Picnic in the Park

The community where we live has a wonderful summer concert series in local parks and last weekend we joined friends for the Journey tribute band and a picnic dinner. We had a blast reminiscing about all the concerts we used to bring our kids to when they were little while jammin' to the sounds of Journey.

               This Picnic Menu was perfect for our evening of fun:

• Fresh Guacamole and Tortilla Chips
• Pressed Sandwiches (recipes here)
• Rice, Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad (recipe here)
• Fruit Skewers
• Lime Sugar Cookies for dessert (recipe here)

Delicious picnic plate ready to enjoy!

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Honey Balsamic Chicken Skewers

Are you forever looking for a new way to cook chicken? I find that I often cook family favorites- baked "fried" chicken with panko, honey mustard baked chicken and lemon dill chicken, so when I saw this recipe that looked easy to prepare and had an ingredient I don't often use with chicken (balsamic vinegar), I knew I had to try it!  This is sweet and tangy and a new family favorite.

Honey Balsamic Chicken Skewers

3 chicken breasts or 5 chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes

Marinade:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon canola oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Mix together marinade ingredients in plastic bag. Place cubes of chicken into bag and marinate in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Drain chicken from marinade and skewer on bamboo sticks. Heat nonstick pan to medium high until hot, then lower to medium and place a few skewers in pan and cook 3-5 minutes per side until brown. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice and steamed veggies. Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration from here

Pressed Italian Sandwich + Pressed Mozzarella, Sundried Tomato and Pesto Sandwich

These sandwiches are fun to make, taste delicious and travel well for a picnic or tailgate party. They would also be nice to serve for a casual lunch by the pool with a fruit salad and chips. Even though two whole ciabattas make a lot of sandwiches, it's nice to have both a vegetarian and meat option and the leftovers taste great the next day!

Pressed Italian Sandwich

• 1 ciabatta loaf
• 1/2 cup black or green olive tapenade (I used pesto on the meat sandwich I made and next time I will use olive tapenade)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced Genoa salami
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced spicy Italian cold cuts, such as coppa or capocolla
• 8 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 6 leaves fresh basil, torn into bite-size pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper

 Cut ciabatta in half horizontally. Spread bottom half with tapenade. Drizzle cut side of top half with vinegar and oil. Arrange salami on top of tapenade, followed by the prosciutto, coppa, provolone,and basil. Sprinkle with pepper to taste and place top half of loaf on filling. 

Wrap sandwich thoroughly with plastic wrap or foil. Place a heavy cutting board or other flat object on top of sandwich and weight it down with a 2- to 4-lb. weight (such as a large pot or six-pack of soda). Let sit 30 minutes to 2 hours. Unwrap, cut into eighths, and serve.

Recipe inspiration from here

Pressed Mozzarella, Sundried Tomato and Pesto Sandwich 

• Pressed Mozzarella and Sundried Tomato Sandwich
• 1 ciabatta loaf 
• 1/2 cup pesto (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup  oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, reserving 1 tablespoon oil
• Romaine lettuce leaves
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

Cut ciabatta in half horizontally. Spread bottom half with pesto. Drizzle cut side of top half oil from sundried tomatoes. Layer bottom half of bread with lettuce leaves, then slices of fresh mozzarella and sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and top with lettuce leaves and top half of bread.

Wrap sandwich thoroughly with plastic wrap or foil. Place a heavy cutting board or other flat object on top of sandwich and weight it down with a 2- to 4-lb. weight (such as a large pot or six-pack of soda). Let sit 30 minutes to 2 hours. Unwrap, cut into eighths, and serve.

Recipe inspiration from here

Wrapping sandwiches individually in parchment helps keep them together when transporting and serving!

Brown Rice Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Basil and Feta

Summer time is all about fresh veggies and eating outside! This salad is a great way to combine tasty fresh tomatoes and cucumbers with a healthy grain, brown rice. This combo reminds me of one of my favorite orzo greek salads, but is refreshing with the addition of a new twist to the salad with rice. Great for a picnic!

Brown Rice Salad with Cucumbers, 
Tomatoes, Basil and Feta

1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
1 English cucumber, sliced
1 basket of cherry tomatoes
8 ounces feta cheese
1/4 chopped basil
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cook brown rice according to package. Let cool.
In a jar, combine lemon juice, rice vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to make the dressing.
In a large bowl, add cooked rice, cucumbers, tomatoes and basil. Pour dressing over rice mixture then gently add feta. Enjoy!