Temperatures are rising, the sun is shining and that means summer! Summer is the season to go outside and enjoy the warm air. A popular summer activity many people do is go on picnics. Picnics are for enjoying delicious foods with friends and family with some nice summer weather. You can enjoy the hot, summer air with some of your favorite foods and snacks. Below are a few suggestions of delicious foods you can take with you on your next picnic! 

  Sophomore Anna Eischen said her favorite picnic food is apple pie. “I like apple pie because I love having desserts when I’m on a picnic and the flavor of apple just screams summer to me,” she said. Apple pie is a popular dish for celebrating the Fourth of July. This summer holiday is a good time for a picnic and this would make for a great recipe to bring along with you. Apple pie is also very tasty with some ice cream on it. Anna agreed and said, “I like putting ice cream on the apple pie because it adds a cooler flavor for summer and makes it more tasty.” 

Ingredients: 

1 pie crust (pre-made crusts are at grocery stores) 

6-7 Granny Smith apples peeled and cored (7 cups) 

1 ½ tsp cinnamon 

9 tbsp unsalted butter 

3 tbsp all purpose flour 

¼ cup water 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1 egg + 1 tbsp water, for egg wash 

Instructions: 

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 3 tbsp flour then simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in ¼ cup water, 1 cup sugar and begin to boil. Reduce heat and continue simmering 3 minutes, whisking frequently then remove from heat. 
2. Peel, remove cores, and thinly slice 7 apples (about 7 cups) and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle the top with 1 ½ tsp cinnamon and toss to combine. Pour the sauce over the apples and stir to coat the apples. 
3. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the bottom pie crust to a 12″ diameter circle. Wrap it around your rolling pin to transfer it to the 9″ pie plate. Add apple mixture, mounding slightly in the center and being careful not to get the filling on the edges which would make it difficult to seal.
4. Roll the second crust into an 11” round circle and cut into 10 strips of even thickness using a pizza cutter. Arrange strips in a woven lattice pattern over the top. Beat together 1 egg and 1 tbsp water and brush top with egg mixture. 
5. Bake at 425 F in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 F and continue baking another 45 minutes or until the apples are soft and the filling is bubbling through vents. *Rest at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving. 

Recipe from https://natashaskitchen.com/apple-pie-recipe/ 

 Pasta salad is another great option for going on picnics. It’s a very simple recipe and can be easy if you’re on the go. It’s a cold, refreshing dish that’s perfect for the summer weather. This pasta salad has a healthy assortment of different vegetables that make this recipe nutritious and delicious. 

Ingredients: 

15 oz. box of Rotini pasta 

1 cucumber 

6 oz. Feta cheese 

1 red pepper 

10 cherry tomatoes 

Dressing Ingredients: 

½ cup virgin olive oil 

6 tbsp red wine vinegar 

1 tsp italian seasoning 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp dijon mustard 

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground black pepper 

Chop up the cucumbers and peppers; then half the cherry tomatoes. Add all the ingredients together to make the pasta base. Mix together all the dressing ingredients and pour on top of pasta to make a delicious pasta salad for a picnic. 

Recipe from Burr Reynolds family 

Something popular people do for picnics is add a refreshing, apple cider to go with their dishes. Sophomore Annaka Boyd says, “I love drinking apple cider when I’m on a picnic. It just makes up the whole fancy aesthetic for a picnic that I love.” Try adding the apple cider to one of the amazing dishes above and enjoy your summer picnic!