How do you eat in the summer time?  Salad?  BBQs, and Picnics, right?  So what is the best way to pack a “Portable Feast” to the park or beach?  Here are some tips to create a memorable picnic, along with our favourite easy potato salad recipe.

Pack Finger Food – hummus and crackers, cut up veggies and dip, cold fried chicken, tortilla chips and salsa.  These are all great for grazing throughout the day and require less plates and cutlery

Pack it on ice – not only is this more food safe, everything tastes better if it’s kept cold for as long as possible.  Reusable ice packs are great and don’t melt into a mess.

Choose foods that taste great cold – grain or pasta salads, cold cuts and buns, potato salads, and baked goods

Don’t forget the extras – serviettes, plates, cutlery and cups.  To avoid using the disposable variety, try picking up a simple set from the thrift store to reuse each time.  Be sure to bring a plastic bag to pack them out in after you get them all goopy with your yummy potato salad.  Cloth re-usable napkins also work well.

Happy Picnicking!

 

Better Than Classic Potato Salad

8 medium potatoes, cooked, cooled and diced (use a firmer potato like red or yellow for best results)

¾ cup mayonnaise of choice

¼ cup basil pesto (for variety you could also try this with other pesto flavours)

2 celery ribs, sliced

½ cup red onion, minced

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, cooled and diced

2 carrots, grated

Place diced potatoes in large bowl.  Mix mayonnaise and pesto together in another bowl.  Add to potatoes. Add celery, carrots and onions and mix well. Stir in eggs.