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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

These Easy Picnic Recipes and smart picnic food ideas will ensure your summer pienics are full of food, fun and laughter. Get the party started with my sure-fire tips for grilling the perfect burgers. And make up a big batch of homemade lemonade with the kids, using my easy recipe. Fried chicken is the perfect easy picnic food because you can make it in advance and serve it cold. Could there be an easier picnic recipe?And don't forget the picnic sides and salads. My easy picnic salad recipes include classics, like potato salad and cole slaw, plus new favorites. And no picnic would be complete without dessert. These easy picnic dessert recipes will have your guests going home happy -- guaranteed!

1. Take This Quiz to Learn How to Practice Picnic Food Safety

What temperature should chicken breasts be cooked to? How long is it safe to leave potato salad out? Discover the answers to these questions and more by taking my Picnic Food Safety Quiz.

2. Tips for Grilling Burgers

If you want to go with a classic entree for your picnic, there's nothing better than burgers. These tips will tell you everything from how to choose the best meat for the juiciest burgers to how to season burgers properly to how to know when a burger is cooked through.

3. How to Make Fried Chicken

I'm a big fan of make-ahead dishes. The only problem with some barbecues and summer picnic foods is that you have to make the main course at the last minute. With fried chicken, though, you can make it ahead of time and serve it cold. Or heat it up. The choice is yours. But you don't have to fuss at the last minute, so you have more time to be with your friends.

This step-by-step instructions show you how to make perfectly crispy, juicy buttermilk fried chicken.

4. Salad Recipes

Round out your picnic with these easy salad recipes. You'll discover vegetable salad recipes, fruit salad recipes, pasta salad recipes, potato salad recipes and more salads to fill out your perfect picnic.

5. How to Make Lemonade

There is nothing quite like the sweet-tart taste of lemonade on a hot summer day. With these step-by-step directions, you can make your own homemade lemonade in minutes.

6. Easy Summer Desserts

Complete your picnic with something sweet. Choose from 10 easy summer dessert recipes, including homemade strawberry ice cream, blueberry pie, ice cream sandwich cake and the best chocolate chip cookies.

Related : Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This Chocolate Sauce makes a wonderful topping for everything from ice cream to fresh raspberries to chocolate cake.

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup cream
* 1 Tbsp. butter
* 8 oz. semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped

Preparation

1. Heat cream and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles start to form around the edges.

2. Place chocolate in a heat-proof dish. Pour cream sauce over. Stir until chocolate melts.

Related : Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This Lemonade Recipe makes the freshest, tastiest lemonade you'll ever try. Indeed, once you try this lemonade recipe, you'll never go back to bottled or powdered lemonade again. How to Make Lemonade

Feel free to adjust the sweetness of this lemonade recipe by adding more or less sugar to suit your taste. A sprig of fresh mint makes the perfect garnish for this lemonade recipe.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

* 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
* 6 cups cold water, divided
* 5-8 lemons

Preparation

1. Combine sugar and 1 cup of the water in a medium (2- or 3-quart) saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate this mixture (Simple Syrup) while you make the rest of the lemonade.

3. Juice the lemons over a strainer, until you have 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.

4. Add the lemon juice to the remaining 5 cups of cold water. Stir in the refrigerated simple syrup (sugar and water mixture).

5. Garnish with lemon slices or fresh mint, if desired.

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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This Peach Cobbler Recipe takes only minutes of active prep time. It has just three ingredients, one of which is a yellow cake mix. I like to serve this easy peach cobbler warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

* 1 29 oz. can peach slices in heavy syrup
* 1 yellow cake mix
* 1/2 cup butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Drain 2-3 Tbsp. of syrup from peaches. Pour remaining peaches and syrup in prepared pan.

3. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over peaches, pressing down lightly to moisten slightly.

4. Cut butter into very small chunks and dot over cake mix.

5. Bake 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Related : Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

I like to make these Lemon Bars for bake sales, potlucks, picnics and spring and summer celebrations. There is just something about the sweet-tart taste of lemon that really tickles the taste buds.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

* 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* 2 cups all-purpose flour

For the Filling

* 5 large eggs
* 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
* zest of 2 lemons
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add flour to mixture just until it comes together as a dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead a few times. Press into bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan.

3. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let crust cool on a wire rack.

4. For the filling, beat eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest together. Whisk in flour until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 30 minutes or until filling is set.

5. Let lemon bars cool to room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Makes 36 lemon bars.

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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This Ice Cream Pie is one of my favorite summertime desserts, because everybody loves it, and it's so easy to make. Although my recipe for ice cream pie calls for homemade chocolate sauce, you can certainly use store-bought chocolate sauce in a pinch.

Prep Time: 4 hours, 5 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 5 minutes

Ingredients

* 1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
* 1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
* 3/4 cup crushed peanuts
* 3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
* Chocolate Sauce:
* 1 8 oz. semisweet chocolate bar, chopped
* 1 Tbsp. butter
* 1/3 cup heavy cream

Preparation

1. Spread softened ice cream into graham cracker pie crust. Smooth the top of the ice cream. Sprinkle crushed peanuts and chocolate chips over ice cream. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

2. Make the chocolate sauce: Place chopped chocolate and butter in a glass bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat just until scalded (bubbles will form around the edge). Immediately pour cream over chopped chocolate. Stir until melted.

3. Cut pieces of pie. Spoon hot chocolate sauce over pie.

Makes 8 servings of ice cream pie.

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Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

This Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe is made without eggs, so it's quick and easy. If fresh strawberries are in season, I recommend using those. If not, frozen strawberries work just as well for this homemade strawberry ice cream.

You will need an ice cream maker to make this Strawberry Ice Cream.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

* 16 oz. frozen strawberries (or 2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled)
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
* 2 cups half and half or heavy cream
* 1-1/2 cups whole milk

Preparation

1. Place strawberries, sugar and balsamic vinegar in the work bowl of a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Puree, leaving some chunks of strawberry.

2. Pour strawberry mixture and remaining ingredients into an ice cream maker. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Related : Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe