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Picnic Week on A Well Crafted Party

If you haven’t been reading this week then you may not know that it is Picnic Week on A Well Crafted Party! I’m sharing all kinds of fun picnic ideas in honor of the Portland Bloggers family picnic that is happening this weekend. I’ve already shared a quick pasta salad, my favorite picnic supplies, and a huge list of picnic inspiration from around the web. Today I thought I’d delve into the picnic food menu. YUM. I’ve crafted menus that will make for a fabulous picnic meal and will continue sharing them throughout the weekend!


Italian Inspired Picnic Menu
Click here for a free printable version!

Italian Inspired Picnic Menu

I love a well crafted menu. There is just something really special about a menu that has been thought about and crafted to taste great together. I’ve come up with picnic menus based off of some of my favorite styles of food to inspire your own picnic menus. I’ve linked to some of my favorite recipes as well. You’ll get everything from snacks to nibble on while playing bocce ball through to dessert and beverages. Starting things off today is one of my very favorite types of food— Italian!

Beverages—

Okay, maybe it is a traditionalist in me, but you can’t go wrong with some sparkling water and your favorite Italian red for a picnic. Try taking a chilled Lambrusco to relieve the heat! A great way to keep your chilled red or white wine cold (and not watered down) while drinking is to freeze grapes and plop them in your wine glass! Eat the wine soaked grapes as they thaw.

Snacks—

Antipasti platters are one of my favorite Italian appetizers. Make it picnic-ready by creating antipasti skewers. You can really make this one up with items you like and stack them on skewers. I like to add items like olives, basil, cherry tomatoes, marinated mozzarella, Italian meats, and cooked tortellinis. Try this antipasta skewer recipe out for more ideas.

Italian Pressed Sandwiches— Photo by Motormouth Studios
Italian Pressed Sandwiches— Photo by Motormouth Studios

Meal—

Caprese Salad—I think salads are the perfect summer food. And, caprese salads are so easy, delicious, and refreshing. To make a caprese salad in a jar simply build the salad by putting in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, cherry tomatoes, balls of mozzarella (the fresher, the better), and basil leaves. I sometimes like to mix my basil with sweet baby green as well.

Italian pressed sandwiches— These sammies make for a filling and very portable lunch. I’d cut them into individual portions, wrap in wax paper, and tie up with twine to add an extra special touch. This would be a great way to identify speciality sandwiches for friends and family that need items left out of their sandwiches— just write a note on the paper or tie it on with the baker’s twine! There are a ton of recipes out there for Italian pressed sandwiches. My favorite? My own! Check out my Italian Pressed Sandwich Recipe here!

Dessert—

No Bake Tiramisu in Jars— When I think Italian dessert I instantly think of tiramisu. MMMMM. I’m not a fan of too much fuss for a picnic meal, so I tend to lean toward things with “no bake” or “one pan.” Building an easy and delicious tiramisu in a jar will make you look like you slaved for hours over a hot stove while you sit pretty and relax with your Lambrusco in hand.

Do you like to have a coordinated menu for your picnics? Or, would you rather throw something together the day of and wing it?

 

 

Picnic Week on A Well Crafted Party

 

In honor of this weekend’s Portland Bloggers’ Family Picnic I decided to make it Picnic Week here on the blog. Use the ideas gathered here to create a fun Summer time picnic at home or, if you are in Portland, bring your newly found ideas to the meet-up! I’ve already shared my favorite picnic supplies and a quick pasta salad recipe, there is so much more coming though! So, pop back in throughout the week for more picnic goodness.


My Favorite Picnic Posts

photos via: BashPlease.Com featured on Design Sponge / How to Wear DIY from Adventures in Dressmaking / Butcher Paper Picnic Basics from Oh Happy Day! /Ombre Picnic Blanket from Design Love Fest / Italian Pressed Sandwiches from A Well Crafted Party / Sweet Potato Chips from A Beautiful Mess

My Favorite Picnic Posts Round-Up

I’m not the first, nor will I be the last, to post lots of pretty pictures and great ideas about picnics. Below is a list of some of my favorite picnic themed posts found across the internets. Can’t get enough picnic goodness? Then follow along with my Picnic Pinterest Board for more inspiration as I come across it.

Pretty Picnics to Inspire

  • I love the look of this “Magical Dinner Party in the Woods” that Lauren from The Little Things We Do posted last year. 
  • Oh, Hello Friend’s Picnic Themed Wedding still makes me swoon. I love everything about it and think I’ll hit up a few thrift stores for supplies before Sunday’s picnic!
  • This gorgeous outdoor movie night featured on Design Sponge is made even more beautiful with a lovely picnic spread.
  • This “simple” evening from the Fresh Exchange is just magical.
  • This family picnic set up from a REAL family picnic is making me think I should have planned decorations for this weekend’s event a little more carefully!

DIY Picnic Projects

  • These great butcher paper picnic baskets from Oh Happy Day! look super easy to make and downright adorable. 
  • These simple “pockets of fun” are a perfect way to wrangle and hand out picnic utensils, straws, and salt & pepper!
  • Almost Make Perfect shared a quick geometic print DIY picnic blanket that I love.
  • In the same fashion as the above picnic blanket, but totally different style, Design Love Fest created a tutorial for an awesome ombre picnic blanket.
  • Another picnic blanket that I’m loving is this DIY “girly” portable picnic blanket. It rolls up and can be worn over your shoulder!

What to Wear to a Picnic

  • My friend Suzannah has written a few posts with ideas of what to wear to a picnic. I love her styling of this DIY gingham dress. She also recently wrote a whole post with a TON of ideas of DIY picnic wearables
  • You want to be comfortable, yet cute, at a Summer picnic where cameras are coming out… this simple bright yellow dress combo is perfect for a picnic.
  • Hats are a fabulous for protecting skin and giving a sweet, relaxed vibe to a well-chosen outfit. Love this look from The Sweetest Occasion.
  • While I think dresses at picnics are adorable… sometimes, they just aren’t very practical! I love this cute shorts and tank outfit.
  • What will I be wearing to this weekend’s picnic? I’ll probably do similar to last year’s picnic and wear a maxi dress.

Picnic Food

  • I love the look of these pressed sandwiches for a picnic meal. I loved it so much that I made some of my own for my son’s first birthday. They turned out great and I will be making them again!
  • This list of 50, yes, FIFTY, picnic food ideas spans from nibbles to desserts!
  • The pressed sandwiches would go nicely with some Homemade Sweet Potato Fries.
  • Some people won’t even call it a picnic if there isn’t fried chicken involved. These potato chip fried chicken tenders would be perfect.
  • This great post titled “The Perfect Picnic” pretty much sums it all up with great recipes and beautiful styling.

Whoa! That was a lot of picnic fun… Now I’ve gotta go get to work on prepping items for the Portland Bloggers’ picnic. I have no idea WHAT I am bringing after checking out all the fun inspiration on this list one more time.

Tell me about YOUR favorite picnic experience!

Picnic Week on A Well Crafted Party

 

I’m posting a series of picnic-themed posts this week in honor of the Portland Bloggers’ family picnic that is happening this weekend. The first post was all about fun picnic supplies to make for a pleasant picnic in the park (or wherever). Now, onto the food!


One of my favorite things to make for a picnic is my super easy and delicious pasta salad. It doesn’t have any name that I know of… I learned it from word of mouth from a friend and have been making it ever since. It doesn’t have any mayo so it is pretty heat friendly. You can add in things or take them out as you like. I’ll share the base recipe I use and then one of my favorite modifications!

Easy Pasta Salad

A Super Easy and Delicious Pasta Salad

Serves a whole bunch of people… I really can’t even estimate well, but over 12 side dish portions.

Ingredients:

  • Approximately 6 cups of tortellini (You can decide the filling, I typically go with cheese filling or half cheese and half spinach)
  • 1 16oz bag of frozen peas and carrots
  • 1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing— I’ve used everything from Wishbone to Olive Garden. My favorite is Newman’s Own Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Italian Dressing (Affiliate Link)
  • 1 bag of shredded parmesan cheese— approximately 5 to 8 oz of cheese will be used. I sometimes shred my own. I sometimes get it in a bag. The pictured KRAFT Shredded Italian Cheese Mixture (Affiliate Link) would work nicely as well.

Directions:

  • Boil the tortellini as you would any pasta— tortellini tends to float to the top when done. I always give it a taste test to check for sure.
  • Pour the frozen peas and carrots into a colander and put in sink while the tortellini is boiling.
  • Pour the finished pasta and boiling water into the colander after the pasta is al dente. The hot water will cook the veggies!
  • Rinse with cool water until the whole mess of yummy food is cool.
  • Pour in a BIG bowl.
  • Then add up to 1 full bottle of dressing (to taste, I typically use 1/2 to 3/4 a bottle) and the parmesan cheese to taste (I usually use the whole bag)
  • Cool and enjoy!

See, so easy! Now, here is my most recent modification. I used all of the above ingredients, but I added diced ham and chives at the end! One of the best things about this recipe is you can make it as simple or as gourmet as you want. If you want to go supremely foodie on this picnic favorite then get some fresh tortellini, make your own Italian dressing, grate your own super nice parmesan, and add in some prosciutto.

A great way to serve this dish is to just put them in individual canning jars. The jars can be the food storage containers and double as dinnerware.

Want some more awesome pasta salad ideas? Check out my friend Bee’s Pasta Salad with Zucchini and Sun-dried Tomatoes or Rebekah’s Six-Ingredient or Less Greek-ish Pasta Salad.

What food do you love bringing to a picnic?