A Perfect Formula for Picnics
A Perfect Formula for Picnics
Chicken + grain salad + fruit, plus one-on-one time with your kids and Smitten Kitchen's new cookbook
The sun is starting to shine and it’s making me feel like outdoor eating with friends is right around the corner. One of the things I’ve always liked about living in big cities is that people gather in parks. We have several nearby parks to choose from and on any given Sunday, they will be packed with families and friends sitting on blankets and sharing food.
Eating outdoors in the grass with kids is especially great because the regular dinner rules don’t apply. Kids can run around and spill food and be loud and no one really cares. I especially like a late afternoon picnic on Sundays. Fresh air always helps with the Sunday blues.
Of course, the magical outdoor picnic dinner only happens because parents (that’s you) are planning and packing the meal. I think we should make it as easy as possible on ourselves, don’t you?
One thing that always make cooking easier is having a formula that works every time. Mine is chicken + grain salad with beans + strawberries and/or sliced melon.
Chicken: This is a perfect picnic protein because it’s great served cold. Sometimes we pick up fried chicken from a restaurant or I slice up meat from rotisserie chicken. Cold, grilled drumsticks are fun or you can grill marinated chicken thighs and slice up the meat for easy eating (try this Mediterranean marinade with garlic, dill and spices or this soy sauce marinade). If you prefer chicken breast and haven’t tried That Chicken marinade from Dinner a Love Story, you really need to.
Grain salad with beans: Grain salads with canned beans are filling enough to be a main course for vegetarians, they are healthy and satisfying, they can be made ahead of time, and they feed a lot of people. When I’m invited to a BBQ, it’s what I bring 99% of the time.
Below are a few recipes to try, but usually I just wing it and combine 2 cups of a cooked grain (quinoa, farro, barley) plus 1 can of chickpeas or white beans, plus LOTS of fresh herb (usually parsley with a little bit of mint), a generous squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, either chopped shallot or green onion, and LOTS of salt and pepper. You can also add feta cheese, or grated carrot or dried fruit (raisins or cranberries) or roasted vegetables.
Strawberries and/or Sliced Melon: I can’t wait for watermelon season! It’s the perfect outdoor fruit. Strawberries are also great because you don’t have to slice them, just bring whole berries for kids to grab. Watermelon and strawberry fruit salad is also a really refreshing combination.
Southwest quinoa black bean salad from Feasting at Home
Farro Greek salad from Cookie and Kate
Winter slaw with farro from Deb Perelman and Food52
Dinner Last Week
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week.
Monday: We returned from our spring break road trip late in the afternoon and I was very pleased with myself for planning ahead and making sure we had food in the house for dinner. There was tofu in the fridge, Momofuku soy and scallion noodles in the pantry, and frozen broccoli in the freezer.
Tuesday: After a week of vacation eating, I was craving vegetables. I roasted three sheet-pans of vegetables and made a simple salad that my kids like (butter lettuce with grated carrot on top.) I also boiled pasta and warmed up red sauce. I also made a scrambled egg for my 8 year old, who is still on a pasta strike.
Wednesday: I went out on a limb and tried store-bought gnocchi for the first time in a few years, which confirmed what I already knew - none of us like it. I was also testing new oyster mushroom recipes (roasted or sauteed) so we had lots of mushrooms. I think the kids nibbled at dinner and then had a bowl of cereal before bed.
Thursday: I’ve been working on a crispy tofu recipe for tacos and finally nailed it. It’s our new favorite vegetarian taco and I’ll share it with you soon! We topped our tofu tacos with black beans, shredded cheese, cabbage and avocado.
Friday: Leftover sausage and lentil soup, defrosted from the week before, plus baguette and butter.
Cookbooks & Reading
My 8 year old and I have started a Saturday tradition called “Books and Bagels.” While her older sister is at karate, we pick up books at the library and then walk across the street to a coffee shop and order her favorite poppy seed bagel with cream cheese for lunch.
It started casually but has really become a thing. Josie even made a sign that we put on the dashboard of the car when we’re driving to the library.
As all parents of multiple kids know, it’s hard to find time for one-on-one outings with each kid. But it’s so worth it! The conversations you have are different than when the whole family is together. You get to know your kid better as an individual and they get to know you better when you’re not in full-on Mom Mode.
This past Saturday I finally got my reserved copy of Smitten Kitchen Keepers from the library. Although I haven’t had time to cook from it yet, I’ve marked a lot of pages with sticky notes.
There’s the pasta on the cover (green angel hair with garlic butter), the skillet white beans “caesar” and the slow-roasted chicken with schmaltzy croutons. Plus, lots of desserts.
Deb Perelman is an entertaining writer and you’ll want to read the introduction to every recipe. You will definitely find something, or many things, in this cookbook that you’ll want to make for dinner.
Hope you all have a good weekend!
The kids and I are going to an Earth Day litter clean-up at the LA river. It’s along the path that we ride our bikes on, so it feels good and neighborly to pitch in and keep it clean. Although I have to admit, it’s my kids who are motivating me to do this, not the other way around.
We’re also checking a chore off the list and finally going to the post office to renew Josie’s passport. Not because we’re going anywhere, but because you never know when a chance to travel might pop up. Her sweet little 3-year-old face on her expired passport photo is making my heart burst every time I look at it. Sniff.
xo
Jenny