Spring has sprung and the cold weather is coming to a close. What better time than now to start planning your picnics? Those days that aren’t too hot or cold but are just right are the perfect days to have lunch with a group of friends on the lawn. Picnics always require food packed and a blanket, but I’m going to give you some recipes to make it a bit easier to pack exactly what you will need for a satisfying picnic.
The first recipe to make your picnic a success are BLT sliders. For this you’ll need a package of Hawaiian rolls, bacon, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, three tablespoons of mayo, lemon and chopped basil.
First, cook your bacon and set that aside. Mix the mayo, basil, and a squeeze of lemon juice together. Put the sliders together by spreading each roll with your mayo mixture and top with the lettuce, bacon, and heirloom tomato.
The second recipe is no-bake mason jar cheesecakes. For this recipe you’ll need fourteen graham crackers, four tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, three tablespoons of brown sugar, a pinch of salt, two and a half cups of fresh blueberries, juice from half a lemon, two tablespoons of cold water, one-half cup of fine granulated sugar, one tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with two tablespoons of water, two eight-ounce packs of cream cheese, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, three-fourths cup of confectioners sugar, three-fourths cup of heavy cream, and lemon zest.
First, put the crackers into a bowl and crush them by using the end of a rolling pin. Make sure the crackers are fully crushed before mixing them with melted butter, brown sugar and salt until combined and putting them aside.
Put the blueberries, lemon juice and sugar into a pan and heat the mixture gently on low. You’ll know that the mixture is ready when the blueberries begin to break down. Stir in the corn starch mix and heat through, stirring for 30 seconds until the mix thickens. Once done, take it off the heat, and allow the mix to cool down.
Put the cream cheese into a mixing bowl and mix until the cream cheese has loosened up and become smooth. Once finished, add in the vanilla extract and sugar and combine them. In another bowl, whisk the cream until it’s thick but soft and spoon it into the cream cheese. Stir and combine afterward.
Place three tablespoons of the crumbs into a mason jar and push down. Afterward, take two tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture and to finish, two tablespoons of the blueberry mixture. Top with lemon zest.
The last recipe is for a raspberry fizzy drink to go with your meal. What you’ll need is 24 ounces of frozen raspberries that have been thawed but not drained, one can of frozen lemonade concentrate that has been thawed, one two-liter bottle of ginger ale, ice and lemon slices for garnish.
First, cook the raspberries until they are a thick looking juice. Press the juice through a fine mesh sieve to take out seeds and chill for at least two hours. Once done, combine the juice with the lemonade concentrate into a pitcher and top it with ginger ale. Pour it over ice and you’re set!