Summer Food To Go

 Summer is the time to head to the beach, lake or park. What goes with those trips? Quick and tasty dishes and desserts. it doesn;t have to be fast food.It does have to be food that is a fast make though.

The Sunday new York Times added this section .It's a great mini recipe book that covers everything from salads to sweets. Another plus is that any of these are also perfect for a barbecue too. This si a keeper that can well take home chefs into tailgate season this fall.Yes there are snacks. what picnic doesn;t have them? The must try isa dill pickle tzatzki.Its the classic Greek dip married to the current dill pickle craze. There's also a caprese antipasto and watermelon chaat to name a few.every picnic needs a salad of some kind and this NYT section delivers.Of course there's macaroni and potato, The first veers off from th usual mayonnaise glopped kind. This has greens, from pickles to freshly chopped parsley and capers.Dijon mustard and lemon juice give it zing and color while a teaspoon of granulated sugar gives counteracts the vinegar Is the potato salad traditional? Yes save for the bite of lemon added. For something. different make the spicy cucumber, heated up with Fresno and Thai chilis. Instead of the usual three bean ,try a blakceyed pea one or a tomato and farro one.

There is a mouth watering hero, seen here on the cover.

It's a salute to Italian cold cuts >Try it for mortadella or prosciutto for Avery flavorful hero. There are also pickled in red wine vinegar onions along with any kind of pepper for bite. Iceberg lettuce and olive oil are added to the onions. You could add mayo or mustard but that may be a bit too much.There's also tomato and pimento cheese sandwiches for a Southern twist. Other may prefer grilled harissa shrimp on skewers or veggie kebabs.There's also salmon onigiri, a form of sushi with rice and nori or black seasweed. and chicken skewers  loaded with cumin and ginger and then butter basted.for something different.Yes there are sweets to end this fun meal. There are strawberry jam bars that can also be made with any red fruit jam like current or raspberry.Rice Krispie treats get elevated with the add of butter fried black sesame seeds and sesame oil. Blondies are a fun addition to any picnic basket and these get amped up with cardamon and white chcocolate chips. They're frosted with an untypical cream cheese frosting. saffron makes it more interesting while a scattering of chopped pistacchios give them a nice nuttiness.

It's picnic weather1! make these dishes for a fun day out. They 're tasty , delicious and different!