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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.

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This is one of those Chili Recipe that is just so simple to prepare. It starts with already-cooked beef. You can use leftover Brisket, Beef Stew meat or frozen or refrigerated cooked beef for this Easy Chili Recipe. Serve with Cornbread and a Green Salad.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

* 1 Tbsp. canola oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
* 1 16 oz. jar mild tomato salsa
* 1 14 oz. can chili beans, undrained
* 1 14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, undrained
* 1-2 cups leftover cooked beef brisket or pot roast, shredded
* 1/2 cup frozen corn
* 1 tsp. ground cumin
* 1 tsp. chili powder
* 1/2 cup beer or root beer

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Add onions and garlic. Cook and stir until onions are softened, 3-5 minutes.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, over medium-low heat 10 minutes, or until chili thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve immediately, or let chili cool and freeze in an airtight container.

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This White Chicken Chili is a hearty, soul-warming dinner or lunch. Tomatillos and fresh cilantro give this Chicken Chili Recipe an authentic Mexican flavor.

If you've never worked with tomatillos before, it's easy. They look like green tomatoes with a papery husk on it. Just remove the husk, wash the tomatillos (they have a sticky layer underneath the paper), and cut off the stem.

Serve this white chicken chili with Sweet Cornbread or tortilla chips for a healthy, satisfying meal.

Ingredients

* 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and diced
* 6-8 fresh tomatillos, husked, washed and trimmed
* 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
* 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
* kosher salt and black pepper to taste
* 2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken breast (or any cooked chicken)

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.

2. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and jalapeno peppers. Cook until soft, several minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place tomatillos and cilantro in a food processor. Pulse until chunky -- the texture of salsa. Add to the vegetables in the pot.

4. Add chicken broth, beans, cumin and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and let simmer 10 minutes.

5. Use an immersion blender to puree part of the chili. Or transfer about 1/3 of the chili to a blender, cover and hold a kitchen towel over the top, and puree. Return to the pot.

6. Add the chicken. Cook a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

7. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, scallions, and/or black olives. Serve with tortilla chips or Skillet Cornbread.

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This Chili Recipe is made with ground beef, several kinds of chili peppers and beans. Although this ground beef chili recipe calls for fresh tomatoes (which make it taste great), if tomatoes aren't in season, you can used canned tomatoes. Use a lean or extra lean (93% or 96%) ground beef for this chili recipe.

Serve this chili recipe topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and diced onions. Add a side of Cornbread and you've got a great meal.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 60 minutes
Yield: 8 servings, chili

Ingredients

* 1 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1 large yellow onion, diced
* 1-1/2 lbs. lean or extra lean ground beef (preferably grass-fed beef)
* 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
* 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 3 Tbsp. minced garlic
* 6 plum or roma tomatoes, seeded and diced or 2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
* 6 oz. tomato paste
* 1/2 cup apple cider
* 3 Tbsp. ancho chili powder
* 2 Tbsp. ground cumin
* 1 tsp. sugar
* kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
* 1 14 oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1arge handful fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add diced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to brown, 8-10 minutes.

2. Add ground beef, peppers, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until beef is browned.

3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, apple cider, chili powder, cumin, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 1 hour.

4. Add beans. Cook chili, uncovered, another 30-45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Stir in chopped cilantro just before serving chili.

Serve chili topped with sour cream, diced onions and shredded cheddar cheese.

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Waldorf Salad is a wonderful combination of apples, celery, raisins and walnuts. But unlike traditional Waldorf Salad Recipe, this one doesn't have a mayonnaise-based dressing. Instead, vanilla yogurt and sour cream are combined for a sweet and tangy recipe for Waldorf salad the kids will love!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

* 2 medium red apples, diced
* 2 medium Granny smith apples, diced
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
* 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
* 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
* 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Preparation

Toss all ingredients in a bowl together until well-blended. Serve immediately or chill, covered, for up to 4 hours before serving.

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Once you learn how to make lemonade with these easy instructions, you'll never go back to store-bought lemonade again.

The first step is gathering your ingredients for the Lemonade Recipe.

You will need:

* 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

* 6 cups cold water, divided

* 5-8 lemons

In addition, you will need:

* a strainer

* reamer (optional)

* 1- or 2-cup liquid measuring cup

* pitcher






Pour the sugar and 1 cup of the water into a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.

Now you have a simple syrup. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate while you juice the lemons.






Roll the lemons to warm them and get the juices flowing. Cut in half.






Place a strainer over a liquid measuring cup. I like to use a 2-cup liquid measuring cup because the strainer fits easily over it.

Now juice the lemons over the strainer, allowing the liquid to flow into the measuring cup. Continue juicing until you have 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. You may need 5 lemons; you may need up to 8 lemons.





Mix the refrigerated simple syrup and the remaining 5 cups of cold water. Add the fresh lemon juice. Mix well.




Enjoy your lemonade! For variety, try garnishing with fresh mint, fresh lemon slices or a fresh strawberry.

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Simple Syrup requires only water and granulated syrup, and can easily be made in only a few minutes. It's a building block for cocktails or for nonalcoholic drinks, and can also be used to sweeten iced tea or coffee, or even to brush over cakes before frosting to keep them moist. You can even flavor simple syrup by steeping ingredients like vanilla beans, herbs or citrus peel in it. Simple syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 cup water

Preparation

1. In a small saucepan combine sugar and water. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a simmer and the sugar dissolves until the liquid is no longer cloudy and is perfectly clear, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool simple syrup completely before storing in the refrigerator.

This recipe for Simple Syrup makes about 1 1/2 cups.

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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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Measuring Flour incorrectly is one of the most common mistakes people make in baking and cooking. At the University of Minnesota, we conducted experiments where we learned that the biggest variable in every recipe is the cook. So standardizing measuring techniques is the most important way to ensure that a recipe works.

This is the wrong way to measure flour. Scooping flour from the container or bag directly with the measuring cup will pack the flour into the cup and you'll end up with too much flour. Even with a properly leveled top, this method is wrong.


A cup of all-purpose flour, properly measured, should weigh 120 grams. As you can see, the flour measured incorrectly by dipping the measuring cup into the flour weighs 161 grams. This is more than 30% more flour than the recipe needs. A cookie or cake made with flour measured this way will be tough and dry. Sauces will be too thick, and pie crusts crumbly and dry.



To measure flour correctly, you need calibrated measuring cups made for measuring dry ingredients. Do not use a coffee cup or drinking glass. Lightly spoon the flour directly into the measuring cup from the container or bag. Do not shake the cup. Do not pack the flour down.




Keep spooning the flour into the cup until it mounds well above the top of the measuring cup.




Using a dinner knife, turn it so the flat side is down. Hold the cup with the flour in your left hand, and start sweeping the knife over the top of the cup to remove the excess flour.




You'll probably need to pass the knife over the measuring cup a few times to get a level surface. Do not shake the cup or pack the flour down.




As you can see, the properly measured flour weighs 121 grams. That's an accurate measurement, and the recipe will be perfect.

Other Measure Flours weigh different amounts. For the most accurate baking, you can weigh flour instead of measuring it. But with some practice, your flour measuring skills will become quite precise.

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For these Bacon Cheeseburgers, the bacon is crumbled and cooked inside the burger. The result is a moist and juicy bacon cheeseburger.

Click here for more tips on Grilling Perfect Burgers.

Ingredients:

* 3 slices pre-cooked bacon
* 1-1/2 pounds 80%-85% lean ground beef
* 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
* 1 tsp. kosher salt
* 1 tsp. canola oil
* 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. Re-heat bacon according to package directions. Drain and crumble into a large mixing bowl.

2. Prepare grill or heat a grill pan on the stove over medium heat.

3. Add ground beef, garlic powder and black pepper to the crumbled bacon.

4. Using your hands, mix gently, and form into 6 patties, being careful not to press or pack the beef down too much (you will lose moisture that way).

5. Sprinkle the salt over the patties on both sides.

6. Dip a paper towel in the oil, and rub on the grill or grill pan. Add the patties, being careful not to crowd the pan.

7. Cook 3-4 minutes. Flip. Top each burger with shredded cheese. Cook another 3-4 minutes until burgers are cooked through.

Serve on toasted buns.

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Grilling Perfect Burgers is easy if you follow these simple tips:

* Use beef with the right amount of fat. I recommend 80% to 85% lean ground beef. The fat is what makes your burgers juicy.

* I also recommend grass-fed beef, if you can find it (Whole Foods carries it; you can also find it at farmer's markets). Grass-fed beef not only tastes better, it's also leaner and has a better nutritional profile.

* If your ground beef is frozen, thaw completely in the refrigerator before using. Do not try to cook beef from a frozen state.

* To see if your burgers are done, check using an instant-read thermometer. Insert it in the side of the burger through to the middle. Burgers should be cooked to 160 degrees F.

* Color is not an indicator of whether or not your burgers are cooked thoroughly. Burgers that are brown inside may not be cooked to 160 degrees F, and burgers that are cooked through may still be pink inside.

* Handle the beef as little as possible while shaping the burgers. Overhandling results in toughness.

* Form patties that about 3/4-inch thick. Press your thumb in the middle of each patty to prevent it from bulging during cooking.

* Refrigerate your burgers while preparing the grill. Preheat the grill long enough to get it nice and hot, about 15 minutes should do it.

* Season the burgers with salt and pepper on the outside, just before grilling. I recommend Maldon Sea Salt. Its large crystals really bring out the flavor of the burgers. And by seasoning the outside of the burgers, the salt, which enhances the beef's flavor, will hit your mouth first.

* Place the burgers on the grill, and leave them there. Do not press down on the burgers during cooking.

* Flip once, after 3-6 minutes.

* Let your burgers rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

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