How to Create a Perfect Picnic Date--Mya

 Step 1: The first thing you need to do to start your perfect picnic date, is to find someone(s) to go with. Asking them out can be as simple or as intricate as you want it to be, but it should be in some way special to them. 

Step 2: Create a menu for said date that has yours and theirs favorite food. You always want to start off with a little appetizer, then an easy main dish, and dessert. One of the most important things to consider is how well your food can be transported; if it doesn’t travel well don’t bring it. Unless you have something that can keep your food the exact temperature you want, go with something that tastes good when it’s room temperature. You’ll also need a drink option. Go with something refreshing that pairs well with the food you’re bringing.  

Whatever dishes you decide to serve, try to stray away from anything with seafood, pastas, and anything super heavy on the dairy. Seafood will not be the right temperature no matter what you do and will make everything else smell and kind of taste like it unless you keep it completely separated and eat it right away; which is just a hassle. While pasta can be transported pretty easily, the noodles will get hard and taste undercooked, while any sauce you put it in will start to solidify to the point where it just doesn’t seem appetizing. Anything that has too much dairy in it will just taste straight up gross if you eat it outside after it’s been room temperature for a while. 

Step 3: Now you need to pick out where you want to have your picnic. A little hike before you have your picnic is a cute idea, but you need to take into consideration whether or not you want to carry everything with you. Any outdoor area that is somewhat secluded will work great. However, make sure the person(s) that you’re going with doesn’t have allergies; or bring allergy medicine if they do. The best place to go, in my opinion, is a park that has an open grass area surrounded by trees. That way the trees keep you in the shade while also making sure you aren’t just out in the middle of the grass where everyone can see you. 

Everything else you’ll need: You’ll need a large towel and a blanket to sit on. Make sure to put the towel down first and layer the blanket on top so that your blanket won’t get stains, and it’ll be way more comfortable to sit on two layers of material instead of one. If you want to be really fancy you can even bring a couple pillows too. Depending on where you’re going, bug spray may just be your best friend. A picnic basket is adorable and pretty standard, however; if you don’t feel like serving little red riding hood, any bag will work. An insulated bag will probably work the best when it comes to transporting the food and the drinks to keep everything at the perfect temperature.

Example of a Perfect Menu

Drinks: Sparkling water in any flavor, except for grapefruit, and some regular unflavored water are the perfect drinks. Both go with everything and won't make you feel too full after you drink them. 

Appetizer/Starter: Tortilla chips and guacamole is always a great starter for any meal. Guacamole can be so easy to make so you can make something from scratch without having to be a master chef. All you need is to cut up an avocado mash in some premade salsa, cilantro, pepper, garlic salt, and lime juice in order to have a simple but fantastic guacamole. A good alternative is also humus with sides of vegetables and pita bread. Also, fruit is always a great addition to any meal. 

Main Dish: A brie grilled cheese sandwich with turkey and apricot jam is a great choice for your entree. The sandwich tastes good even after it’s cooled down and is pretty easy to make but looks like an intricate food. All you need to do is toast two pieces of sourdough bread in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Once the first side is heated up, flip the bread and add your apricot jam to both pieces of bread. On one side add the brie to your desired taste while also searing some slices of turkey in a pan. Add the turkey on the piece of bread that doesn’t have any cheese on it. Once the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted add a few drops of honey and a pinch or two of salt onto the brie. Finally, combine the two pieces of bread together to create your sandwich. If you want to make the sandwich vegetarian, you can swap out the turkey with thinly sliced apple that has been seared in a pan.  

Dessert: Brown butter chocolate chip cookies are quite possibly the best cookies ever and are the easiest thing to transport on a picnic. My preferred recipe involves combining 1 stick of browned butter into a bowl of 4 tablespoons of room temperature butter. Next, stir in ¾ cup of granulated sugar, ¾ cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and ¾ teaspoon of salt. (Tip: when making a dessert that is somewhat rich and doesn’t have any fruity flavors, using maple syrup as well as vanilla extract really adds something to the overall taste.) Once the ingredients are well combined, whisk in 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk until the mixture is no longer separated. Then, create a flour mixture made with 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and ½ a teaspoon of baking soda. Incorporate the flour mixture into the butter mixture until a dough is formed. Finally, add in 8 oz. of whatever chocolate you want and your cookie dough is complete. Bake the cookies at 350oF for 8-10 minutes and you’re done.