Plan Ahead
The Day Before
- Make Antipasto Curly Pasta Salad, following recipe’s Do-Ahead Tip. (Leave out salami to enjoy meatless.) Refrigerate in totable serving container.
- Chill ginger ale and cranberry juice cocktail for Quick Cranberry Punch or chill soft drinks to take, if you like.
- Bake and frost Ginger-Lemon Delights; pack in totable container after frosting is set.
- Make No-Bake Apple Bars. (Line pan with foil to make removing bars easier.) Cut bars; refrigerate to totable container.
Before You Leave for the Day
- Make Stromboli Hero, following recipe’s Do-Ahead Tip. Wrap; keep cold in totable serving container. Either cut into servings before leaving home or take a cutting board!
- Pack all ingredients and large plastic pitcher for mixing Quick Cranberry Punch at picnic site.
- Keep cool things cool. Ice packs wrapped in towels work well even in a basket.
Just Before Serving
- Mix the Quick Cranberry Punch.
Set out sandwiches, salad and sweet treats.
Party Guide
Map Out the Day
- Appoint one member of the party the travel planner and navigator. There’s always the risk of not remembering the way, planning too much or finding road construction. Remember that these are popular times to be out and about.
- Bring along favorite music. Some songs just have to be sung while out for a drive!
- Trivia games are fun for car trips. Or bring travel books about the area where you take your day trip. It’s amazing how little we sometimes know about historic highways close to home!
Make a Party of Your Picnic
- Make your picnic blanket fit your trip—quilts for antique store visits, red or green plaids or stripes for apple picking, Pendleton or Hudson’s Bay blankets just because… You get the idea.
- It’s the perfect time for an old-fashioned picnic hamper or a big wicker basket you outfit for the day. Or be clever with a big plastic laundry basket!
- Look for inexpensive or non-breakable wine glasses to add to party supplies if exploring wine country and sipping wine with your picnic. Observe the law about alcoholic beverages at picnic sites and have a designated driver.
Surprise, Surprise