Picnic Fun - Tips and Recipes

Top 10 Tailgating Recipes

Tailgating food definitely varies by region and team – you’ll find spicy tex-mex in Texas stadiums, shellfish in New England, steak in Philly and jambalaya in Louisiana.  But aside from these regional specialties, there are fan-favorite staples that can be smelled and tasted at every tailgate party across America.  These recipes might not be gourmet epicurean restaurant fare, but they’re filling, easy to make, and most of all – delicious!  Use them to create a menu for your next tailgate party or as inspiration to create your own recipes.

Scott’s Mountain-Thunder Football Chili – Nothing’s better for cold-weather tailgate parties than some hot, hearty chili.  This crowd pleaser was an entry in Food Network’s Manly Man Chili Cook-Off and employs some surprising ingredients like pumpkin pie spice and London broil to great effect.

Seven Layer Taco Dip – Possibly the most requested recipe at any football-related party, the seven layer taco dip is hard to mess up.  Just stick to the basic ingredients – lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, bean dip, cheese and black olives among a few others – and you can’t go wrong.  Serve it up with tortilla chips or scoop-shaped corn chips.

Party Sub – This ultra-easy recipe from Kraft Foods can be put together in a flash even by those with zero cooking experience.  Using classic sandwich ingredients like ham, pickles and lettuce as well as some pops of flavor from horseradish and coleslaw, this sub will please everyone in your tailgating crowd.

Lil’ Smokies – The strange combination of grape jelly and either ketchup or chili sauce somehow works with these little cocktail-sized sausages.  You can adjust the recipe by using cranberry sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, beer or wrapping them in bacon.  Cook ‘em at home and bring them to the game in an insulated cooler pack or food compartment.

Steelers Sideline Sausage – You’ll love this recipe whether you’re a Steelers fan or not.  This firefighter-created recipe is comprised of Italian sausage, onions, peppers, spices and tomato sauce.  Serve on soft, crusty sausage rolls.

Cole Slaw – A standard vegetable side at any cookout, picnic or party, cole slaw can be made in so many different ways.  Whether you like yours mayo-based, sweet or vinegary, you can find a recipe that suits your tastes here.  Choose your favorite variation, or try something new.

Jack Daniels Sizzling Smokehouse Barbecued Ribs – A few steps above the Coca-Cola and ketchup recipe but not so complicated that it’ll take hours to make, this BBQ ribs recipe is perfect for tailgating.  Marinate and roast the ribs at home and finish them off on the grill during the party.

Hot Wings – These are definitely an American staple, and who better to provide a great recipe for them than Tobasco?  This page includes a recipe for delicious blue-cheese dip to go along with the wings.  Bring some handi-wipes!

Baked Beans – You could just pour some canned beans into a saucepan, or you could try something a little more appetizing.  This recipe starts out with the standard can of Bush’s beans and adds some veggies and seasoning for a more full-flavored version of the classic side dish.

Basic Make-Ahead Potato Salad – Everybody loves potato salad, and the best part is that you can prepare it a day or two before the big game, leaving you with more time to concentrate on the other parts of your meal.

Need a big cooler to get all your food to the game, or a picnic set to enjoy it with?  Check out the Tailgating selection at PicnicFun.com! The Game Day Gas Grill is pictured at right.

Planning a Fall Cookout

Just because summer’s over doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a delicious meal cooked on the grill.  The temperatures aren’t yet so cold that you need to huddle around a fire to be comfortable outdoors in most of the country, so it’s still a great time to entertain on your deck or patio.  The bounty of the fall harvest gives you a wonderful opportunity to experiment with new flavor combinations and impress your guests with classy, delicious dinner menus that rise above your usual BBQ fare. 

We’ve put together a drool-worthy fall cookout menu that brings classic fall ingredients like winter squash and glazed ham together with unexpected pops of flavor from hazelnuts, gorgonzola cheese and pistachios. We’ve also got tips for making your outdoor area feel warm, cozy and welcoming as you savor the cool weather with your friends and family. Enjoy!

Picnic Fun’s Fall Cookout Menu

We culled these fall recipes from some of our favorite sources for recipes and meal ideas online – FoodNetwork.com, Epicurious.com and YumSugar.com.  Just click on the name of the recipe to view.

Appetizer: Baked Proscuitto and Brie with Apple Butter – Take advantage of the plethora of crisp, fresh apples at the farm stands to make this crowd pleaser.
Salad: Grilled Mushroom Salad with Frisee and Hazelnuts – The skewered mushrooms for this recipe can easily share space on a standard grill with a ham shank half.
Entrée: Grilled Molasses and Rum-Glazed Fresh Ham – This slow-roasted ham recipe employs cloves, nutmeg and rum for a delectable taste of fall.
Side Dish: Roasted Winter Squash with Gorgonzola Cheese – If you prep the squash ahead of time, you can simply stick this dish in the oven and grab it once your timer goes off, eliminating the need to run back and forth between the kitchen and the grill.
Dessert:  Red Wine Poached Pears – The first half of prep work for this recipe should be done the day before the party; then you’ll only have a few more things to do once your guests arrive.
Signature Cocktail: Autumnal Equinox – Port, Grand Marnier and Amaretto combine for an amber-hued cocktail perfect for the season.

Tips for Decorating your Yard

• Don’t rake those leaves!  Let them lay where the fall to give your backyard a zero-effort, au naturel autumn atmosphere. 
• Make sure your outdoor seating area is extra cozy with blankets, pillows and cushions.  You can bring some out from your living room just for the night.
• A fire pit is a wondrous thing to have on a chilly autumn evening.   Arrange comfy chairs around it for an instant focal point.  The welcoming warmth of a fire pit is a surefire way to get guests to congregate for intimate conversation.  Check out the selection at SpecialtyLiving.com.
• Place candles in yellow, red or amber-hued glass lanterns or jars for a warm glow.  Hang them from tree limbs, shepherd’s hooks or plant hooks – or just arrange them on tables.
• Hollow out pumpkins and gourds to use as vases for fresh-cut flowers and greenery.
• Place cranberries, grapes, pinecones or acorns in bowls or vases.

A Picnic at the Orchard

Now that fall is in full swing, it’s a great time to enjoy the bounty of the seasonal harvest.  Even if you live in an urban area, chances are there’s a farm not too far away where you can pick your own apples.  Going apple-picking at a farm is a great outing for dates or fun family time.  It’s a nice break in your regular routine and a delicious way to celebrate autumn.

To find a pick-your-own orchard near you, contact your local chamber of commerce.  Call ahead to check on hours and make sure that picnics are allowed (they usually are).  Dress warm and wear comfortable shoes so you can fully enjoy the experience of strolling around the orchard looking for ripe apples to put in your baskets.  Orchards are full of beautiful scenic picnic spots, so you’ll have plenty of settings to choose from for your meal.

Along with the apples you pick, you’ll want to bring along some fall-themed food and beverages to enjoy.  Check out our previous postings for ideas - Warm, Comforting Fall Picnic Desserts and Fall Picnic Recipes.  To keep your meal cold (or warm!) while you enjoy picking apples and walking around the orchard, we recommend using a high quality picnic basket or pack with an insulated food compartment.  Here are our picks for the perfect products to bring along:

Yorkshire Picnic Basket for 2 – This picnic basket has a shoulder pack type design with a comfortable padded shoulder strap, so you can carry it for hours without your arms getting tired.  It’s great for those picnic outings where you aren’t able to get back to the car to get your picnic basket.  This festive picnic basket has the traditional red and white gingham design on all the linens and comes chock full of tableware.

Stonington Farms Picnic Backpack for 4 – Perfect for families or groups of friends, this picnic backpack is loaded with style, quality and craftsmanship.  The padded shoulder straps make it comfy and convenient for carrying around, and a roomy food compartment gives you all the space you need for a family meal.  A smaller compartment in the front holds utensils, cloth napkins, plates and cups and a large picnic blanket is strapped to the side.

Hamptons Coffee Tote for 2 – Bring along a tall flask of steamy cocoa, coffee or tea to enjoy after a cold afternoon of apple picking.  This sophisticated tote comes with an insulated flask, two stainless steel insulated mugs, teaspoons, cloth napkins and a container for milk or cream.

Check back with us next week for fall cookout recipes!

Spooky Halloween Picnic Treats

If you’re planning a party, bringing food to an event or just want to get into the spirit of Halloween, we’ve got some great creepy-looking yet delicious dessert recipes perfect for the occasion.  These sweet Halloween treats are just spooky enough without being too scary for young children and are easy for anyone to make – really!  We’ve included two great Martha Stewart recipes, but rest assured you don’t have to be Martha to pull them off.  Kids love to be included in the process of making these fun desserts, too!

Ghoulish Petits Fours
Source: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:

White sheet cake
Confectioner’s sugar icing
Butter glaze
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, for eyes and mouth

Instructions:

1. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from cake. Brush off any crumbs with a pastry brush.
2. Fit a pastry bag with a plastic coupler, and top cake rounds with icing in a ghost or hat shape,about 1 inch high.
3. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Set an iced cake round on a fork; hold over bowl of glaze. Using a large spoon, drizzle glaze evenly over cake and icing until completely covered. Transfer to wire rack. Repeat with remaining rounds. Let set, about 5 minutes.
4. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water; stir chocolate until melted. Transfer to a disposable pastry bag or resealable plastic bag; snip off tip with scissors. Pipe eyes and a mouth onto ghosts.

Finger Cookies
Source: Epicurious.com

Cookie Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tablepoons Icing Glue (see below)

Icing Glue Ingredients

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon water

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and mix well.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until completely mixed.
4. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
6. With your hands, roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a finger shape for each cookie. If the dough gets sticky and hard to work with, put it back in the refrigerator for a little while. Place fingers on an ungreased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
7. Use a butter knife to make knuckle marks on the finger cookies. Slightly flatten the front of the finger to create a nail.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, until fingers are slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool. Meanwhile, prepare the Icing Glue. Mix together powdered sugar and water in a small bowl until the consistency is similar to that of a paste.
9. Attach almond slice fingernails to the tips of the fingers with Icing Glue. Let glue dry for about 30 minutes.

Witches’ Brew
Source: MarthaStewart.com

Serve root-beer floats from a "steaming" cauldron made magical with the smoke of dry ice. You'll need a large cauldron and a chilled bowl that fits inside it (dry ice can cause glass to crack, so use bowls made of metal); dry ice (available in supermarkets); frozen root-beer mugs; root beer; and ice cream. Wearing gloves, use an ice pick to break up the dry ice (never touch it with your bare hands); place a few pieces in the cauldron. Cover the ice with water, pushing the ice under with a long wooden spoon if necessary, and place the chilled bowl in the cauldron. Fill the bowl with root beer. Put a scoop of ice cream in each mug, and ladle root beer over the top.

To make things even easier on you, we’ve compiled a list of Halloween dessert recipe collections.  Just click to view.  Enjoy!

FoodNetwork.com
MarthaStewart.com
Epicurious.com
Recipezaar.com

Throw a Halloween Party for Kids

Getting all dressed up, attending parties, helping design and carve jack o’ lanterns and, of course, all that candy make Halloween one of the best times of the year to be a kid.  Throwing a Halloween party for the toddler to elementary school age crowd is easy and fun – just keep it lighthearted and upbeat rather than over-the-top scary.  Here are some tips for planning a Halloween bash that will be a blast for the kids and a cinch for you to orchestrate and clean up.

Create a spooky yet kid-friendly atmosphere – Put up some fun Halloween decorations that won’t be too scary for the little ones. Friendly ghosts, black cats, scarecrows and other non-threatening Halloween imagery is best. Be creative - Halloween color schemes don’t need to be strictly orange and black.  Green, yellow, red and purple make great Halloween colors, too.

Set the Halloween table – An easy solution is to get a kid-friendly pack of Halloween-themed disposable tableware in bright orange, green or purple.  If you want to go all out, check out Martha Stewart’s Halloween table décor ideas, like cheesecloth tablecloths, candy cauldrons and plastic spider accents.

Spooky music – Skip the eerie, screams-and-growls type of Halloween music frequently heard at adult parties and go for upbeat Halloween music instead.  You don’t want the kids to be freaked out and clinging to their parents the whole time! You can find CDs of Halloween music for kids at party stores, Target, Walmart or Amazon.com.

Mask making contest - Get some construction paper, markers, sequins, feathers, and other craft materials and let the kids make their own Halloween masks.  Adults can help the kids cut out holes for the eyes and attach elastic to the masks with a stapler.  Award the most creative mask-maker with a Halloween-themed prize. 

Jack o’ Lantern contest - To save time and keep sharp objects out of the hands of little ones, ask guests to bring a pumpkin they carved at home for a jack o’ lantern contest.  The decorated pumpkins can double as party decorations, and you won’t be left with a huge mess to clean up afterward.  If your party will be held after dark and you’d like to illuminate the pumpkins without worrying about fire hazards, get some battery-powered LED lights to place inside them.  You could also fill a few with water and use a fountain fogger to create a cool fog effect.

Spooky photo shoot - Set up a cool Halloween themed backdrop with some fabric and decorations, and use a Polaroid camera or digital camera and printer to take photos of the guests in their costumes – the photos will make great favors.

Halloween treat bags – Kids will get plenty of candy trick or treating, so you don’t need to pack the bags full of sweet treats, but they’ll probably be disappointed if they don’t get any at all.  Mix a few pieces of candy with some small toys.  Stores are replete with Halloween themed items this time of year - look for things like whistles, pencils, stickers, bubbles, and temporary tattoos.

Serve fun, spooky Halloween treats – check back with us next week for recipes!