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

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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.

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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

Ham & Swiss Sandwich, Mountain Mama Cooks

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!

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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!