I don’t know if I love picnics so much as I love the idea of a picnic. I want to be the person that packs up a cute hamper (or sturdy tote) and doesn’t mind if the food has sand or dirt in it, or that I’m eating it on a blanket that offers no back support whatsoever. I guess what I’m saying is that picnics, for me, are aspirational.
But I have the menu planned for my fantasy picnic, just in case, and it revolves around party sandwiches: Large-format “family-style” sandwiches that are built on whole slabs of focaccia, or entire planks of ciabatta. Split the loaves crosswise, pile with roasted vegetables and hummus, ruffles of thinly sliced deli meat, thick slices of juicy tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, whatever your heart desires. Handheld and customizable, the party sandwich is a picnic pro move, just add potato chips.
The only rules about picnic desserts are that they should be easy to transport, melt-resistant, and require neither plates nor utensils. Cookies and bars are perfect: At my picnic, there’d be Marbled Chocolate Chip Cookies or Berry Easy Jam Bars, Peanut Butter Brownies, or these gonzo-but-good “Kitchen Sink” Cookie Bars that are crowned with salty snacks. But we have an astonishing 476 cookie and bar recipes (always free, always well tested), so you can pick your favorite (honorable mention to Ultimate Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats, truly the G.O.A.T).
And if you’re not in picnic mode yet (or, you know, ever), take heart: a party sandwich or jam bar tastes every bit as good at home with the windows open and sunshine pouring in.
I like my sandwiches without sand,
