Country Kitchen: Backyard Picnics

Country Kitchen: Enjoy Backyard Picnics This Time of Year



By Mary Emma Allen

For those picnics in the backyard, when you want to entertain informally in a pleasant outdoor setting, you can serve eary-to-prepare meals that you make beforehand.

Meats, cooked the previous day, make excellent picnic platters. Cold baked ham, meat loaf, roast beef, roast pork, sliced chicken, cold cuts, and cheese can be arranged attractively around potato, macaroni or molded vegetable and jello salads.

Slices of rosy tomatoes, sweet onion, crisp cucumber on a bed of lettuce leaves are always tasty. DonÂ’t forget the pickles, carrot curls, and celery sticks as crunchies.

Picnic Fruit Desserts

Fruit bowl or fruit salad are successful endings to outdoor meals. These are easy to make, simple to serve, and delicious.

*Scoop out the red portion from half a watermelon with ice cream scoop. Mix melon balls with other fruits - pineapple cubes, peach slices, fresh berries, banana slices.

Pile into watermelon half, sprinkle with lemon juice and honey; chill before serving.

*Cut out center of a fresh pineapple and mix with fresh strawberries and bananas; refill pineapple with fruit mixture and chill.

*Arrange a layer of sliced oranges in a glass bowl, spread with shredded coconut, and top with layer of sliced bananas. Repeat until bowl is filled. Garnish with maraschino cherry halves and chill.

*Place chunk of ice in punch bowl; fill half full of mixed fruits - cherries, grapes, orange slices, melon balls, bananas, peach slices, etc. Drizzle with raspberry syrup; serve in 30 minutes when chilled.

(C) 2002 Mary Emma Allen

About the Author

Mary Emma Allen has been writing her "Cooking Column" for newspapers and online publications for 30 years and has compiled a family cookbook. SheÂ’s currently compiling a cookbook/story book, "Tales From a Country Kitchen." Visit her web site for more cooking articles. Contact her at me.allen@juno.com

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