Eating out usually means restaurants but I think eating outside is an even better choice. The picnic season has begun and it is my favorite eating style. The dictionary definition—an outing with food, eaten in the open—doesn’t include that special state of mind: the carefree, spontaneous mood. I would elaborate on the dictionary definition and say a good picnic is a respite from the ordinary, an escape from routine, a time for adventurous feasting. A very special delight, except that somebody has to prepare everything, right? Well, maybe not if you’ve prepared ahead.
Picnics can be divided into different categories: picnics to take on the road, picnics for the backyard or porch, cook-outs, boat picnics, party picnics, picnics for two.
As soon as the weather starts being reliable, I pack my picnic basket and keep it at the ready. Now, you can stage a very elaborate feast which would entail a lot more than this basket holds, but that takes planning, cooking, inviting, etc. That’s a great way to entertain, but for our purposes here this basket is packed for two people to have a regular meal at the drop of a hat (of course, yours could be for any number).
I have an old-fashioned picnic hamper that has a top that lifts on each side of center and no insulation. In addition, I have several insulated bags that will fit into that rather large hamper. Thermoses are nice. A cooler would work; paper bags work; you don’t have to have fancy equipment. But whatever you use, keep staples inside it.
Napkins
Paper plates or plastic plates
Plastic or regular flatware
Cups--Styrofoam or plastic
A tablecloth and clips to clip it onto a picnic table
Salt and pepper
A roll of aluminum foil
A few paper towels
A few zip-lock plastic bags
Moistened towelettes
You may think of other “must-have” items, but this list is a good beginning.
The food for this type of picnic should be easily assembled and prepared from foods in the freezer, refrigerator, and on the kitchen shelves. Keeping your freezer stocked with prepared sandwiches, fried chicken and other goodies is the key to convenient but tasty dishes. Of course, you can stop at local delis, sandwich shops, or even the deli section of the supermarket to supply the meal, but you can have a real feast by doing a bit of footwork ahead of time. This is a favorite menu:
Fried Chicken
3-bean salad
Coleslaw
Biscuits
Pecan cookies
My favorite fried chicken recipe is delicious either hot or cold. I got it from a Creole woman friend I met in married student housing on an Oklahoma campus in the late ‘60’s. She was from New Orleans and taught me to cook Creole style. The actual directions for this chicken start with “Put the chicken in the batter before church and it will be ready to fry when you get home.”
Janice Howard’s Real Southern Fried Chicken:
1 Frying Chicken, cut up
1-2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
One-half tsp. paprika
One-half tsp. garlic powder (or use garlic salt and reduce salt by one quarter tsp.)
2 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
Canola oil for frying (about 2 cups)
Two to three hours before frying: Put chicken parts in a mixture of half-and-half and beaten eggs in shallow glass baking pan large enough to hold chicken in one layer. Refrigerate two or three hours.
Prepare Chicken to fry: Put flour and seasonings into zip-lock bag. Add 2 pieces of chicken at a time to bag and shake well. Put on cooling rack to dry. When all pieces of chicken are coated, leave on rack for 10 minutes. Shake pieces of chicken in flour mixture again, adding more flour if necessary.
To fry: Preheat oil on medium heat in 10 or 12-inch cast-iron skillet (can use any very heavy skillet) until bread cube turns brown in 1 minute. Put pieces of chicken into skillet, largest pieces first. Make sure oil is at medium heat. Oil should come half way up chicken pieces; if not, add more oil. Fry 5 minutes (without covering), turn, fry 5 minutes more. Add small pieces to skillet, being careful not to crowd chicken. Fry 10 minutes; turn all pieces, fry 10 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or cool, wrap and freeze. Bring to room temperature before eating if frozen.
Three-bean salad needs to marinate to be good, so make it a day ahead and refrigerate. Coleslaw usually improves with at least an hour or two before eating.
Now all you need is a great spot, someone to join you and a nice day. June should provide the latter.
Picnics can be divided into different categories: picnics to take on the road, picnics for the backyard or porch, cook-outs, boat picnics, party picnics, picnics for two.
As soon as the weather starts being reliable, I pack my picnic basket and keep it at the ready. Now, you can stage a very elaborate feast which would entail a lot more than this basket holds, but that takes planning, cooking, inviting, etc. That’s a great way to entertain, but for our purposes here this basket is packed for two people to have a regular meal at the drop of a hat (of course, yours could be for any number).
I have an old-fashioned picnic hamper that has a top that lifts on each side of center and no insulation. In addition, I have several insulated bags that will fit into that rather large hamper. Thermoses are nice. A cooler would work; paper bags work; you don’t have to have fancy equipment. But whatever you use, keep staples inside it.
Napkins
Paper plates or plastic plates
Plastic or regular flatware
Cups--Styrofoam or plastic
A tablecloth and clips to clip it onto a picnic table
Salt and pepper
A roll of aluminum foil
A few paper towels
A few zip-lock plastic bags
Moistened towelettes
You may think of other “must-have” items, but this list is a good beginning.
The food for this type of picnic should be easily assembled and prepared from foods in the freezer, refrigerator, and on the kitchen shelves. Keeping your freezer stocked with prepared sandwiches, fried chicken and other goodies is the key to convenient but tasty dishes. Of course, you can stop at local delis, sandwich shops, or even the deli section of the supermarket to supply the meal, but you can have a real feast by doing a bit of footwork ahead of time. This is a favorite menu:
Fried Chicken
3-bean salad
Coleslaw
Biscuits
Pecan cookies
My favorite fried chicken recipe is delicious either hot or cold. I got it from a Creole woman friend I met in married student housing on an Oklahoma campus in the late ‘60’s. She was from New Orleans and taught me to cook Creole style. The actual directions for this chicken start with “Put the chicken in the batter before church and it will be ready to fry when you get home.”
Janice Howard’s Real Southern Fried Chicken:
1 Frying Chicken, cut up
1-2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
One-half tsp. paprika
One-half tsp. garlic powder (or use garlic salt and reduce salt by one quarter tsp.)
2 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
Canola oil for frying (about 2 cups)
Two to three hours before frying: Put chicken parts in a mixture of half-and-half and beaten eggs in shallow glass baking pan large enough to hold chicken in one layer. Refrigerate two or three hours.
Prepare Chicken to fry: Put flour and seasonings into zip-lock bag. Add 2 pieces of chicken at a time to bag and shake well. Put on cooling rack to dry. When all pieces of chicken are coated, leave on rack for 10 minutes. Shake pieces of chicken in flour mixture again, adding more flour if necessary.
To fry: Preheat oil on medium heat in 10 or 12-inch cast-iron skillet (can use any very heavy skillet) until bread cube turns brown in 1 minute. Put pieces of chicken into skillet, largest pieces first. Make sure oil is at medium heat. Oil should come half way up chicken pieces; if not, add more oil. Fry 5 minutes (without covering), turn, fry 5 minutes more. Add small pieces to skillet, being careful not to crowd chicken. Fry 10 minutes; turn all pieces, fry 10 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or cool, wrap and freeze. Bring to room temperature before eating if frozen.
Three-bean salad needs to marinate to be good, so make it a day ahead and refrigerate. Coleslaw usually improves with at least an hour or two before eating.
Now all you need is a great spot, someone to join you and a nice day. June should provide the latter.
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