Hi Everyone!

Well Memorial Day is almost upon us and I thought instead of a cookout we would do a picnic this year.

The Menu:

Bread & Butter Pickles
Assorted Dill Pickle Spears
A Medley of Nicoise & Italian Olives marinating in Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Rosemary and Garlic
Celery Stuffed with Cream Cheese, Raisins and Sprinkled with Paprika and Chopped Pecans
Deviled Eggs
Fried Chicken Picnic Style
Barbequed Beef Brisket Sandwiches
Potato Salad
Green Bean and Feta Salad
Macaroni Salad
Fresh Corn Salad
Baked Beans
Watermelon Slices
Mrs. Dunn's Poundcake & Raspbery Sauce
Bumbleberry Pie
Coconut Layer Cake
Iced Tea
Mason Jars for picking wildflowers

The Plan:
f course, cook everything the night before!
Bundle everything up except the perishables in picnic baskets; take along colorful tablecloths, utensils, paper plates, napkins and cups. Put perishable food in plastic containers that will fit snugly inside two galvanized wash tubs. Along the way pick up icebags to fill the tubs when you get to the picnic site. All perishable food will be set decoratively on the ice for the picnic. Have the children pick wildflowers for the table, arrange them in mason jars. Tea can be stored in a cooler along with other beverages.

The Recipes: Fried Picnic Style Chicken

3 lbs. chicken pieces
2 c. buttermilk
Soak chicken overnite in fridge.

Next day, mix:
2 c. flour
1 t. black pepper
1 t. paprika
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. dried parsley
Lift chicken pieces one at a time out of buttermilk and roll in flour mixture. Pat flour on, repeat until all pieces are done. Fry in oil, drain on paper towels.

Barbequed Brisket Sandwiches

This is a great dish for cookouts because it makes itself in the oven, and it's so tasty...

4-5 lb. well trimmed brisket
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. vinegar
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. liquid smoke
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 t. pepper

Rub meat with salt and place in a 9x13x2 baking pan. Stir together the other ingredients and pour over the meat. Cover the pan well with foil bake at 325 for 3 1/2 hours. When done, remove foil carefully so steam does not burn you. Shred meat with two forks, it will be fork tender. Serve over rolls.
Classic Potato Salad

serves 8

1 c. Hellman's mayo
2 T. vinegar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. black pepper

6 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked
1 c. sliced celery
1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/3 c. chopped gherkin pickles
1/2 c. red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. green bell pepper, chopped

Combine 1st 5 ingred. in a large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and toss gently but thoroughly to coat with sauce.

Cover and chill.

Smokin!! Baked Beans

12 servings

1 lb. bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 med. green bell pepper, chopped
5 16 oz. cans pork and beans, drained
1 14 oz. bottle ketchup
2 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 t. mustard
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. Liquid Smoke seasoning
2 t. cinnamon
tabasco sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 300. Fry bacon in large skillet til crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside. In the same skillet saute the onions and bell pepper til light golden and tender. Drain excess bacon grease and add all the remaining ingred. except the beans. Add the beans to a large baking dish and then add the skillet ingred. mixing everything together well.

Bake for 2 hours. Yumm!!

McAroni Salad

1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 c. finely chopped celery
6 hard cooked boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 c. onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c. finely chopped green bell pepper
cut up cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeseCook pasta accord. to dir. drain. Mix with vegetables above and sauce below.

Sauce:

Blend together:
1 c. Miracle Whip
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. prepared mustard
squeeze of lemon juice.
Fresh Green Bean Salad with Dill and Feta
Cool and crunchy salad....

Dressing:
1 c. veg. oil
1/4 c. vinegar
3 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. black pepper
1 T. dried dill
1/4 t. paprika
1/2 t. dried mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine in a glass jar and shake well. Refrigerate for later use.
Salad:
2 lbs. whole green beans, trimmed
1 t. seasoned salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sliced onion
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
3 stalks green onions, chopped
4 oz. feta cheese
1/4 c. mayo
2 T. sour cream
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook beans til tender with salt, garlic and onion slice. Drain and cool. Toss beans with bacon, green onions, cheese, 1/4 cup dressing, mayo and sour cream. Chill before serving. Use more dressing if needed before serving.Fresh Corn Salad

makes 8 servings

6 ears of sweet corn
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, minced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the fresh corn off the cob. Steam for 8 minutes in 1/4 c. water. Remove lid and cook, stirring another 4 minutes til water evaporates. Toss corn with other ingredients and chill.

Mrs. Dunn's Poundcake with Raspberry Sauce

1 c. butter
3 c. sugar
1/2 t. baking powdr
1 t. vanilla
1 c. milk
3 c. sfted flour
1/2 c. shortening
5 eggs
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. lemon extract

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugar, beat well and add eggs, beating well after each one. Beat in salt, vanilla and lemon extracts. Sift flour and baking powder together. Beat in to batter gradually alternating with milk, a quarter cup at a time. Bake in a slow oven, 325º for 1 1/2 hours.

Cool on rack for 10 min. Then invert and cool completely.

Raspberry Sauce

2 1/2 c. (10 oz.) raspberries
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. framboise or other raspberry liqueur
Blend everything in the blender til pureed and smooth. Makes 3 cups.Coconut Layer Cake with Lemon Filling

Lemon Filling:
juice and grated rind of 2 lemons
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. butter, melted
Put all the ingredients above into a double boiler, stir over simmering water until thickned about 20 min. Chill.

Cake: Makes 3 8" layers
6 T. butter, rm. temp.
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. milk
2 1/4 c. flour, sifted
3 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs, separated

Oven at 350º. Cream butter and sugar, add yolks and beat til thick and lemon colored. With a fork, mix all the dry ingred. and add to creamed mixture, alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Divide the batter between 3 buttered cake pans. Before frosting, cut off any rough edges of cakes with sharp scissors or knife.

Frosting:

1/3 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/8 t. cream of tartar
sweet grated cocnut (as much or as little as you like)
pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1 t. vanilla
Stir the water, sugar, cream of tartar and salt together in a small saucepot. Hook the candy thermometer to edge of pot and boil without stirring. Boil til temp reaches 240º. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites til stiff. Pour the 240º syrup over the whites in a thin stream beating continuosly til thick and glossy. Stir in vanilla. After frosting the cake, sprinkle the grated coconut all over.

To Assemble"

Put the chilled lemon filling between cooled layers, try to not get it to go the edges. Frost the cake and decorate with a few wildflowers when you get to the picnic.

Bumbleberry Pie

2 refrigerated pie crusts

1 c. blackberries
1 c. blueberries
1 c. raspberries
1 c. chopped rhubarb
1 c. sliced strawberies
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Heat oven to 400º. Linea 9" pieplate with one of the pie crusts.

In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingred. Stir gently to mix. Sppon fillinginto crust. Top with second crust amd crimp to your style. Cut slits decoratively on top and place pie on baking sheet in case of any spills. Bake 1 hour til golden brown around edges.

Spiced Iced Tea

makes 3-4 quarts
5 tea bags
4 c. boiling water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. pineapple juice (reserved from can of chunks)
1 c. juice from peaches (reserve peaches for dessert)
juice of 3 lemons
juice of 3 oranges
orange or lemon slices
fresh mint leaves

Pour the boiling water over the tea bags and cinnamon sticks. Steep for 20 mts. Strain into gallon container. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the fruit juices and 8 c. cold water. Refrigerate til serving time. Serve over ice cubes with mint and fruit slices.