourmet out on the grass.
Hot dogs, hamburgers and potato chips are other foods that can be added to a basket in short notice. For these, a park grill is a necessity. Remember that foods that travel best of dining al fresco are often those that don’t require cooking.
The best picnic foods are actually the ones you prefer. That is the best thing about this particular outing is that in the end, you should pick food you truly want to chow down on.