Two Perfect Picnic Recipes
Tis the season for outdoor concerts, picnics in the park and not turing the oven on. I know that anytime I can avoid baking or cooking over a hot stove this time of year, I do! Living in Park City, we’re fortunate to have multiple outdoor concerts each week. Often times we load a small cooler and picnic basket and take dinner to go. Nothing beats a cold glass of white wine, dinner alfresco and the mountains as a back drop.
Spinach-Quinoa Salad with Wisconsin Blue Cheese, Walnuts & Grapes
This salad is a favorite of mine. It’s easy to prepare, hearty without being overly filling and the pungent blue cheese is the perfect compliment to sweet grapes and crunchy walnuts.
Greens grow so well in cooler climates that if I do say so myself, some of the best spinach I’ve had comes from my own backyard. Paired with a honey-rosemary vinaigrette, this salad is a total winner! Just make sure to pack extra forks because this is a great one to share!
Ham & Wisconsin Swiss Baguette with Honey-Mustard Spread
Sandwiches seem like such an obvious choice when packing for a picnic because they’re easy and portable but when you use good quality ingredients, they can be really spectacular. Ham and swiss are the the bulk of this sandwich but the spread is what sets it apart. A little butter, local honey and spicy dijon mustard creamed together. It’s pretty much the bomb. Spread with a heavy hand on a toasty baguette and layered with local heriloom tomatoes, a sprinkle of salt and buttery lettuce from the garden, well, let’s just say this might be the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten!
Thank you to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for having me share two of my favorite picnic recipes! You can find both of these recipes on the Wisconsin Cheese Talk blog. You can find the sandwich recipe here and the salad recipe here.
What are your favorite foods to take on a picnic?
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer, folks!
16 Comments
Looks so good, Kelley!! Looks perfect for a picnic!
OK, that salad is literally screaming my name! PINNING immediately!
I hear it……Heather, HEATHER!!!!!
I’m all over that salad. I can never get enough of blue cheese. I could almost picture myself back there in Park City, watching a band play on a cool Summer eve, eating this salad. Sounds like Heaven!
We went to a concert last night and it was magical. A perfect Park City evening!
Love these recipes! And it’s blazing hot here in AZ, so no oven = me doing a happy dance.
I bet! I can’t imagine Arizona during the summer!!
Picnicking is one of my favorite things to do. There’s something about eating outside, in a beautiful location, that makes food taste that much better. Both the salad and the sandwich are ones that I’d love to tuck away in our picnic basket.
We should do a picnic one night with all the boys!
You bring that salad and I’ll offer up some ice cream, how’s that? I have quinoa but don’t use it enough; this salad has so many ingredients I love, I just have to try it.
It’s a date! 🙂
Another beautiful meal, Kelley! Looks so fabulous. I *might* make it to PC this weekend…..if I do…..would you see me?! 🙂
Yes, yes, YES!!! I’m catering tonight but around all weekend. Do you need a place to stay?
Ok, I’m coming to PC to visit you!! Will you feed me????
I wish I really was. I do.
Made this tonight. It was great! My husband said it was like going to a restaurant. I served it as an entree topped with grilled steak marinated in a blend of olive oil, garlic, worcestershire, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and red crushed pepper. Thanks!
What a fantastic addition. My husband loves grilled steak and I bet it was delicious on top of the salad!