A-tisket, a-tasket,
A family picnic basket...
This picnic basket belonged to my great grandmother. See where she carved her initials on the lid?
Imagine how many picnic dinners it has carried over the years. I'll bet is has held more fried chicken and freshly-baked pies than you can count! I have been the proud keeper of this basket for a few decades now and it's not only functional, but also decorative. Last night it contained fried chicken, sweet potato chips, combination salad and lemon pie for us!
We love meeting friends for picnic dinners at MO Botanical Gardens and do so each year as often as possible. Throughout the summer, the grounds are open until late on Wednesday nights for the seasonal concert series so we went last night. We don't really mind who is playing or what type of music it is and, in fact, I couldn't even tell you what we heard last night because we only go for the picnic with friends! People, old and young, come with their dinners and quilts and sprawl out on the meticulously-manicured lawns of Shaw's Garden for the evening. Nibbling and visiting make for an enjoyable time! This week's "recipe" is actually just an idea that you may want to try this summer.
Salad in a Jar
Gather the produce you like for a salad with enough options to create six layers. Select a canning jar with a wide mouth. I picked two smaller jars so that we'd have individual servings for our picnic.
*Create the first layer by pouring in the dressing of your choice in the bottom.
*The next layer should be something that will resist sogginess when making contact with the dressing. I chose chopped tomatoes.
*Make several more layers of your choice. I picked cucumbers, carrots, cheese, crumbled bacon and torn greens. My salads usually contain more vegetables, but the jars were small!
You can either dump the contents into a bowl at serving time or consume from the jar after gently mixing it with your fork. (My jars were from salsa, which explains the "mild" stamped on the lid!)
Here is a quick picture we snapped on our way out of the parking lot last evening. Aren't the hydrangeas lovely?
You can either dump the contents into a bowl at serving time or consume from the jar after gently mixing it with your fork. (My jars were from salsa, which explains the "mild" stamped on the lid!)
Here is a quick picture we snapped on our way out of the parking lot last evening. Aren't the hydrangeas lovely?
Have a happy day and plan a picnic!