Dining al fresco. It could be romantic, a casual picnic with friends or fun for the whole family. Here are tips from Rick Rodgers, author of Summer Gatherings, for making the most of eating outdoors.
1. Prevent flyaway tablecloths. Invest in clips, weights or even easier, use painters tape to keep linens secure.
2. Keep the bugs at bay. Light up some citronella tea lights. As an added bonus, they are great for setting the mood!
3. Serve finger food or family style to simplify and lighten the load when it comes to tableware and cutlery. Save your fancy serving dishes and salad forks for another day. One dish meals can be terrific for groups–instead of plating up potatoes, vegetable and fish, make a Salad Nicoise with grilled fish. Same goes for dessert, serve brownies instead of cake.
4. Use non-breakable dishware, Target, Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma all have great selections to stock up on.
5. For beverages,nothing beats a pitcher of homemade lemonade. The kids can drink it as is and for the adults add a splash of gin or vodka.
Here’s a super easy vegetable side dish recipe with an unexpected touch of fresh dill and spicy radishes, take Rick’s tip and serve it family style at your next al fresco gathering. Reprinted by permission, Summer Gatherings Copyright © 2008 by Rick Rodgers.
Zucchini and Radish Sauté
makes 4-6 servings
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
8 radishes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini, preferably 1 green and one golden, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the radishes and cook, stirring often just until they are beginning to heat through, about 1 minute.
Add the zucchini and cook, stirring often until they are just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dill and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
——-Amy Sherman
Technorati Tags: al fresco, dining, outdoors, easy, recipe
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cangel | 28-Jul-08 at 2:28 pm | Permalink
Thank you for the picnic suggestions and the recipe. I have just picked some zucchini from the garden and cannot wait to try it.
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