Some picnics are an epic novel full of roasted meats, separate sauces, and silverware. Others are short story, with easy dishes eaten with your fingers. Last weekend’s picnic was a delicious short story in the sunshine.
My lovely friend Emily has a early May birthday and always manages to do something wonderful and outdoors, and the weather cooperates each year with sunshine and a light breeze. This year she threw a picnic in Rock Creek Park with everyone bringing their own main course and she brought side dishes and desserts and such.
I decided to keep it simple (stupid) by bringing sandwich makings for myself, the hubs, and a few friends. A quick trip to the farmers market resulted in glorious orange tomatoes which were layered with a selection of Spanish meats (thanks Trader Joe’s for their charcuterie platter), some provolone cheese, and fresh ciabatta rolls. These items I decided to top with some fresh pesto for a lovely springy taste.
Per the request of the birthday girl I also made the roasted lemonade again, this time with 5 tablespoons of fresh chopped ginger and 2 tablespoons of all spice, just to mix it up a little bit.
By the end of the day we were all just a touch sunburned, incredibly full, and super happy!