Easy Picnic Recipes

Summer is one of the best times of year to get your children involved in cooking and easy picnic recipes are quick to prepare and satisfying to eat. They also give you the chance to get outside with your child and spend some quality time together. If your child doesn’t have much experience in the kitchen, the finger food aspect of picnics is a great way to get them started, as you can begin with making sandwiches and cookies and build up to quiches, pies and pizza.

Easy Picnic Recipes

Here are 10, easy picnic recipes that are inexpensive, finger foods you can use on your picnic or outings, whether it is a picnic at the lake or on a blanket in the backyard.

Hot Dog Roll Ups
Using refrigerated crescent rolls and hotdogs, roll each hotdog in an unbaked crescent roll. Place in a 9X13 pan, bake according to crescent roll package directions. Serve with ketchup and mustard, or ranch dressing.


Easy Boneless Hot Wings
Bake up some plain, breaded chicken chunks according to package directions. Then dip them in a mixture of your favorite bbq sauce, hot sauce (like Frank’s or Tabasco, Mexican seasonings (i.e. Cayenne pepper, cumin, or Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy or Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.


Cucumber Pita Sandwiches
Mix softened pkg. of cream cheese and pkg. of dry Italian dressing powder mix until smooth. Refrigerate overnight. Spread on top of flat pita bread (not pockets). Place slices of unpeeled, patted dry cucumbers over spread, top with pita bread with cream cheese spread. Cut into triangles using pizza cutter and serve.


Taquitos
Warm some corn tortillas, just until flexible. Place some already prepared taco meat and shredded cheese in each of them and roll. Baste with vegetable oil and bake on 350F until crispy.


Fried Zucchini
Cut zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Heat 1/4 inch frying oil in skillet; sprinkle each slice with garlic powder, lemon pepper and parmesan cheese. Fry until golden brown and flip; repeat steps. (Hint: wipe out oil with paper towel after each batch of zucchini to avoid blackening)


Cheese Puffs
Put 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and ½ lb. butter in food processor and mix until smooth. Add a cup of flour and mix well. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Cut dough into 2 inch squares. Wrap a pimento olive with each square, sealing the seams. Place on cookie sheet and bake on 350F until golden brown and crispy.


Easy Nacho Cups
Using Tostitos Scoops, place a spoonful of already prepared warm taco meat in each scoop and top with shredded cheese. Top with your favorite nacho toppings such as: sour cream, salsa, sliced black olives, jalapeno slices, chopped onion and chopped tomatoes.


Pizza Bites
Unroll refrigerated crescent rolls into triangles. Sprinkle each crescent roll with garlic and Italian seasonings. Place 4 slices of pepperoni on each triangle. Place ½ a piece of string cheese on each triangle. Roll up, sprinkle with garlic and Italian seasonings again and bake according to the crescent roll package directions or until brown. Dip in warm pizza sauce.


Turkey Roll Ups
Soften 1/2 pkg. cream cheese and mix with 2 tbs. applesauce and 1 tsp. dried thyme until smooth. Spread evenly onto fajita size tortillas. Place thin sliced turkey on each tortilla and roll. Wrap each rollup in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours until firm. Cut into one inch slices and serve.


Goldfish Crusted Chicken Fingers
Pour 1 bottle of buttermilk ranch dressing in a large bowl. Crush 1 pkg. of cheddar goldfish crackers in another bowl. Using chicken tenderloins, dip in dressing, allowing excess to run off, then dip in the crushed crackers. Place in foil lined pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is done inside at 350F. Dip in additional dressing if desired.

Picnic Ideas

Finding easy picnic recipes is a small part of planning a successful day out, as you need to find a good location, get your child’s friends together and plan some fun activities. Good places to have a picnic include:

• A local waterway. Do a quick search of your local area to find rivers, ponds or lakes where you can paddle and swim safely and go on a reconnaissance mission to find somewhere with trees for shade and some grass for games. Get your child to help you pack up a picnic with plenty of drinks and aim to get there before lunch. Give the children an hour or so to splash in the water and then organize the picnic. After lunch, play some games in the grass or return for more water adventures.

• A ball game. If you live in or near a town where they play Major League, AAA or AA baseball, book some tickets for an afternoon game. Get your child to pack up some cold finger food and find somewhere that you can eat outside before the game. Some ballparks allow you to take food in and a few have dedicated picnic areas where you can sit under cover, eat and watch the game.

• A big city. For slightly older children, the thrill of a trip to your local big city is a special treat. Do some research about good places prior to your picnic, which might be a central park or a child-friendly museum. If you feel comfortable with your child’s independence, set them off with some money and a cell phone and arrange to meet for a picnic lunch. You could also accompany the children to set locations.

To prepare for your picnic, discuss some easy picnic recipes with your child beforehand so you make items they enjoy. You can use this opportunity to teach them how to make their favorite dishes and inspire them to discover and try new foods.

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