Picnics aren’t just for lovey-dovey, twitterpated couples, everyone enjoys eating an unhurried meal al fresco at the local park. Here are five quick tips to make your next picnic a success.
1. Pick a Picnic Theme
A picnic can be classic (cold fried chicken and pie), romantic (wine and cheese), or anything you want. Just because you’re outside doesn’t mean you can’t have an international feast or an local-inspired meal … there are some limitations though.
2. Food Tips
Whether you’re cooking from scratch or picking up premade, focus on foods that won’t spoil quickly and travel well. There’s a reason that salads are so popular but please hold the mayonnaise. Try our Perfect Picnic Salad or searching Breakup Cookbook by your theme.
3. Don’t Forget
Napkins and silverware are the easiest things to forget. Make it classy with real cloth napkins and metal silverware from home (or chopsticks for an Asian feast picnic).
4. Blanket Bingo
Dew-drops might sound cute but grass can be damp on even seemingly dry days. At least bring a cute sheet, but most waterproof-lined blankets will give you an added cushion. You can always use one of both—just layer your themed sheet on top of a blanket.
5. Carry in, Carry out, Carry all
Don’t leave anything behind—a dirty spot will ruin the next picnickers party. Bring something specifically for trash, but consider something like a wicker basket to carry all your goodies in. Bonus points for a container that fits with your theme!
And by cheese, I don’t just mean schmaltz. Though I do love that. No, I’m talking about the food. I’ll even go out on a limb and say I adore cheese. From my earliest memories of American slices wrapped in white deli paper, to later years experimenting with Camembert—cheese has never let me down.
But aside from its taste, the versatility of cheese makes it exceptional when it comes to throwing a little get-together. Though you do need to mourn and tend to yourself after the breakup, you’ll eventually find that time when you can (and should) be around people again. Take advantage of this moment of clarity by inviting a few friends over for a little wine and cheese party. Here, complicated menus are replaced with cutting boards, cute little knives and chunks of Edam and Gruyè. Pair them with some wine et voilá!
Just a few rules of thumb: chill white wines no more than a few hours before serving. Stick with no more than 5 types of cheeses (you can make it a theme with all French cheeses, all Italian, etc.). Also: cabernet with Camembert, pinot noir with Parmesan, and sparkling with stilton. Though actually … a lot has been written about pairing your wine with your cheese … my feeling is, experiment. Mix and match. Who among us are sommeliers? (Apologies to sommeliers.) Have a great time, don’t forget the crackers, add some nuts and fruit, and tie the party up in a bow with some chocolat.
As spring approaches and to celebrate the release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland we’ve been thinking about tea parties a lot. This classy afternoon gathering is perfect for some bonding with your friends, even if you don’t invite the mad hatter. (Note to Johnny Depp: you are always welcome at my home though.) Here are three easy steps to throw the perfect tea party.
EAT. Start with savory and move on to sweet, but make sure everything is finger food. While you don’t have to cook up dozens of options, consider some variety to make for a more interesting spread. For example, if you are making simple sugar cookies, use two different shapes and toppings.
crustless sandwiches like cucumber and watercress
scones with jam and clotted cream
cookies and pastries
DRINK. Tea is a must, and loose leaf can be fun and have more flavor. For something different than standard Tetley, try a nice Lady Grey tea for a mellow flavor. Have sugar, milk, and lemon ready. Here are just some beverage options:
herbal tea
black tea
green or white tea
champagne tea is always fun—a glass of bubbly is sure to lift anyones spirits
PARTY. Little touches make a big difference and turn any gathering into a party. Consider one or more of the following classy touches to take your tea party to the next level:
Mimosas are great, but this cranberry-inspired drink has a nicer color and more positive spin as February 14th approaches. Whether Un-Valentine’s Day
chilled champagne or sparkling wine
cranberry juice cocktail
Pour 1 ounce cranberry juice into each glass and top with champagne.
Cate’s Cocktail Tip: Instead of champagne, try another sparkling wine like Prosecco or Cava. Produced in Italy and Spain, respectively, these bottles of bubbly can be an inexpensive alternative to those from the Champagne region of France.
Like Alice In Wonderland’s Un-Birthday, a Very Merry Un-Valentine’s Party can be celebrated almost any day of the year—but mid-February is certainly a popular time for the singles festivities. From our own personal experience we’ve decided that Un-Valentine’s Day works equally well on February 14th too. Note that we celebrate Un-Valentine’s Day here at the Breakup Cookbook, not Anti-Valentine’s Day. We don’t believe that love is evil, just that it can be extremely challenging sometimes.
This year we are telling Cupid to “stuff it,” by using salmon, cucumber, goat cheese and watercress for finger sandwiches, and whipping up concoctions featuring spinach, bacon and mushrooms that prove that it’s not only real men who eat quiche, but real women, too. And in a nod towards better Valentine’s Days to come, a “Rose-Colored Glasses” cocktail graces the festivities.
By Cate Wells Both margaritas and martinis are perfect for ladies night but what if you can’t decide between the two? Try a margaritini—this tart and sweet cocktail combines the best of both drinks. Instead of tequila, this beverage mash-up uses watermelon vodka as a delicious way to get over that latest loser without losing control. Happy Friday!
Cate’s Cocktail Tip: Start by dampening the rim of the glass and turn upside down onto a small plate with turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) to get a nice chunks of sugar on the rim.
4 parts margarita mix
2 parts watermelon vodka
1 part cranberry juice
Combine all ingredients and shake with ice, rim glass with sugar (if desired)
Add a thin slice of watermelon (if desired)
When you’ve broken up … when the he or she who was the center of your world is gone and you’re working your way past the disbelief and the anger and the bitterness, the last passage you must navigate before normalcy begins to return is brooding.
Brooding is not to be confused with self pity. Brooding is the antidote to self pity. Self pity has a sound; brooding is silent. Self pity has no meaning without the acknowledgement of others; brooding is solitary. It is the hard work that turns self pity into acceptance and, finally, the determination to go forward. It is the cold-hearted sorting out of what has come before, the filing-away of memories and emotions, the packing of baggage so you can pick up and carry on.
As there are wines for breezy Summer afternoons, there are as well wines for the business of brooding. Dark and challenging, they are wines that that echo the three critical aspects of a productive brood: emotion, place and process.
Sometimes it’s so cold out that pre-packaged hot cocoa just isn’t going to cut it. Caribbean hot cocoa—the first of Cate’s Cocktails recipes—will keep you warm with a combination of chocolate and dark rum. You can also try it with another type of liquor from the islands like Kahlua? Or if have a thing for Irish guys, maybe Bailey’s? And, yes, spiked swiss miss works too, but your own personal blend is so much more fun on a cold day. Remember that this is perfect for after ice-skating, not before.
TIP: For a topping of fresh whipped cream, there’s no need to get out the mixer or blender. Just add 2 ounces of heavy cream plus a dash of sugar to your coffee grinder. Blend until nicely whipped and voilà.
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
1 ounce dark rum
Bring water to boil in saucepan. Stir in sugar, cocoa, and vanilla until well blended. Remove from heat. Add rum to taste. Makes 1 serving.
I haven’t learned much from celebrities in life (definitely not good relationship role models), but they do know how to throw a good party. This Sunday night is our chance to get a live peek into their revelry, and not just on some a B-list reality show. I’m talking about the 67th Annual Golden Globes presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and if you’ve never seen them, trust me, it’s way more fun and relaxed than the Academy Awards.
To watch the Oscars with friends, you need to get organized with movie-themed nibbles and even paper ballots to mark your predictions. To enjoy the Golden Globes, you need just one thing—a bottle of bubbly! (OK, a friend or two would help, as sparkling wine doesn’t really keep.) As you’ll see, the Hollywood Foreign Press knows that food and drink are a must for any gathering, so stars from film and tv are seated at round tables like at a dinner party. Viewers get to wonder what they are whispering to one another and watch as they consume copious amounts of champagne. And, not just any champagne, but Moët & Chandon—the official champagne of the event.
Even if you can’t afford the good stuff, start chilling a bottle of champagne today for Sunday eve and grab some non-famous girlfriends for the show. It starts at 8pm Eastern on January 7th. It’s important to remember that bubbly is not just for dewey-eyed couples. Every lady should always have a bottle of champagne chilled—you never know when you might have something to celebrate!
Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to gear up for that other wonderful time of the year, Valentine’s Day. But even though you may be single, you don’t have to go it alone.
In the spirit of the Mad Hatter’s Un-Birthday Party, we threw an Un-Valentine’s Day Bash, complete with Queen of Hearts Cookies, Rose-Colored Cocktails and Quiche Tartlets (which are about as girly a dish as you’re going to get). So invite some pals over and celebrate the fact that February 15th is just around the corner.
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