Progressive Picnic

A fun alternative to the traditional Fourth of July picnic takes friends and family from house to house for each course of the meal.

Smart Solutions' chef Jamie Gwen shares packing and serving techniques to make picnicking easy. The keys are planning, advance preparations, proper storage and serving equipment.

• An ice chest should include only those items that must be kept cold and should be stored in the car, not in the trunk.

• Make ice packs a day or two in advance. Fill a small press-and-seal bag with ice and place that bag inside a gallon-size storage bag. The ice can be used to wash hands, and after the ice has melted, use the bags for waste disposal.

• Water bottles can be prepared in advance as well. Fill the bottle halfway with water and place it on its side in the freezer. Add fresh water to the frozen water just before packing it in the cooler.

• Avoid creamy-based foods such as potato salad and cole slaw. Use oil-based versions instead.

• When packing salads, pack greens and toppings separately. The same goes for sandwich toppings. Pour an oil-based dressing in a spray bottle for convenience.

• Put separate condiment packets in a plastic press-and-seal bag. The prepackaged condiments such as those given out at a drive-through restaurant include preservative.

• Cover the items in the ice chest with leftover newspaper as insulation.

• Overpack when it comes to food for a picnic. Outdoor activities tend to be more physical and people often eat more than they usually would.

• To keep ants from ruining a picnic, draw chalk circles around plates on the picnic table. Use talcum powder if the picnic is to take place on a blanket. Ants won't cross either because of the smell and texture.

• Don't forget to pack a picnic basket that includes dry materials as well as the "wet" basket with all the items that must be kept cold.

Spiced Iced Tea

Cooking aficionado Paul James contributes this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 qts. water
2 cinnamon sticks, approximately 3" long
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
12 tea bags, your choice
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
one 6-oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
one 6-oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate
fresh mint

Preparation:

Bring water, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Cover and steep for five minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard tea bags, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in sugar until dissolved, then stir in orange juice and lemonade. Chill and serve over ice. Garnish with fresh mint.

Yield: 4 servings

Host Mary Ellen Pinkham of TIPical Mary Ellen and guest Colleen Miner explain that elegant hors d'oeuvres don't have to be complicated or time-consuming.

• Kebabs are a great way to serve something for everyone. Make small, individual skewers of chicken or beef, and serve with peanut or horseradish sauces. A nice complement for veggie kebabs is a dill dip. Alternate red and white tortellini, and serve with red or white sauce for dipping. Another idea is to toss cooked tortellini in taco seasoning and serve with salsa for a Tex-Mex version.

• Tortilla pinwheels are also a quick, easy tasty and colorful hors d'oeuvre. Mix cream cheese, small can of diced jalapeno peppers (drained) and a packet of taco seasoning. Spread mixture on room-temperature tortilla, and roll up. Slice into half-inch sections. Place a toothpick through each section, and serve with salsa and sour cream. Another option is to spread plain cream cheese, salmon or ham, chopped red pepper, scallions and black olives.

• Stuffed mushroom caps are an elegant and simple addition to any buffet. Simply remove mushroom stems, blend in food processor with garlic, bread crumbs, melted butter and some onion, then use a cookie scoop to dab onto mushroom caps. Broil for five minutes.

• Blend equal parts cream and bleu cheeses, and put in pastry pouch. Pipe onto apple and pear wedges, and top with crushed walnuts. Pea pods make a pretty addition to the platter, but take additional time to open and fill.

• Chilled marinated vegetables are an easy appetizer that may be prepared in advance. Asparagus spears, pearl onions, spears of zucchini and eggplant work especially well. Blanch the vegetables and marinate in your favorite vinaigrette overnight. Remove from marinade and broil or grill until slightly tender. Chill in refrigerator until time to serve.

• Crostini is a multifaceted addition to your table that can be served with a variety of dips and toppings. Crush a clove of garlic in 1/2 cup olive oil. Slice French bread into 1/4-inch slices, place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with garlic/olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are lightly browned and centers are crisp (approximately 10 minutes). Serve with olive spread, chopped tomatoes and basil or humus.

• Cut summer squash and zucchini into 1-inch sections, and scoop out the center with a melon baller. Place dollops of chicken or salmon salad in the center.

• Slice open Turkish apricots and dollop with walnut cream cheese.

• Make toast cups with bread that needs to be used. Cut off crust, form in muffin tin and place in oven until crisp. Fill with chopped, sauteed mushrooms and sour cream.

Cooking aficionado Paul James contributes this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup honey
1 cup red and green seedless grapes
3 red apples, any variety, chopped
11-oz. can of mandarin oranges
2 red pears, chopped 2 bananas, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 cups watermelon, chopped (reserve the rind)
lettuce leaves, any variety

Preparation:

In a bowl, combine vanilla yogurt and honey. Refrigerate. Cut fruit into bite-size pieces. Line watermelon rind with lettuce leaves. Place fruit inside, and top with cooled yogurt mixture. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Under Wraps

There's a new way to serve food that's incredibly handy. It's called a wrap, and they are easy-to-make handheld meals or treats that begin with a simple tortilla, pita or flatbread.

Figure B--This Mediterranean-style wrap, dubbed by the chefs as Down by the Sea, combines swordfish and lemon-caramelized onions. It can be served hot or cold.

Rappin' with a Chick

Ingredients:

1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1" cubes
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup blue cheese dressing
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup finely diced celery
2 cups arugula
four 10" flour or spinach tortillas (or any other flavor of your choice)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet. Bake them until they are crispy, golden brown and all the oils are released--approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the chicken, salt and pepper, and saute for three to five minutes, stirring until brown on all sides. Let cool.

Mix together the blue cheese, dressing, cherries and celery. Now add the chicken, which should be room temperature at this point. The filling can be refrigerated and finished later, just prior to serving.

Toss the arugula and walnuts into the chicken mixture until well incorporated. Divide among the tortillas and wrap.

Yield: 4 servings

* Chef Tip: Heating the tortillas a bit before placing the wrap mixture inside makes them more malleable and less likely to crack.

Down by the Sea

Ingredients:

1-1/4 lbs. swordfish, chopped into 1-inch cubes
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
4 cups onions, sliced thin
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 Tbs. dried tarragon
3 cups chopped arugula
1/4 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives (or any other type of your choice)
four 10-inch flour tortillas

Preparation:

Preheat broiler. Toss the swordfish cubes with two teaspoons of olive oil, and add the kosher salt and ground pepper. Cook under a broiler for approximately five minutes until it is opaque all the way through, turning once.

Heat the two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and any additional salt and pepper to taste. (The chef used another 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper.)

Cook until onions are tender and begin to turn golden brown--approximately 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, vinegar and tarragon and cook until all the liquid is evaporated--approximately five to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Transfer the fish into a large bowl, add hot onion mixture, olives and arugula. Toss to mix well. Divide among the tortillas and wrap.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

* Chef Tip: Champagne vinegar is a mild-tasting vinegar made from champagne. If your local supermarket does not carry it, you can substitute white-wine vinegar.

Home chef Nancy DeLorenzo pairs apples and sweet potatoes in a gorgeous--and microwavable--side dish.

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. minced orange peel
3 large Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup melted butter

Preparation:

Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a knife. Cook in microwave for eight minutes on high. Add ice to a large bowl of water, and immerse potatoes in the ice water bath to cool them quickly. Remove the potatoes when they are cool enough to handle. Peel them, and slice them into 1/2-inch-thick rounds.

Combine brown sugar, salt, nutmeg and orange peel in a small bowl, stirring with a fork to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.

Peel and slice the apples into one- to two-inch-thick rounds. Arrange sweet potatoes and apples in a microwave-safe dish, alternating slices. Sprinkle topping over slices, and pour orange juice and melted butter over the topping. Cover, and microwave on high for six minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Cooking expert and author Barbara Nowak explains that when it comes to enjoying low-fat desserts, we can have our cake and eat it, too.

• Use buttermilk as a substitute for whole milk. Nonfat yogurt also works.

• Applesauce and other fruit purees are a great substitute for butter.

• In just a few short steps, these elegant guilt-free desserts can be ready to serve.

Blueberry Parfait

Ingredients:

low-fat pound cake
reduced-fat banana pudding
fresh blueberries (or other berry of choice)
low-fat whipped topping

Preparation:

Cut a pound cake into cubes. Place a handful of cubes into a dessert dish. Pour banana pudding over the cubes, then sprinkle blueberries on top. Top with a dollop of reduced-fat whipped topping. Garnish with blueberries.

Chocolate-Filled Baked Pear

Ingredients:

1 pear, cored
chocolate fudge syrup
crushed pecans, or other nut of choice
apple juice

Preparation:

Core a pear, then fill the hole with chocolate fudge syrup. Add crushed pecans to the chocolate-filled hole. Fill the bottom of an oven-safe bowl halfway with apple juice and bake in a moderate-temperature oven for approximately 30 minutes. Drizzle chocolate syrup over finished dish for a decorative touch.

The recipe for the Orange Poppy-seed Loaf is not available.