“Having somewhere to go is HOME. Having someone to love is FAMILY”
Today I’m bringing you on a little outing: A picnic in the park. We’ve had some lovely weather here on the coast; with highs of 25C so I decided to make lunch and take it outdoors. Quality time with loved ones can be as simple as finding a shady spot to lounge, read books and relax in the warm spring air. I’ve put together a simple menu which I’ll share below.
The Menu
Warm Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Mini cucumber with Garlic & Herbed Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
Homemade Mini Cherry Pies (recipe for cherry pie filling HERE)
Fresh Berries with Clotted Cream Cheese
Charcuterie with Smoked Gouda and Prociutto
Prosecco
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
- 1 cup of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- A large handful of fresh strawberries
- 1 handful of fresh mint and sweet basil leaves
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- filtered water to taste
step 1
Juice the lemons, de-stem the strawberries and the mint and basil (you can also use fresh thyme if you prefer)
step 2
Into a blender, add the lemon juice, strawberries, mint, basil and sugar. Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until combined. You now have a delicious lemonade concentrate.
step 3
Pour the concentrate from the blender into a glass pitcher. Top up with filtered water to your desired taste and add ice cubes.
Clotted Cream Cheese
I made this clotted cream last year for my birthday High -Tea and thought it would be a good compliment to the strawberries and raspberries I bought.
You’ll Need
1/2 cup of plain cream cheese
3 Tbls of granulated sugar
1 cup of whipping cream
a pinch of salt
Add all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk or whip together using a hand-held electric mixer. Place in the fridge to chill and set for at least an hour before serving. It’s so good! tastes like cheesecake.
I’ve had these mini pie shells in the freezer for months, originally purchased to make mini quiches during the holiday’s. That never happened so I filled them with my Cherry Pie filling I canned last summer with a batch of organic Rainier Cherries that were gifted to us. They went into the oven covered with foil for 30 minutes then baked uncovered at 350 F for another 15 minutes until golden. The clotted cream would go nicely with these too.
We decided on a grassy patch near the ocean and set up our blanket and enjoyed lunch under the May sunshine. Everyone was outside it seemed both on land and water. A party boat cruised by and the Vancouver Pirate Ship Adventures floated by with a pirate about to walk the plank to the excitement of the children on board.
Warm Chicken Salad Sandwiches
We love this one at home and I like to make it as a very indulgent breakfast around Christmas when there’s always a day with leftover chicken in the fridge from a holiday meal. Serve it on warm buttery toast or on fresh white without crusts like I did today.
Shred 2 cooked chicken breasts with two forks then finely chop a red pepper and some scallions. Sautee them a pan with oil or butter. Add the chicken to the pan , a dash of smoked paprika, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a a bowl and mix with a bit of mayo. Serve on warm bread. So tasty.
I like to make my Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Garlic & Herbed Cream Cheese and that’s what I did today.
I picked up 2 mini bottles of Prosecco during my shop this week and we had a glass after lunch. The sun was quite hot, I was grateful for the ocean breeze to cool us down. What are your must-have picnic snacks? When was the last time you had a picnic? I’m hoping I might inspire you to head out into nature with a packed lunch and a good book. When I lived alone I liked doing that on a weekend. Find a shady spot and toast to all my blessings.
A contented mind is the greatest blessing a person can enjoy in this world.
Thank you for joining me today and I hope wherever you are in the world that you are finding the blessings in your life. Cheers to that.
Love,
Jennifer