Picnic In Red, White, & Blue

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Amidst the everyday and the same old, same old calendar days come traditional holidays and rituals. I’ve noted how even a small celebration or recognition can shake up the ol' getting-to-be-boring routine, put some spring back in our step, or just throw a dash of spice into our daily rounds. Even simplest li’l things can do the trick. Like having a picnic.

Oh, sometimes I find myself holding back from it—my mind jumping ahead to the packing, hauling and overall cavorting. While I love picnics, I really do—it’s just that the planning and main gist of the doing seems to fall into mom’s lap. Probably ‘cause I used to try to plan the whole bash with homemade goodies too. You know the drill: potato salad, jello salad, enticing grill foods, drinks ...

Enter the new me: one homemade dish with an accompaniment of selections—some from the store, others that my grill-man (aka husband) has hot off the coals. So now all I have to do is the prep and planning—the kids do the set-up and clean up, grill-man cooks, and we all get to enjoy the best part: the food.

But another thing I’ve noticed about the planning is that when I tuck a little extra oomph or “specialness” into that basket—be it a different salad or dessert with a different topping or side dip—everyone’s eyes light up. Perhaps it’s just a new dressing, sauce or surprise flavor, but it helps make our everyday ordinary a tad more extraordinary.

So July 4th is comin’ up, and we all know what that means: sparklers, fireworks, swimming and picnics. Family picnics of all kinds—and whether it’s a gathering of 2 or 20, stepping outside your ordinary zone can be a fun way to lighten life.

And that’s where the red, white and blue of July 4th can step in. How ‘bout choosing one red, white or blue food—or going with one of each—to add to your picnic food this holiday? Or if you’re feeling very ambitious, put that red, white and blue all in one dish.

According to the book Our Flag published in 1989 by the House of Representatives, "On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. … The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings.” Apparently those were intended as the following:

White: purity and innocence
Red: hardiness and valor
Blue: vigilance, perseverance and justice

Nothing like a little bit of trivia history to share at your table while you’re munching on your own red, white and blue delicacies.

Here’s wishing you and yours a happy, healthy Independence Day. And here’s an idea list of some easy picnic foods to help get you started creating your own red, white and blue picnic surprise:

Red

• Cherries: in a large bowl for snacking
• Strawberries: with cheesecake or shortcake
• Raspberries: topping a cake, pie, or with shortcake
• Watermelon: in slices, chunks or balls
• Tomatoes: freshly sliced or in salsa with chips

White

• Bananas: sliced in fruit salad (with a squirt of lemon juice to minimize browning from oxidation)
• Apples: another great addition to fruit salad (with the lemon juice)
• Coconut: as a dessert topping or tossed in with fruit
• Potatoes: in classic potato salad or wrapped in foil and baked
• Vanilla: popular as ice cream or in frosting flavors, it’s a white backdrop for all things red and blue

Blue

• Blueberries: toss handfuls in fresh with watermelon cubes, or top desserts
• Blue corn chips: with salsa and sliced
• Grapes: cut into small bunches for snacking, or added to fruit salads
• Black raspberries: with vanilla ice cream or in jello desserts