Swinging the Meal Venue and the Style

Most Sundays during the outdoor season we plan our meals around a picnic in a park or wildlife area.  The change in venue, with new scenery and fresh air adds excitement to our daily routine.  The menu I chose today was inspired by an article in Fine Cooking Magazine on the classic Nicoise Salad. I learned that "tossing" the salad is a big no-no, a given for my picnic packing arrangement.  I simply packed each ingredient separately to assemble at table-side, and took the tomato knife with us to cut the egg and tomato at table side.  The author suggest to tailor the salad, varying the vegetables, olives and dressing to suit your taste.  Here is our salad (before we cleaned our plates):

Our salads include small servings (1/3 cup each) of edamame and red potato wedges.  Not pictured is the small slice of Onion Rye Bread (from the local bakery).  That's a tiny piece of Carrot Cake from the local Farmers Market which was the perfect way to top off a perfect meal.

Vinaigrette

(Serves 3)

1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash

I put a small amount of this vinaigrette in the potatoes to marinate on the trip to the park. 

Our picnic today was at Cathedral State Park in Aurora, West Virginia.  The park is surrounded by forests of ancient hemlock trees with easy walking trails.  The park is on top a mountain, where the temperatures are cooler than home.