The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket

Winner of the 2016 IACP Cookbook of the Year Award

Staff Top Fives 2015

Our favorite books of the year.

The Picnic is like a hidden secret, full of wonderful summer food preparations and easy but innovative, already-familiar recipe ideas. For example, the salad on a stick is pure genius, and can be made and enjoyed anywhere — I put together the caprese variation at work in our kitchen, only moments before it was served! Recommended By Aubrey W., Powells.com

First off, this is a beauty of a cookbook. The fruits and flowers on the cover are gently embossed. What is a picnic without a few ants? Don't miss the tiny guests at the bottom of the cover. This attention to detail is carried along throughout the book: Deviled Eggs with Chorizo Strips, Shocking-Pink Beet Hummus, Figs with Feta and Honey, Spicy Salted Olive Oil Brownies. Illustrations are sweet and enticing with a touch of sass. This cookbook covers pretty much all you need to plan a vivacious picnic, from picking your blanket and packing your bike to building your cocktail al fresco. The authors are experienced gourmet picnickers, come rain or come shine. (Rain is a covered topic in their book, page 26.) They are the founders of the Portland Picnic Society, which this year made the resolution to picnic each and every month, no matter how foul the weather. That is some admirable dedication to outdoor dining. (Not to drop any names, but I've met the authors a few times and they are all charming folk.) Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com

“Get outdoors and enjoy yourself.” That’s the mantra of The Picnic. Picnics are the silver bullet of entertaining: they take the stress out of parties and leave only the fun. This irresistible book is filled with recipes, tips, tricks, and the secrets to effortless outdoor get-togethers. A key tenet to picnicking is that there are no rules — but there are hints to make it easier. Menu planning and portioning, how best to transport your feast, and what to do when bad weather strikes are just some of the topics covered in The Picnic. Alfresco-friendly recipes for Shocking Pink Beet Hummus, Japanese Potato Salad, Smoky Tea-Brined Fried Chicken, Blue Ribbon Tomato Pie, Banana à Trois Pudding Parfaits, and Sour Cherry Sangria make these parties no ordinary fete. Features include deviled eggs 12 ways, Salads on a Stick, Ten Tantalizing Tea Sandwiches, and Ten Fabulous Floats, all illustrated and presented visually to make for an entertaining read.

“Charming. . . . Perusing these colorfully illustrated pages, readers will learn how to select an appropriate site, cope with inclement weather, transport unwieldy or temperature-sensitive foods, and assemble a ‘glorious’ charcuterie board. The authors’ classy recipes for appetizers, salads, drinks, and more (e.g. kale panzanella with burnt lemon Caesar dressing, smoky tea-brined fried chicken, vanilla bean shortcakes with strawberries in basil syrup) all include thoughtful instructions for storage and serving. A fresh look at outdoor entertaining that’s just in time for spring and summer. Highly recommended.”
Library Journal

“Ridiculously pretty . . . this book is your guide to getting food from your kitchen to the great outdoors.” Epicurious

“The Picnic is a gorgeously illustrated cookbook and a treasure trove of inspiration. In addition to its whimsically adorned recipes, there are instructions for solving picnic crises and tips on food presentation.” Entertainment Weekly

“Smart new ideas include salads on a stick and a dozen kinds of deviled eggs.” Food & Wine

A picnic is a great escape from our day-to-day and a chance to turn a meal into something more festive and memorable. The Picnic shares everything you need to plan an effortless outdoor get-together: no-fail recipes, helpful checklists, and expert advice. With variations on everyone’s favorite deviled eggs, 99 uses for a Mason jar (think cocktail shaker, firefly catcher, or cookie jar), rules for scoring lawn games, and refreshing drinks to mix up in crowd-friendly batches, let The Picnic take the stress out of your next party and leave only the fun.

Marnie Hanel writes for The New York Times Magazine, W magazine, Departures, and Marie Claire. Andrea Slonecker is a cookbook writer, food stylist, the recipe editor of Kinfolk, and the author of Pretzel Making at Home and Eggs on Top. Jen Stevenson runs the Portland food blog Under the Table with Jen and is the author of Portland’s 100 Best Places to Stuff Your Faces. Together, Hanel, Slonecker, and Stevenson lead the Portland Picnic Society, a group that was founded to celebrate the art of picnicking.