Picnic Essentials

It's been a little quiet this week, but I assure you that we're all still here and no one's dead or seriously injured.  Just a little family busyness going on.. pool-hopping, sweating through our clothes, family buzz cuts (not for me, i can't rock that look) and other fun time heat wave activities. Ellie has been full of the sills lately (the sillies) and it has been too cute to miss. I think we'd all agree that I should be sharing the sills with my baby first and foremost.

Anyways, summer has been in full-swing in GA for months and will not be stopping until December, by the looks of it.  That means it must be at least sort of warm where you live, too, right?  And warm means outdoor activities, and my favorite outdoor activity is a good old-fashioned picnic.  Always has been, it's just one of my things.

Before I share some picnic perfect foods with you this month, I want to give you a little run-down of my favorite picnic goods.  Maybe you've never been on a picnic before.  Or maybe you've forgotten what to take.  Maybe your girlfriend asked you to take her on a picnic and you googled 'picnic essentials'? Whatever the case may be, here are a few things I like to have at the ready.

 First, you'll need some stylish essentials like a vintage-style cooler, eco-friendly utensils and a classic picnic blanket. (I am jonesing for a Pendelton blanket like nobody's biz!) A good cooler is key for hot days, even if it's not super stylish.  A blanket is also key- you don't want bugs crawling on you/your food or your date sitting on a bunch of rocks. When it comes to plates and utensils, I love using Bambu products if I need something disposable and reusable glass containers for everything else.

(via Pinterest, here and here)

Let's talk about location. How cute are these little car picnics?  I love the idea of a picnic in the back of a pick-up truck. (Husband, take note!) Really, though, you can have a picnic just about anywhere.  We've done park picnics, backyard picnics, car picnics (this time i mean inside the car).. really. You can make any location work, but if you want to make it special, pick a beautiful location or an offbeat spot that you love.

(via Pinterest, here and here)

Once you've got your basic supplies and location, the key to making a picnic memorable is the ambiance.  If you're doing an evening picnic, think candles, lanterns and the like.  If you're going for daytime and you've got some flexibility at your location, try hanging paper lanterns, streamers, balloons or garlands.  Pillows are always a great addition, and don't forget a playlist of your favorite tunes!

via Pinterest

And of course, the all important food!  Can't have a picnic without good eats. I won't be sharing any recipes with you today, but I will say the following are my favorite grab and go picnic treats:

 

-good bread (usually baguette or fresh baked type)

-good cheese

-fruit (depending on the cheese, we usually go with grapes, apples or berries on the fly)

-veggies for snacking

-sometimes we include some meat if we want to make sandwiches

-fun fizzy drinks or a bottle of wine

-some kind of sweet treat that won't melt in the heat

One of our favorite things to do is to go on a little grocery trip (usually to a fancier grocery as a treat to ourselves) and pick up whatever looks delicious and take it away for a picnic.  It's one of the simplest meals (really no preparation) and the picnic setting is perfect for good conversation.  We love it for date nights at home or away and we cherish picnics with friends.  We always end up with new memories.

I just love picnics. Fact.

I can't wait to share some of my favorite picnic recipes and tips with you this month.

What about you? Are you a picnic person?

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