Food & Games for a Picnic

A crawfish boil is a quick, one-pot picnic meal.

Whether your picnic is for a family reunion, casual wedding or commitment reception, anniversary or birthday celebration or church box supper, you need a variety of hot and cold foods that are easy to prepare and a way to hold their temperature constant for several hours. Picnic games need to accommodate all ages and athletic abilities while providing enough challenge to be fun.

Hot Foods

Hot dogs and hamburgers are standard picnic fare, but there are many more choices.

Boils, skewered foods, gumbos and other soups, jambalaya and other casseroles require a minimum of preparation and can usually be cooked and served from the same dish or pan.

Cajun cooks John and Kris Brennan of Louisiana use a 60- to 80-gallon stockpot with a basket insert for their crawfish boils. They advise providing 2 to 3 pounds of crawfish per person, with 6 to 8 lemon halves, 1/2 pound smoked sausage per person, cut in large pieces, whole mushrooms, small red or new potatoes with skins and 15 to 20 ears of fresh corn on the cob, shucked and broken in halves, and six split garlic bulbs. John and Kris serve the boil by spreading it along a newspaper-covered table.

Gene and Linda Rowand, who pour sweat lodges at Brushwood Folklore Center in Chautauqua County, New York, cook for a group that expands from 8 to as many as 50 or 60 people daily. Among their more popular dishes are tofu spaghetti and fry bread. Gene advises pressing as much water from extra-firm tofu as possible before cutting it into 1/4-inch-thick slices and dicing it. After frying the chunks in hot oil until they are browned on all sides, he and Linda add fresh tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, onions and red, green and yellow bell peppers.

Crock pots will keep casseroles and soups at a constant temperature as long as the lid is in place and as long as you have a power source nearby. Now that many pickup trucks and SUVs come with 12-volt power sockets near the rear doors or in the truck bed, you are not limited to shelters or Class A campsites if you want to use crock pots, electric skillets or other appliances at your picnic.

Hot picnic foods include skewered vegetables with tofu chunks; skewered beef, chicken or pork with tomato and onion chunks; tofu spaghetti; au gratin potato casserole; baked beans; deep-fried chicken, turkey and fish chunks with jo-jo potatoes; green bean casserole; barbecued beef and pulled pork; shredded chicken; and grilled tofu with sliced pickled ginger.

Cold Foods

Fresh fruit needs little refrigeration at a picnic.

Whole fruits and vegetables with their skins intact are the easiest and safest foods to serve at a picnic. They do not need refrigeration as long as they are not in full sun. Fresh-cut vegetables with dips need to be covered to keep insects away, and should be kept on a bed of ice or in an ice bowl.

Salads without egg-based dressings are also safe, as are California rolls. Sashimi, which is the correct name for sushi that is made with raw fish, is safe for a short time, while on ice, as long as the fish was soaked in soy sauce, wasabi, hot pepper oil or citrus juice before preparation.

Cheese and deli meat trays, lavash pinwheels, antipasto salads, three-bean salad, stuffed celery, pickles, olives, gelatin-based desserts, hummus, tabbouleh and baba ganoush are all good cold choices for a picnic.

Breads and Snacks

Provide a variety of breads and crunchy snacks.

In addition to hot dog and hamburger buns and sub rolls, pita pockets and toasted pita points, crostini, lavash, corn and flour tortillas, bagel chips, crackers, crescent rolls and chips will keep indefinitely and do not need refrigeration. Corn and potato chips, pretzels, cheese puffs and other crunchy snacks can be combined with dried cherries, cranberries and raisins, nuts and granola clusters to make snack mix.

Relays and Races

Relay games rely on a combination of speed and skill. By mixing ages and athletic ability levels, teams will have an equal chance to win each game. Relay games include egg and spoon races, sponge and bucket brigades and dress-up games.

Races include the three-legged, wheelbarrow and sack race. Participants should be divided by age, sex and approximate athletic ability and compete in their own class.

Team Sports

Beach volleyball can be very intense.

Team sports such as baseball, softball and volleyball allow larger numbers of players. The picnic host should include a request for sports equipment well ahead of the picnic to ensure that every player will come prepared. Bring seating or provide blankets and mats near the game field for spectators.

Lawn Games

Bocce is a low-key game of skill.

Lawn games such as horseshoes, bocce, cornhole and disk golf provide a transition between the all-out physical workout of the various team sports and any quiet table games. Because these games tend to be two- or four-player only, bring enough equipment for more than one group to play each game at the same time.

Table Games

Bingo is the most popular large-group table game. As long as there are enough cards and counters and a flat space to sit the cards, bingo players will continue until the caller is hoarse and has to be replaced.

Card and board games should include large and small-group games. Games such as Apples to Apples, Trivial Pursuit and Cranium accommodate medium-sized groups and can continue for several hours.

References

• What's Cooking America: John and Kris Brennan's Crawfish Boil
• Rev. Gene Rowand, DD; Elder of the Pagan Community, Master Numerologist/Astrologer; Akron, OH

Resources

• American Cornhole Association: What Is Cornhole?
• I Bocce: Rules of Bocce
• New Hampshire Racing and Charitable Game Commission: Approved Bingo Game Patterns
• Gumbo Pages: Jambalaya Recipes