Picnic Recipe - Easy Creamy Horseradish Coleslaw

This tasty slaw puts a modern flavor twist on an old picnic favorite! Horseradish and lemon juice add a special tangy to the creamy dressing, and it's easy to modify it to your tastes. Substitute honey or stevia for the sugar if desired.

Easy Creamy Horseradish Coleslaw
(Serves 8-12.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

10 cups shredded cabbage (mix green and red if desired)
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onions, including tops
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar (if desired)
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, and green onions.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, horseradish, and lemon juice.  Adjust seasonings to taste, then pour over coleslaw mixture and toss to combine.
• Chill and serve cold. 

An Old-Fashioned Picnic - Enjoy Foods from Days Gone By!

Summer's ending always seems to trigger nostalgia. Before we head into the chill of fall, why not take advantage of the remaining warm days and have an old-fashioned summer picnic? Remembering days long past brings back memories of fabulous foods and outdoor picnics on a blanket on the grass. Picnic dishes were often family recipes we grew up with, passed down from Grandmother to Mother, Grandfather to Father.

Back in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, school picnics, potluck picnics, 4th of July picnics, and Labor Day picnics were times when the mothers and fathers would present their favorite salads, desserts, baked beans, or grilled masterpieces.  Just recalling these old favorites is enough to take you back, enjoying the memory of every tasty morsel.  Here are a few dishes that, I hope, will evoke memories for you, and maybe even some ideas for your next picnic:

Old Main Dishes Made New
Ah, for the days when low fat and cholesterol were still a figment of someone's imagination.  At every picnic, piles of chicken with crispy skin, hamburgers, hotdogs, and bratwursts or sausages took center stage.  There was no such thing as boneless, skinless chicken breasts or turkey burgers.  Back then, we cooked our chicken with the skin on, bones in, and everybody ate it all.  There was one brand of hotdogs, all bratwursts and sausages were pork, and hamburgers were made with 'hamburger' and not lean ground beef (aka "pink slime"), or any variation.

Sausages with salad and potato salad (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nowadays, you can grill some of the old time favorites, but feel free to tweak them to your taste, and of course, for best health, choose organic, sustainably raised and pasture-fed meats.

Put a whole chicken on the grill, either by removing the backbone and “butterflying” the chicken, flattening it out to cook evenly, or putting it on the rotisserie (or try beer can chicken for a special taste treat).  The fat cooks off better than deep frying it, and a whole chicken stays more moist than a cut-up chicken. Another option is to slide your seasonings underneath the skin before grilling.  Perfect “have your cake and eat it too” solution – the flavor is ON the meat and not the skin.

There are more choices now for hotdogs, sausages, and bratwursts.  You can find many varieties using leaner choices like turkey, chicken, or even vegetarian, that have fabulous flavor.  It's amazing how many vegetarian hotdogs are available that taste almost identical to other hotdogs once they've been on the grill.  Don't shy away from these new varieties of your favorite summer grill staples.

Simple grilled beef steak maintains the legacy of the 40s, 50s, and 60s quite well.  Include the classic cast iron skillet of mushrooms and onions and you have a grilled steak dinner identical to the best dinners from decades past.

Chicken salad, tuna salad, and other cold main dish salads and sandwiches are the mainstays of Mom's picnic dishes from decades past.  Ground ham or bologna sandwiches are still seen, but have been updated for a more health conscience picnic goer.  Processed meats are often avoided when picnic meals are planned today, however, the flavors of these long-ago sandwiches are still a much desired picnic basket favorite. Choose a lean slice of ham, chop it up or grind it, and mix it with light mayonnaise, olive oil mayonnaise, or just mix in cooked egg yolk and sour cream as a nice alternative.  Don't forget the pickle relish!  This makes a nice old-fashioned sandwich that's delicious and more health conscious.

Here's where we add a note about breads when serving sandwiches.  The days of piles of sandwiches in white bread are gone.  Replacing white bread with multi-grain bread bumps sandwiches up a notch into the 21st Century.  For instance, the classic “picnic spread” of ground or chopped ham that we just modernized can be made even healthier.  Spread it on a hearty seven grain bread, and you turn an old fashioned picnic favorite into a new, healthier classic - and with more flavor too.

Old-Fashioned Sides With a Few Twists

Salads had less greens and more mayonnaise back in the old days.  Pasta salads, potato salads, egg salad, deviled eggs, seven layer salads, Jello salads, and lots of other sides were often based on mayonnaise dressings.  Now, many of these sides have embraced vinaigrette dressings, light herb dressings, and other lower fat alternatives to regular mayonnaise.

Potato salad (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Classics like three bean salads have changed from sugar and vinegar based dressing to honey or other light dressing.  Potato salads now include lighter varieties for the dressing, like olive oil, vinegar, and lots of herbs, while still including the classic egg yolk for the flavor we all love.  You'll also find many creamy dressings are now being made with yogurt instead of mayonnaise.  Or, folks are making their own mayonnaise using healthy fat alternatives.

Deviled eggs are another side that we loved back in the old days.  Every picnic had a tray or two or three of these classics, often in clever little carrying devices.  How can you improve or update deviled eggs? Add capers or anchovies for more flavor and you have an updated version of this wonderful favorite.  Chop up cilantro, add a dash of hot sauce, and you've got deviled eggs that are uniquely yours.

And, yes, we mentioned Jello salads.  There was a time when Jello salads were vehicles for vegetables as well as fruit.  Those days are long gone.  However, the reason is not because they weren't tasty, the reason is because many of these vegetable Jello dishes featured mayonnaise.  Lime Jello with shredded carrots topped with sour cream and mayonnaise was not uncommon.  No, you probably don't want to duplicate that in your “revisit the good old days” picnic.  However, there are ways to bring back the old, yet maintain the new.  Simple Jello salads featuring vegetables is actually quite tasty.  Choose simple combinations like a lime Jello with shaved celery and carrots, topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt.  This is a tasty, light combination that appeals to many picnic goers who are watching their diet.

Think twice before you plan your sides and salads and you'll find many alternatives with today's nod to health conscious choices, and a touch of modern flavor. 

Decades Old Desserts

Chocolate desserts were always a big hit at picnics of the 40s, 50s, and 60s.  From chocolate puddings, cakes, cookies, and even cream pies, knowing then that everybody loves chocolate was a pretty safe bet, just as it is today.  Some favorites of those decades was Black Forest Cake and German Chocolate Cake.  As ingredients like coconut, baking chocolate, and canned cherries became more available, these favorites became the norm instead of the exception at just about every occasion.  Because both of these cakes freeze especially well, they are the perfect choice for today's picnic celebration.  Transport in a cooler and they will thaw in time for dessert.

A cranberry jello salad made in a ring mold. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now, we come to Jello once again.  Believe it or not, during the 40s and 50s, the Jello folks were pushing hard to get housewives to implement Jello as a vegetable.  Then, in the 60s the emphasis turned to Jello as a dessert.  One classic from those days was the whipped Jello and ice cream dessert. Throwing your Jello in a mixing bowl and whipping in fruit and ice cream got kids to eat Jello for dessert, long forgetting the vegetable focus.  Jello desserts began to fill picnic and potluck tables like never before.  When hosting a picnic featuring your favorite dishes from long ago, you can't forget the Jello.  There are low-sugar varieties now and many creative recipes to serve Jello in new ways.

Yes, times have changed, but every once in awhile, don't you just long to indulge in the picnic foods you remember from long ago?   If so, dig around in the recipes from the past.  Choose your favorites and have fun making them exactly as you like – either the way you remember, or with a few tweaks to make them more "you".  Plan your next picnic with all those favorites from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s and rediscover the flavors of days gone by.

Be sure to check back later this week for some tasty picnic-friendly recipes!

Celebrate the 4th With An All-American Baseball Picnic

Think of baseball, and many things come to mind - warm weather, the spirit of competition, and of course, stadium food. This makes it a great theme for a 4th of July picnic.  Ballparks aren't the only places you can enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, fries, peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, and ice cream treats, though. Choose a baseball theme for your next picnic and enjoy the spirit of the sport as well as the tasty food we all know and love. Here are a few ideas for bringing the ballpark to your picnic:

Hot Dogs, Get Your Hot Dogs

Grilled hot dogs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let's start with inside the stadium.  When you walk through those gates, the first thing you want is to find the food stands.  Those hot dogs are calling your name.  Or maybe it's a nice juicy hamburger or hot Italian sausage with the works.  For your baseball themed picnic, these are the classics. 

No matter where you picnic, in your backyard or at a neighborhood park, you'll probably need a  portable grill.  This will allow you to cook hot dogs, sausages, and burgers to perfection.  Bring along plenty of mustard, ketchup, relish, diced onion, and pickles for a real ballpark experience.  Don't forget to grill up some onions and peppers, too, in order to complete the ballpark concession stand favorites.

Beyond the traditional hot dogs, sausages, and hamburgers, you have nachos.  The easiest way to provide this classic ballpark snack is to buy nacho cheese sauce.  You'll find it in cans in your grocery store.  Bring a grill-safe dish to heat the sauce and pour over tortilla chips in individual paper bowls.  Top with jalapeno peppers if desired and serve.

Peanuts, in the shells, of course, and popcorn are classics that can easily be added to your picnic.  Put a cup or two of unshelled peanuts in small paper bags and leave them around the table for guests to help themselves.  Fill bags with popcorn, too.  These are simple snacks, but because they are classic ballpark fare, they are a must. 

Don't forget Cracker Jacks.  If you want to make your own, just follow any simple caramel corn recipe, add nuts, and you have another classic treat.  Cotton candy can be purchased in plastic bags in most party stores or candy stores.  These bags of cotton candy are specifically made not to melt, so they make a fun addition to a baseball theme party.  Then, of course, there are the pretzels.  Big, soft pretzels are great if you can make them, but if not, bags of pretzels will satisfy your guests as well.

Beyond the Basics with the Tailgate Pros

Not everyone who goes to a baseball game grabs a hot dog, a bag of peanuts, and takes their seat just in time for the first pitch.  Tailgate party veterans know a thing or two about enjoying the day with a variety of foods, as well as how to pack the right foods for a whole day of outdoor fun at the ballpark. 

Presuming you have access to a grill, other easy ideas for main courses include chicken drumsticks and wings, turkey legs, and even ribs. You could dice the meat and make kabobs, or add a marinade or glaze and grill the legs, wings, or ribs with fabulous results.

Chili is another classic tailgating dish that actually does double duty.  A nice big bowl of chili is a filling dish all on its own.  But, if your heart's desire at a ballpark is to eat a hot dog, why not turn it into a chili dog?  With a sturdy bun, grilled hot dog, a generous dollop of chili, and a sprinkling of diced sweet onion, you've got another ballpark classic.

You also will never go wrong with great classic sandwiches. Build stacks of sandwiches that include anything from tuna, chicken, and egg salad, to cold cuts, cheese steak, hoagies, clubs, and grilled cheese. Use your imagination to add a few extra ingredients and watch your picnic guests devour every last bite.

Fresh fruit and vegetable salads aren't out of the question, either. As with other picnics that feature similar foods, you want to include bean salad, potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon, and vegetable and fruit salads that are convenient to carry along to a baseball picnic. Stick with the classics mentioned to keep the old time ballpark theme going.

Nachos (Photo credit: nebulux76)

Expanding on the basics within the stadium is what tailgating is all about.  Rather than serve simple nachos, how about throwing in everything but the kitchen sink?  Include ingredients in your 'super nachos' like black olives, shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh tomatoes, hot or mild peppers, and maybe some fresh basil, cilantro, or parsley. Bring along your favorite salsa to spoon on top as well.

For dessert, keep it traditional and simple.  Make lemonade popsicles and popcorn balls.  Of course America's favorite pastime deserves America's favorite pie – apple.  Another tailgater's trick is to make individual apple pie 'pockets' rather than try to serve slices from a full pie.  Be sure to have ice cream along, or even the classic slice of Cheddar cheese.

Set the Stadium Stage

There are many ways to set the mood for a baseball themed picnic.  To begin, you'll certainly want to play the part of true baseball fans by bringing bats, balls, mitts, jerseys, and plenty of team spirit along. This works great for 4th of July celebrations if you have family in town visiting, and the kids are sure to have a great time too.

Set up a diamond, even if it can't be very big, and invite everyone up to bat at least once.  Use whiffle balls so all ages can play.  If you don't have enough people to divide into teams, play a sort of scrimmage where everyone gets a turn up to bat, then goes to the outfield after they get home or they are called out.

The table and food service should be very, very simple.  As in a stadium, everything is served in paper dishes.  Condiments are in big containers next to the food.  Everybody helps themselves to drinks.  Put drinks, salads, and desserts in coolers and make everything easy to grab.  You can also find sports-themed serving dishes, like little plastic baseball caps, in most party stores if you wish to use them.

Decorate with baseball memorabilia, caps, and equipment if you have it.  Set up a simple scoreboard using posterboard with cut out numbers. Be sure to have a radio with a game playing in the background if you can.  And don't forget the seventh-inning stretch!  Write up the words to the song “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” on a board so everybody can sing along.

As you can see, a baseball theme for your 4th of July picnic is a great way to create family fun, camaraderie, and competitive spirit that brings people closer together.  Of course, it all starts with our favorite ballpark food.  Use these simple suggestions to put together a memorable event that will leave everyone satisfied as they leave your 'stadium.'

Memorial Day Picnic - Fun Grilling Ideas

Think of warm weather, summertime, and outdoor activities, and you'll soon be thinking of planning a picnic.  There's nothing like sharing food in the great outdoors to give you plenty of reasons to smile.

Italian sausage. A typical method of cooking is grilling, as depicted here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Firing up the grill for a picnic usually brings on thoughts of hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbecued chicken. That's all dandy and certainly delicious, but wouldn't you like your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest?  Perhaps there are ways to present old favorites on the grill in new ways, or even try something completely different.  Here are a few thoughts about new ways to grill up some summertime dishes this Memorial Day (or just any warm summer day when you want to do something a bit special):

Rethink the Sauce
One popular ingredient in many grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other types of glazes and marinades. There are hundreds if not thousands of recipes to add more flavor to whatever you're cooking. If you have been grilling for many years, you've probably made your own sauces or have found a few favorites. But, maybe it's time to rethink those sauces.

Begin by experimenting with a whole range of ingredients.  Don't limit yourself to the ingredients you've been using.  We know you automatically pull out the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey, but what else is there to make a sauce for the grill?

Take a look first in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis.  Now, pull open the vegetable bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados.  Turn to your pantry and take out the apple jelly, orange marmalade, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess.  And, don't forget the spice rack.  There is basically nothing off limits – grab it all.

Don't be afraid to grate, smash, or simmer ingredients together that you might never have used in the same sauce before. Combine contrasting flavors – savory with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy – until you have a unique sauce that you can call your own.

Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are grilling.  Try a fruity white sauce on meat; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savory herbed sauce on fruit.  Put it on the grill and see what happens.  You'll have completely new dishes that will perk up and surprise the taste buds.  And, isn't that what grilling is all about?

Rethink the Main Dish
If you're used to throwing a steak on the grill, but want to experiment with other cuts, try grilling full roasts.  With the right preparation and setup, you can put a big beef roast or pork roast on the grill, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your family and guests with a tender and juicy roast that didn't require heating up the house with hours in the oven.

Grilling chả. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Instead of your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try grilling a whole chicken.  The juices stay in a little better when the chicken is whole.  Not sure you have time for a whole chicken?  You can also “butterfly” a chicken by cutting out just the backbone and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken whole but providing a flattened version that cooks up in no time.

Fish is another grilling favorite at picnics.  Use fish that is firm and solid so it grills well and doesn't fall apart or become dry.  Oily fish like salmon is perfect on the grill, but there are many other types of fish that work equally well.  Fish grills best when you don't have to flip it with a spatula, that's why you want to invest in a grilling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket over easily with the fish inside it.

Other seafood that's perfect picnic food for the grill includes shrimp, scallops, and lobster.  Shrimp can be grilled unpeeled to help keep them from overcooking.  Lobster can be grilled in the shell, as well.  Use a tray made for the grill with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling through.  Marinate the seafood in a variety of flavors for a different flavor each time you have a grilling picnic.

You say your taste for a juicy grilled burger is too powerful to ignore?  You've still got lots of choices for variety at your picnic. You can dress up your burgers inside-and-out with many different flavors.  Remember; beef isn't the only burger in town!  Ground turkey, pork, or chicken are great substitutes for those who want a different kind of burger at this year's picnic.  But, don't stop there.  Salmon and crab meat make great grilled patties, too. And of course there's my favorite - venison.

Besides what goes into the actual patty, think beyond conventional recipes and marinate your ground meat or fish with anything from red wine to a mixture of Worcestershire, soy sauce, or steak sauce, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar.  Add to the inside of the burger, or as condiments, a variety of flavorful cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa.  Instead of throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a cast iron skillet on top of the grill over low heat.  The incredible sweetness will surprise and delight you and your guests.  These are no longer your grandpa's burgers!

Brussels Grill: Mixed vegetables (Photo credit: batigolix)

Sometimes, you need to rethink the way you prepare your main dishes at a grilling picnic to make serving simple. Think shish-kabobs and you hardly even need to bring plates!  These bite-size pieces are a great way to cook, serve, and eat your favorite foods easily at a grilling picnic.  Alternate cut up meat, meat balls, poultry, or seafood with grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, or mushrooms.  Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too.  Include pineapple chunks or citrus with chicken or seafood for a taste of the islands.

Rethink the Dessert

Sure, you can serve popsicles and watermelon, but the grill is right there, all fired up.  Isn't there something you can do to put it to work creating delightful desserts?  You can start with the old stand-by and toast marshmallows, but don't stop there.  Keep going and put together 'S'mores' using the classic ingredients of toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and a chocolate bar.  Or, you can create unique varieties using toasted marshmallows with things like oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cups, white chocolate, and flaked coconut as possible ingredients. You'll have lots of fun coming up with your own distinct creations here.

Expanding on the dessert theme is easier than you might think with a grill.  For instance, go ahead and cut up that watermelon you brought... but wait.  How about grilling it before serving?  Yes, you can grill watermelon, too.  Cut it off the rind, into about one inch thick pieces.  Grill quickly on both sides until grill marks show.  Put it on a plate and drizzle a tiny bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece.  The tangy saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the watermelon in an unbelievable way.  Now THAT'S a grilled picnic delight!

You can also choose dessert classics that can be grilled, like pound cake with fruit compote or simple berries tossed together in a grilling basket until just lightly charred.  You can make banana boats in foil filled with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, or perhaps your tastes lean toward grilled apple slices topped with a syrup of brown sugar and raisins.  Grilled pineapple rings is another classic.  Serve these simply on a plate as they are or use them to top slices of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate.

As you can see, you can grill just about anything you want to serve at your picnic.  Even if you choose to serve sandwiches, why not grill them?  When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don't limit the menu to hotdogs and hamburgers.  Use your imagination.  If you can cook it, you can grill it!


Great Grilling Tools: