In Search of the Perfect Picnic: Wildflowers II

We went back to see the wildflowers last weekend. This time we took my mother and sister-in-law with us. As is my way, I was a woman on a mission to create the perfect picnic menu. Rather than working to impress my picnic guests my goal is always to indulge them and to make them feel super special and super loved. I'm pretty sure I reached my goal this time around. 😉

I wanted light and refreshing flavors with hints of herbs for this springtime picnic. I settled on a menu of BBQ Rosemary Lemon Chicken and three picnic salads - Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad, Chickpea and Red Cabbage Picnic Salad, and Honey & Lime Marinated Fruit Salad.

I also made a batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies and a pitcher of Lavender & Vanilla Earl Grey Iced Tea. These cookies are a gluten free recipe and bake up soft but are full of chocolaty flavor. The iced tea is gorgeous - a real picnic treat.

I set up shop in the trunk of our car tailgate style.

On top of that, our guests showed up with some beautiful pink grapefruit that I incorporated into a lemonade with honey. I love honey with grapefruit. It turned out super yummy. I had to stop myself from gulping down half the jug right after I made it. I'm gonna have to put the rest of those beauties to good use.

We drove out to the wildflowers only to find that most of them had already died off and the fields were starting to turn brown.

There were still a couple of varieties left, and the wildlife did not disappoint.

We encountered a baby rattle snake crossing the road as soon as we got out of our cars. This is a zoomed in pic. We didn't actually get that close. Apparently, baby rattle snakes aren't good at controlling their venom so they are more dangerous than adult rattlers. Trust me, we kept our distance.

The boys became entirely preoccupied with catching big fat tadpoles out of the creek.



We also found a stink bug to follow around for a while.

My sister-in-law brought us a lovely nature press book. The boys were more interested in catching tadpoles than picking flowers, but I put the press to good use anyway.

So, that wraps up our wildflower picnics for the year. Now on to summer picnics. 😉

BBQ Rosemary Lemon Chicken

INGREDIENTS
The strained juice of 3 large lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp dried rosemary or 1/4 cup fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
12 piece pack of chicken legs and thighs

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag with as little air as possible and massage marinade into chicken pieces.
3. Marinate in fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
4. Grill over a medium flame about 30 minutes or until fat is rendered and chicken is cooked through, turning a few times. If your grill has hot spots, make sure you rotate your chicken pieces accordingly.

Honey & Lime Marinated Fruit Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blackberries
4 kiwis, peeled, halved longways, then sliced
1 cup green grapes, halved
4 cuties, segmented
1/2 fresh pineapple, diced
1 Tbsp honey
1 lime, juiced

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine fruit in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together honey and lime juice. Add to fruit and toss gently to coat.
3. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to meld.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion or 3 shallots
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp dried dill

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine last six ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together.
2. Add cucumber and onion and toss to coat.
3. Refrigerate covered for a few hours to allow flavors to meld.

Chickpea & Red Cabbage Picnic Salad

(Original recipe from Simply Recipes)

INGREDIENTS
1 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 16 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sliced green olives
3/4 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Place first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together last 4 ingredients. Dump into veggie bowl and toss to coat.
3. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, and/or vinegar according to your taste.
4. Refrigerate a few hours for flavors to meld.

* I personally think a little bit of sugar whisked in to the dressing would make it even better. I wouldn't mind a little red onion either. I have yet to try it.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Original recipe by Beaming Baker)

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp flax seed meal
6 Tbsp water
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups oat flour (I made my own by grinding whole oats in a food processor and then measuring out the flour)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Heaping 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips + a Tbsp or two to press onto tops

DIRECTIONS
1. Make flax eggs by whisking together the flax meal and water in a large bowl. Let rest for 10 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
3. In your flax bowl, add the rest of the wet ingredients and stir well.
4. Dump dry ingredients into wet and stir well to combine.
5. Fold in the heaping 1/2 cup chocolate chips, cover and let rest 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Use a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough onto baking sheets. Flatten cookies with your fingers to desired flatness as they will not spread much during baking. Press in a couple of additional chocolate chips on top of each cookie.
8. Bake about 10 minutes.
9. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer gently onto a cooling rack.

Lavender & Vanilla Earl Grey Iced Tea

INGREDIENTS
5 bags Earl Grey tea
1 Tbsp dried culinary lavender
8 cups of water divided
2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Place tea bags and lavender in a heat proof bowl or jug.
2. Boil 4 cups of water and pour over tea. Let steep for 20 minutes.
3. Strain into pitcher or jug, add vanilla and 4 more cups cold water. Stir to combine.
4. Refrigerate until cold.

Pink Grapefruit & Honey Lemonade

INGREDIENTS
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup honey
2 cups water
4 or 5 lemons, juiced
2 large pink grapefruit, juiced
2 to 4 more cups water

DIRECTIONS
1. Make the simple syrup. In a small saucepan heat sugar, honey, and 2 cups water over low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Cool.
2. Strain your citrus juice into a pitcher or jug.
3. Stir in 2 cups of your honey simple syrup.
4. Stir in 2 cups water.
5. Taste and add in more water and/or simple syrup to taste.

In Search of the Perfect Picnic: Wildflowers

Are you picnic people? We're picnic people. Sometimes picnics look like a trip to Whole Foods, so everyone can get what they like, on our way to a state park. Sometimes picnics look like putting together whatever we have at home when our eating out budget has been exhausted. Every once in a while picnics are carefully planned with special dishes created for a specific destination.

Our picnic companions.

This past weekend was a specially planned picnic to enjoy the wildflowers that have started blooming with fury out here. I become a little obsessed with planning the perfect menu sometimes - especially when it comes to picnics. I like to pair the food with our picnic spot like you'd pair a wine with cheese.



For our first wildflower picnic (yes, there will be more than one) I chose to make a curried egg salad with gluten free crackers, carrot raisin salad, strawberries & cream jar parfaits, and iced tea. I also packed Cuties and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches cut into fun shapes for my picky boys.

Everyone was very happy with their lunch. Although, my iced tea could have been much colder. Our ice maker decided to take the weekend off. I guess I'm picky too.

The wildflowers are a big attraction up here. Lots of picnic-ers and photographers gett'n their Sunday on.



Mateo took this picture of Matthew and I. We rarely get pics together as one of us is always behind the camera. Mateo was so cute. He instructed us to hold hands. Despite all of the instruction to not cut off our heads, he cut off our heads in every picture he took. This one ended up pretty good though.

A picnic princess.

Nora loves the outdoors, so she was a happy camper the entire time.



The boys were in heaven. My little explorers went with Dad to see the cows, climbed inside a tree, walked on logs, found a hatched snake egg. We called it a day when Ezra ran back terrified and in hysterics, screaming and crying because he saw a big ol' rattle snake. He responded with sufficient terror to my satisfaction.

Mateo really wanted me to get this action shot of him jumping off the log with a kick.

Mateo, on the other hand, was headed back in that direction just a few moments later. Matthew praised his lack of fear with an admonition to be cautious even when he doesn't feel afraid. That kid.

Curried Egg Salad

INGREDIENTS

8 large eggs

1/8 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/8 tsp dried dill

½ tsp curry powder

about ½ cup mayo, or to your liking

2 Tbsp thinly chopped green onions

salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in a medium pot and cover with water. Set over high heat until boiling. Let it boil for a minute, then turn off the heat and cover. Set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes run eggs under cold water and peel. Cool enough to touch and chop finely.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs with the thyme, dill, curry powder, and green onions. Add enough mayo to get the consistency you like. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. You may also want to add more curry powder.

3. Refrigerate in an air-tight container at least 3 hours for flavors to meld.

Carrot & Raisin Salad

INGREDIENTS

4 cups shredded carrots

¼ cup golden raisins

¼ cup mayo

1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar or honey

salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk mayo, vinegar, and sugar together to make the dressing.

2. In a medium bowl combine carrots, raisins, and dressing. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Refrigerate in an air-tight container for a few hours to let the flavors meld.

Strawberries & Cream Parfaits

(Original recipe from Mary Engelbreit's Sweet Treats Dessert Cookbook)

INGREDIENTS

16 oz package strawberries, hulled and diced

15 oz sour cream

¼ cup brown sugar

4 to 6 half pint jars with lids

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill jars with a couple of heaping tablespoons of strawberries.

2. Next, layer a couple of tablespoons of sour cream.

3. Sprinkle with 1 or 2 tsp brown sugar.

4. Repeat layers 3 times.

5. Screw on lids and refrigerate a few hours.

* This recipe is also great with halved blackberries.

Nora's Vintage Floral Birthday Party

I go all out for birthdays. I get kinda crazy with making them super special and something totally tailored to the guest of honor. For Mateo's last birthday I made him an adventure map with flaps to lift up for each portion of his special day - children's museum, spaghetti restaurant, movie theater... . He also spent the day wearing a handmade birthday cake crown and finished out his birthday adventure with a strawberry mochi ice cream cake. Like I said, I go all out.

My baby girl's 1st birthday party was no exception. Before I get into the beautifulness of her special day let me just say that you will not find studio quality photos with perfect lighting, styling, and portraits in this post - I wish. What I do have to offer are real pictures of a real birthday party in real time in a real house with bad lighting. Sorry, not sorry. 😊 I hope the homemade recipes and handmade decorations inspire creativity and adventure in your own real home 😉 (tell me if I'm using too many emojis). So without further ado, here is all about Nora's special day.

For me, the decorations make a party. My eldest son would totally agree with me on that score. Nora's decorations were adorable crafts to make. I started by looking around for invitations I liked on Etsy. I wasn't looking to shop as much as I was looking for inspiration. I settled on a vintage floral theme as I had just finished putting Nora's nursery together and still had vintage on the brain. I used some of the same floral paper I used in her room to cut out hearts for her banners.



I used mini clothespins to pin the hearts between pictures of Nora throughout her first year. A dollar store ribbon served this project perfectly. I finished the banners by tying coordinating ribbons to hang off either end.

Grandma ordered those adorable dress cookies you see peeking out of the basket

I used the same vintage floral paper to make Nora a cake topper. I found a "1" I liked on google images and used it as a template to cut out the number in pretty papers, glued them to a wooden skewer, and added a pink ribbon for extra girlyness.



I printed out pretty little sayings like, "isn't she lovely" and "let her be little," and put them in dollar store frames. I nestled them on tables and counter tops that held food, cake, and drinks.

Pardon my reflection

I made a door hanger in similar fashion by taping a printed sign onto a dollar store mirror and looping a pretty pink ribbon through the back.



Handmade surprise heart packets served as party favors and added to the table decor. I found this idea on Craft with Mom. I cut out paper hearts, put two together only gluing half of the edges closed, stuffed them with treats, and then glued the rest of the edges together - all with a simple glue stick. Dollar store jars, flowers, and floral garlands also decorated the table. Pink paper lanterns, more floral garlands, and pink, peach, and teal ribbons hung simply on our chandelier.



The birthday menu included sausage cheese balls (I use Jimmy Dean's recipe), fresh fruit, mushroom quiches, a big bad cheese platter, sauerkraut & dill tuna salad (recipe follows), balsamic broccoli and bell pepper pasta salad (recipe follows), and a strawberry spinach salad. Nora's cake was a boxed vanilla cake mix doctored with fresh raspberries baked in and frosted with fresh raspberry buttercream (recipe follows). I also served orange-scented iced green tea and raspberry lemonade (recipe follows).


"Happy birthday to me y'all!"

Sauerkraut & Dill
Tuna Salad

(A.K.A. The Best Tuna Salad EVER!!!)

INGREDIENTS

2 cans Chicken of the Sea light tuna packed in water (do not use another brand), drained

4 green onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped thin

¼ tsp dried dill

1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

¼ cup sauerkraut(I use homemade), chopped

¼ cup mayo or to your liking

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well.

2. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or mayo to get the flavor and consistency you like.

3. Refrigerate in an air-tight container for a few hours for flavors to meld.

* Double this recipe for a party.

Balsamic Broccoli & Bell Pepper Pasta Salad

(This is an adaptation of the recipe found at picsandpastries.com)

INGREDIENTS

7 mini multicolored sweet bell peppers, chopped

1 head broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces

1/3 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins

½ cup diced red onion

12 oz box bow tie/rotini/penne pasta, cooked el dente

½ cup Bolthouse Farms Balsamic Yogurt Dressing (found in the cold case of produce sections)

½ cup mayo

½ cup toasted walnuts

½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
dash Balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and stir together.

2. Taste for salt. Add additional balsamic yogurt dressing if it needs more creaminess.

3. Refrigerate in an air-tight container for a few hours for flavors to meld.

Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

(This is an adaptation of the recipe from Sweet Celebrations by the owners of Georgetown Cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature for 30 minutes only

4 packed cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

½ cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and allowed to dry

DIRECTIONS

1. Place raspberries in a food processor and process into a puree. You should end up with a little less than 1/3 cup of puree.

2. Cream butter in a stand mixer for 30 seconds with your paddle attachment.

3. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and beat with butter until creamy.

4. Beat in salt, raspberry puree, and vanilla extract.

5. Beat in last 2 cups of powdered sugar.

6. Scrape down bowl and beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

* Make two batches to frost a four layer cake.

Raspberry Lemonade

INGREDIENTS

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups water

1 ½ to 2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice

4 cups raspberries

2 to 4 cups water

DIRECTIONS

1. Make a simple syrup by heating 2 cups sugar with 2 cups water on medium low heat in a medium saucepan. Stir gently until sugar is completely dissolved and you can feel no more granules at the bottom of the pan as you stir. Cool to room temperature.

2. Place raspberries in a high speed blender with 1 cup water. Blend on low until raspberries are broken down, then slowly increase speed to high and blend on high a couple of minutes.

3. In a large pitcher add 1 ½ cups lemon juice, 2 cups simple syrup, all of the raspberry mixture, and another cup or two of water. Taste for sweetness and tartness according to your liking adding in more simple syrup, lemon juice, or water as you see fit.

4. Strain lemonade through a fine mesh strainer for a smooth drink.

5. Refrigerate until cold.
6. Garnish with fresh raspberries and lemon slices.