The Perfect Place to Eat Out

To me, there's no better place than an outside picnic table to enjoy lunch.  Even if it's in a work setting, just finding a spot outside can provide that escape from the stresses of a day.  Our spot today was in a state park, at the top of a hillside on a beautiful late summer day.  Only an occasional bird call could be heard.

Our menu included:  Egg Salad on Multigrain Bread, Cucumbers & Chives in Vinegar, Tomato, Red Pepper Pasta Salad, Cantaloupe and Berry Crumble.

The Egg Salad is my go-to recipe:

I make half the recipe (6 eggs) at a time.

The Tuscany Multigrain Bread from Giant Eagle meets the Whole Grains Council criteria for 8 grams of whole grains a slice.

The pasta is a leftover from dinner.  I mixed the pasta with a little thousand island dressing, then added cut fresh spinach, radish, red pepper and Gorgonzola cheese.

Last night I thinly sliced a cucumber and marinated overnight in 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 teaspoon sugar. 

The berries are wild black raspberries we picked on the hill by our house earlier in the season. We freeze these as picked and wash only when ready to incorporate into a recipe.  Any fruit could be substituted in this recipe.

Fruit Crumble

(10-12 Servings)

Mix fruit, best, juice, cornstarch, sugar, salt and cardamom in a large bowl.
8 cups sliced fruit
2 teaspoon grated citrus zest
2 tablespoon fresh citrus juice
1/4 cup (non GMO) cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8th teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Place fruit in a deep baking dish greased with an olive oil spray.

In food processor, pulse flours and cornmeal, sugar, salt and cardamom.  Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly.
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole grain cornmeal
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom 
6 tablespoon vegan buttery spread 
Crumble topping over fruit.


2 tablespoon toasted and ground nuts
Sprinkle nuts over topping.

Bake at 350 F. for 40 minutes. 

Our picnic today was at North Bend State Park near Cairo, West Virginia.