Picnic Fun - Tips and Recipes

Guide to Green Gifting – Our Tips & Picks

If you’ve just gotten on the eco-friendly bandwagon, you’re not alone.  What was dismissed as a trend a few years ago is now a way of life for many people around the world.  Living in a way that considers how your actions impact your community, the world around you and generations yet to be born is a fulfilling choice – and once you realize how easy and rewarding it can be, you want to share it with everyone you know.  Giving ‘green’ gifts this holiday season is a great way to introduce eco-friendly products to your loved ones – just make sure you’re picking the right stuff.

The number one thing to consider is quality.  Buy eco friendly gifts that are well made, soft, comfortable, and comparable – or superior - to similar, less earth friendly options.  A long-held stereotype about eco friendly goods is that they’re scratchy and unattractive (especially clothing and house wares).  When you buy green goods, think about whether you would purchase them if you weren’t hip to the eco friendly way of life.  You want your gift recipients to be surprised at how luxurious eco friendly items can be.

So, what makes a gift eco-friendly? Consider what, how and who.  What’s it made out of?  Chemical free, rapidly renewable, organic and recycled materials are the way to go.   How was it made?  Products that are hand made rather than mass produced in a factory, or made in small production facilities that utilize eco-friendly manufacturing processes make less of an impact on the environment.  Who made it?  Fair trade means the people who made the items were fairly compensated and work in clean, safe environments.

Here are some of our favorite eco-friendly gifts for picnics, outdoor living and entertaining:

Palm Bay 4 Person Picnic Basket – Any picnic basket is a greener option than using disposables, but this one really takes it an extra mile. This beautiful gift idea includes a hand-woven natural sea grass and bamboo picnic basket filled with enough plates, utensils, cups, and cloth napkins for four people.  Sea grass and bamboo are rapidly renewable materials, and the textiles used are AZO free (meaning they don’t contain toxic dyes and pigments commonly found in conventional textiles and plastics). 

Voltaic Solar Backpack – Now this is one really cool gadget.  Not only is this backpack sharp looking, well made and full of convenient pockets and dividers, it’s a mobile charging station for small electronics!  Built-in solar panels draw in energy from the sun while you camp, hike, fish, or go about your other outdoor activities.  This solar energy, plus energy from the backup Li Ion battery pack, can be used to charge cell phones, cameras, two way radios, PDAs, Mp3 players and more.  The backpack includes 11 standard adaptors for common devices.

FR250 Emergency Radio – Serious sportsmen will love this gift, and it’s a great thing for anyone to have around the house in case of power outages.  This hand-cranked radio allows you to listen to AM and FM radio plus seven shortwave bands, has a built-in flashlight, and can even charge your cell phone – all without batteries or electricity.  It’s compact and lightweight, so it can be taken camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, or anywhere you want to have it close by.  It also has an emergency siren and an earphone jack.

Want to see more cool eco friendly items?  Click here to view the Eco Friendly Gift Ideas category at SpecialtyLiving.com, or view their Eco Friendly product category.

Get more eco-friendly gift giving tips from Specialty Living’s Holiday Buyer’s Guide article, ‘Guilt Free Green Gifting’.  If you want additional info about eco-friendly products, check out their Eco Friendly Buyer’s Guide – it’s chock full of useful facts, ideas, terms and definitions.

Free Shipping Sale!

Forget the mall - you can save big on holiday gifts from the comfort of your armchair!  Today through midnight on November 26th, shipping is FREE on all orders over $100 at SpecialtyLiving.com and PicnicFun.com!  It's the perfect opportunity to load up on gifts like picnic baskets, tailgating gear, wine and cheese gift sets, outdoor living items, scented soy candles and a wide variety of eco-friendly gifts. 

Be sure not to miss the savings going on right now at PicnicFun.com!  For deep discounts on a great variety of gifts, check out their Holiday Gift Sale today.

Need some gift-giving inspiration?  For tips on creative gift wrapping, how to choose unique gifts, last minute gift ideas and the top 10 gift giving mistakes, check out Specialty Living's Holiday Gift Buying Guide.  You can also browse their collection of hand-picked gift ideas. 

Pictured: Lucerne Cheese Board

2007’s Hottest Gifts for Picnic Lovers & Outdoor Adventurers

This year’s selection of hot picnic and outdoor living gifts is better than ever!  If you’ve been trying to find the perfect gifts for those people in your life that love spending time outdoors, we’ve got some great products that you’ll be proud to give.  These stunning & practical picnic baskets, coffee & tea packs, tailgating items and accessories are the cream of the crop. BONUS – all of these items are currently on deep discount at PicnicFun.com for a limited time only!  Check out the whole selection at the Holiday Gift Sale.

Java Journey Backpack for 2 – If someone special in your life loves coffee and enjoys spending time outdoors – whether to take the dog on a long walk, or hike to mountaintops – this picnic set is ideal for a delicious cup of steaming hot coffee miles from a coffee shop.  This super lightweight backpack comes with a brushed stainless steel flask, two stainless mugs, cloth napkins and containers for the cream and sugar.  Save $16 off retail pricing!

Game Day Travel Gas Grill Set – Anyone who’s ever wished for a hot meal out on a trail where campfires aren’t allowed will jump for joy over this gift set.  Hiker’s aren’t the only ones who will love it – it’s perfect for tailgating, scenic drives, outdoor festivals, camping or just a picnic at the park.  Included in the durable carry bag are a propane gas grill, BBQ tools, salt & pepper shakers, a bottle opener, cooking mitt, thermal food compartment and storage for 2 portable propane tanks (not included).  Save $35 off retail pricing!

2 Person Bicycle Picnic Set – This cool picnic pack makes those leisurely days cycling around town so much easier.  Don’t lug a heavy backpack around while biking – let your wheels do the work!  This set attaches to the rack of your bicycle and includes glasses, plates, cloth napkins, flatware, a corkscrew, salt & pepper shakers, a cutting board and a cheese knife.  It’s everything you need for a romantic date or just lunch out on the trail.  Save $31.50 off retail pricing!

Adventure Picnic Duffel for 2 – The compact duffel-bag design of this picnic pack makes it easy for two people to enjoy a fresh meal just about anywhere.  It can be kept in the car for impromptu outdoor meals, or taken along to sporting events, outdoor concerts, camping trips, a fishing day out on the lake or while traveling.  It includes everything you need for 2, from plates and glasses to cotton napkins.  Save $22 off retail pricing!

Mega Picnic Mat – This long-time best seller is now on sale – there’s never been a better time to buy it as gifts or for your own enjoyment.  It’s machine-washable, hypo-allergenic, mildew resistant and stains wipe right off.  It’s got a waterproof backing to keep everyone dry on soggy ground, a hidden pocket and folds up into a convenient portable shape with a  handle.  Save $8 off retail pricing!

Sale ends December 25th – get them while they last!

Plan a Thanksgiving Feast with a Twist

Every November in America, people gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving with traditional favorites like green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and – of course – turkey.   If you’re looking to spice things up a bit this year with variations of your standards or entirely new dishes, we’ve got some great recipes that can give you the inspiration you need.  Surprise your friends and family with a Thanksgiving feast that still includes many of their favorites, but with a sophisticated twist.

Main Dish

Most people make some variation of turkey as the main dish at Thanksgiving dinner – fried turkey, honey glazed turkey, stuffed turkey, roast turkey with gravy, and so on.  If you want some nontraditional turkey ideas, check out Food Network’s collection of recipes which includes Turkey Pot Pie with Sage Crust, Emeril’s Pepper-Stuffed Turkey, Turkey Scallopine Milanese, Brined Turkey Breast with Spanish Spice Rub and Sour Orange Sauce and even Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli.

Looking for something different altogether?  Prime rib, duck, salmon, and roast leg of lamb are great alternatives for meat eaters.  Vegetarians don’t have to be stuck with just eating side dishes or unappetizing tofu-turkey, either.  Salisbury Tempeh, Thanksgiving ‘Meat’ Loaf, or Roasted Harvest Vegetables in a Baked Pumpkin are a few ideas.

Side Dishes

For Thanksgiving sides that obviously didn’t come from the food market down the street, kick things up a notch with unexpected flavors and combinations.  Try an Autumn Panzanella, Cream of Parsnip Soup with Potato Crisps and Bacon, Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage, Cranberry Maple Carrots or White Cheddar Puffs with Green Onions.

Try a fresh take on traditional Thanksgiving stuffing by using pumpernickel and rye, winter fruit and nuts, spinach and artichoke or panettone.

Dessert

Finish off the meal with a delicious dessert that blows most pumpkin pies out of the water.  Epicurious.com offers delicious ideas like Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart, Dark Chocolate and Orange Tart with Toasted Almonds, and Gingerbread Squares with Honey-Mascarpone Cream.  Health nuts will love everything about EatingWell.com’s Maple-Pumpkin Custards with Crystallized Ginger and Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake. 

Hungry yet? Start experimenting! You might find that some of these recipes aren’t your thing for Thanksgiving, but could become fall favorites in your household, especially for entertaining.

Cold Weather Picnic Essentials

Keep your family warm with cozy blankets and comforting food

Every year when the weather gets cold, we like to highlight our favorite new products that will make outdoor excursions even more fun.  There’s no need for you to eat cold food on picnics, outdoor gatherings, hikes and other activities– or worse yet, to just stay inside!  There is so much fun to be had outdoors during the holiday season.  These great high quality picnic products are just what you need to keep food – and yourselves – warm, making all of your outdoor adventures comfy and cozy this year.

Keep in mind that insulated picnic sets like the Hot Pack Coffee Shoulder Bag for 2 aren’t just for coffee.  You can also use them for tea, hot cocoa, cider, soups, and other hot beverages/foods.  They’re great to take along on late fall and winter adventures like ice skating, snowman-building, visits to the orchard and other times you’d like to have something warm and comforting to drink.  Included in the set pictured is a stainless thermos, two insulated mugs, spoons and containers for cream and sugar.

Don’t be fooled by the name – high quality, well insulated coolers will keep your meals warm in cold weather just as well as they keep them cold when it’s hot out.  PicnicFun.com’s soft-sided insulated coolers and cooler sets don’t need ice to keep food cold, nor do they need any extra insulation to keep food hot.  Just heat your food up to the temperature you want to eat it at, and place it inside the cooler (it’s best to use reusable rubber or plastic food containers to hold the food, but you can also use zip-seal plastic baggies).  They’ll still be appetizingly hot when you’re ready to eat.  We like the looks, quality and value of the Traditional Round Willow Dark Cooler Basket, pictured left.

People often put their grills away when winter weather rolls in, but why should you?  Cold weather is just as good a time as any to have piping hot food fresh off the grill!  You can use a portable grill like the Game Day Travel Gas Grill Set to heat up cozy, campfire-style meals in a flash no matter where you are.  Get creative with some of our Top 10 Greatest Campfire Recipes and adapt them to use on your portable grill – you’ll find that they can really come in handy, especially for fishing/hunting trips.

As we mentioned in our Fall Picnic Essentials: Our Top Picks post a while back, we really love the Luxury 100% Wool Blanket for cool weather.  It takes cuddling up outdoors to a whole new level, and is sophisticated enough to bring inside for daily use.  Nothing’s better than wool for comfort, warmth and moisture-wicking abilities, and this blanket is big enough (53.9” x 72”) to cover several people.

Looking for some good fall picnic recipes?  Check out our previous postings, “Warm, Comforting Fall Desserts”, “Planning a Fall Cookout”, and “Delicious Cold Weather Picnic Recipes”.