Let’s Go on a Picnic!

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated! I used Random.org to choose a winner, and that winner is Rebecca B. Congratulations, Rebecca!

Today’s post is shared by my Amish-Mennonite friend Sherry Gore. She posts here once each month, and today she’s sharing an article by one of her Plain friends. You will find Sherry’s bio and a link to her website at the end of the article.

 

Let’s Go on a Picnic

by Ann Mast

What inspires you to have a picnic? Perhaps it’s the warm weather that motivates you to grab a glass of lemonade and a sandwich and head outside. Any meal eaten outside can be done in picnic fashion. As a little Amish girl, I loved to take my lunch and sit on the front steps of the old farmhouse where I grew up. Often a summer breeze would be blowing. A picnic affords a relaxed way to entertain. What fun to invite friends and/or neighbors to join you. Your backyard, the beach, a park, or even a wooded area by a rippling stream can be the setting of choice. Don’t limit yourself. Be creative!

Here are some tips to make your picnic more enjoyable:

  • Prepare as much at home as possible. (This eliminates forgotten ingredients.)
  • For grilling, place meat in a Ziplock bag. Toss bag afterward to make cleanup a cinch.
  • Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
  • An old quilt makes a nice tablecloth or throw on the ground to sit on.
  • Bring along a plastic tarp to put underneath the quilt to keep it dry. This also keeps leaves and sticks out of the washer when laundering your quilt.
  • Keep a tote stocked with tableware and other necessities. Don’t forget to restock so you’re ready when the urge hits next time.
  • For washing dirty little hands and faces, bring cleaning wipes. Or stick a couple of wet washcloths in a Ziplock bag.
  • Don’t forget the sunscreen!

The following recipe is featured in the summer issue of Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living magazine.

Photo by Memories by Chris

Southern Breeze Punch

1 cup sugar
1 envelope blue Kool-Aid
7 cups water
1 (46 ounce) can pineapple juice
1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 liters ginger ale

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Fill each glass with ice cubes, then pour punch mixture over to fill. Stir briskly and allow a few minutes for the cubes to thaw into the punch. This is a refreshing drink, and not too sweet.

Note: I’ve made this drink at nearly every one of my book signings when a refreshment was served. It’s a popular choice not only for its refreshing taste but for its attractive presentation.

~ Sherry Gore


Sherry Gore
is a scribe for the national edition of The Budget newspaper, author of Taste of Pinecraft: Glimpses of Sarasota, Florida’s Amish Culture and Kitchens; contributing writer for Ladies Journal and editor-in-chief of Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living magazine. She makes her home in Sarasota, Florida, with her children and is a member of a Beachy Amish Mennonite church. Sherry is the owner of a nonresistant double-barrel shotgun and an official pie contest judge. When not writing, she can often be found discovering tempting things to eat at Yoder’s Amish Village. She learned the hard way one spring day not to wear ChapStick while driving an open buggy behind a shedding horse.

Sherry Gore’s website
Connect with Sherry Gore on Facebook

 

Giveaway

For a chance to win the summer issue of Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living magazine, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post on my website. You may leave a comment of any type, and you’ll be entered into the giveaway. The magazine will be sent as soon as it’s available.

If you are reading this anywhere other than my website, such as on Facebook, in an email, or on Goodreads, please hop on over to my website and leave a comment at the bottom of my post to enter the giveaway. Only comments left on my website will be entered into the giveaway. (It’s just too hard to track down all the comments left in various places, and that means it’s too easy to miss some of the comments.)

The deadline for this contest is Friday, June 22, 2012, at noon. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be contacted privately, as well as announced on next week’s blog post.

Do you have a favorite recipe or activity to take on a picnic with your family or friends?

Comments are closed.